#kelandrin

[precious-little-bhaalbabe]

Inspired by @kelandrin

Tav Question

If Karlach gave your Tav a unique nickname, other than “Soldier,” what would it be?

(i.e. “Fringe” for Shadowheart and “Fangs” for Astarion)

[kelandrin]

He is just so autism for murder

[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

[thecrowandtheraven08]

Does Cassian give up Lolth worship in the end? - @kelandrin

They do actually! Cassian ends up becoming a cleric of Eilistraee. They’d always felt a certain pull to her in a sense, being a Drow who longed to live on the surface and hated how cruel things were under Lolth. The change felt so natural to them

I’d like to think on their journey, Cassian and Astarion ran into a small group of Drow that worship Eilistraee and were welcomed to stay. Cassian would have felt so at home and like they’d found what they’d been looking for their whole life

Though, I have played around and decided on a “bad ending” for them as well, where they do stay worshiping Lolth and kill the good that’s left in them. That being said, without someone actively influencing them to turn back to Lolth, they’d for sure leave her worship. They’ve always felt so trapped in it and knew that they could never keep up all the demands Lolth acts of them. They only stayed this long due to religious trauma

[tavstavernofdisasterbisexuals]

"You're also Ilmatari?"

Davhomin was not expecting to meet other Ilmatari on the road

On the left there's Atlas, part of the Companions of the Noble Heart (@kelandrin's tav), on the right there's Izzrhys, part of the Order of the Golden Cup (@taras-toe-beans's tav), and on the middle there's my boi Davhomin, also part of the Order of the Golden Cup

Inspired by that one post of kelandrin searching for Ilmatari tavs

[necroticyuzu]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash original post by @kelandrin's

This seems really fun and wanted to give it a try.

Don't wanna bother others too much but hope you who got tagged will have some fun with this, don't feel forced to join and I wish you a continuing great day. @falcatamandarina, @voloslobotomyservice, @fan-tav-stic, @spiritfaredfox,

Tamia Geraldottir

Half-Orc ~ Knowledge Cleric of Oghma ~ Neutral Good

Baby

~Parents~

- Father Gerald Bendalson: A Half-Dwarf (Technically Quarter-Dwarf) from Blackgate in Baldur's Gate who grew up dreaming about working in the famous Candlekeep and was finally able to fulfill that dream in his 50s when his two daughters became independent. Much like his father, and his father before him, he's attracted to big, strong women. So when he saw Vel showing off her amazing strength in a gladiator show he immediately fell for her. How'd he manage to woo this mighty woman who could easily rip him into pieces? Puns! Even the bad ones.

- Mother Vel: A proud Orc from the Cool Woods up in the Silver Marches who enjoys seeking challenges that put her strength and tactical thinking to the test. The more challenging the better and if she gets to show that off for others then that's a bonus. While participating in a gladiator show out in Rivington she managed to catch the attention of a tall dwarf who after the show wooed her with some absolute bangers of puns. Not one for settling down she'd rather keep on traveling around seeking challenges while her partner looks after their two daughters.

~Birth~

- Hammer 23rd 1463, was the day Tamia was born after taking her sweet time by being both an overdue baby and also taking almost two full days of labor which really annoyed her mother Vel who just wanted it over with.

~First word~

- Dada, which really made Gerald's day for sure while he was feeding her usual porridge about a month after her first birthday.

- An update that he made sure to brag about for everyone to hear whether or not they wanted to hear about it.

~When they first walked~

- Much to Daddy Gerald's worries and Mommy Vel's frustration, Tamia's first steps did not happen until she was about 15 months old.

- She was just so damned adamant about either scooting or crawling to move herself around in her little home.

~Tantrum~

- The first notable tantrum that Gerald could remember was when he was gonna head out for work which freaked her as she entered her separation anxiety stage at 10 months old.

~First sickness~

- Breaking out in hives and getting very itchy from trying out eating cherries for the first time around 9 months old. Really freaked Daddy Gerald out at the time until Grandmother Siv calmed him down. Turns out Tamia got that trait from said Grandmother.

Childhood

~Friends~

- Tamia had a fair bit of friends from the neighborhood but very few strong enough to last up until adulthood.

- Ranvia Bronzegrace: The one notable friend that stayed strong was with a Shield Dwarf called Ranvia whose family runs a repair business of wagons with a mix of smithing and carpentry that's doing great thanks to all the trade traffic through the Black Dragon Gate. Once old enough Ranvia joins her parents in the family business and one day will take it over.

~Siblings~

- Sarina Veldottir: Her 2 years younger sister who's a lot more outgoing than Tamia herself and a troublemaker to boot. Always gets herself into trouble one way or another to the point of aging their poor old Dad Gerald at least 10 years. Be it starting fights with older kids (and usually winning while fighting dirty) or trying to steal various random objects or food items from visiting merchants waiting to enter Baldur's Gate through the Black Dragon Gate. Tamia has to often step in to apologize for her antics while their father is off at work. Sarina very much looks up to their Mother Vel and aspires to be as strong and adventurous as she is. Once deemed old enough she went with her after one of her rare yearly visits. Their sibling relationship has gotten a bit better now as adults.

- There may or may not be a half-sibling or two out in the world on her mother's side that they simply do not know about?

~Getting into trouble~

- The most trouble Tamia gets into is when she fails to stop her little sister from getting into trouble. Since she's the older sister she's expected to be more responsible and set an example for Sarina.

- One such instance was when she was supposed to keep an eye on her while the two of them went to purchase some more exotic food from The Wide for the family to celebrate a special occasion around age 9 and Sarina age 7. While in the middle of her purchase, Sarina managed to sneakily getaway to explore on her own and was not found until MANY hours later when the Upper City curfew was about to start.

~Birthday~

- A typical birthday growing up was a very simple celebration with a small batch of their favorite cookies and not too expensive a gift to add to it. Tamia's favorite cookies were Apple Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon and for gift was mostly whatever book Gerald or his parents could find for a good price or just lying around abandoned.

~Games~

- The typical games that most kids tended to play in the neighborhood were hide-and-seek, stick fights, and whatever you could come up with using bean-bags that day.

~Learning something new~

- Tamia just like her Dad Gerald had a thirst for learning growing up as a child with a passion for reading books. Growing up she wanted to be a wizard and be able to use magic. Alas, no matter how much she read up on magic, tried to connect to the weave, and prayed to Mystra herself Tamia could never find the connection she oh so badly wanted. And yet despite that, she kept on trying to learn what she could.

- However little did she know that another god would take notice of her love and ambition to learn. That being The Lord of All Knowledge Oghma himself who would later in her teens send her signs to let her know that she is seen by him and encourage her to keep on learning with his support.

~Trauma~

- The closest thing to a trauma in her childhood was when she was 11 years old. She went climbing up to the roof of the old family house to reach the small bean-bag she tossed up there during a small competition she had with the neighboring kids in 'Who can toss the highest?' To which she won. As she got her bean-bag she lost her footing and went tumbling down, breaking her right arm, her left wrist and earning a concussion. It was also how she earned the scar on her forehead that she would later try to hide with her hair.

- After that incident, she started to fear heights but started to handle it better in her late teens. Until all that progress got tossed out the window at age 19. Literally!

Teenager

~First love~

- Her first love or more accurately crush occurred when she was 14 and it was with her friend Ranvia's cousin who'd temporarily moved in with the Bronzegrace family to learn their trade for 2-3 years. His name was Emdur and like Ranvia was a Shield Dwarf but unlike his cousin he had no interest in their craft.

- The crush lasted for about 3 weeks and ended while she was visiting her friend to ask if she was interested in hanging out. While conversing with Ranvia about possible activities Emdur decided to ask his cousin "Why you hanging out with a Stupid Orc all the time?" To which he then received a mighty punch to the face from his cousin.

- Any and all interest Tamia had for the guy was immediately snuffed out and took some of her self-confidence with it.

~Rebellion~

- Not much rebelling from Tamia growing up. The only time that she would count herself rebelling was when she let her Dad and Paternal Grandparents know that she refuses to take any form of responsibility for her little sister's behavior and antics. They received it loud and clear.

~Running away~

- Does wanting to run away from her sister count?

- Tamia was never really rebellious so the whole 'Running away from home' thing was never her cup of tea. Her family already had to live with an over-energetic, trouble-making, constantly looking for a fight sister, and Tamia simply did not wanna add to that.

~Reckless behavior~

- Growing up everyone in Baldur's Gate knew about Ramazith's Tower, its mysteriously dead owner, and the rumors about possible treasures he's collected hidden behind magical traps. And more importantly to Tamia, Knowledge.

- At the very end of her teens at age 19 which still technically counts as a teenager the talks about this new and young wizard had managed to claim said tower, Tamia who by then had already received Oghmas blessing quickly made her way to seek this wizard out to ask for his permission to create a catalog record of the mysterious content of Ramazith's Tower.

- It took her a little over a month of begging and pleading to finally convince him to accept her Oghma-blessed service much to her joy. Only for him to then send her into areas of the tower that were still trapped without telling her thinking she'd deal with it for him.

- After somehow managing to escape with either dumb luck or divine intervention through the still-active traps Tamia made her complaints known to this very reckless wizard whom she still knows nothing about. His response was to simply have her tossed out the nearest window faaar up in the tower with an air elemental. How fortunate that she's invested in purchasing a Ring of Feather Falling for her fear of heights.

- Lesson to learn from this? Don't trust random new wizards in town to then immediately ask to see their shiny magical collection.

~Peer pressure~

- Tamia's not really one to fall for peer pressure from other people with the exception of her own family to be a good older sister and keep her younger sister in line when they are not around to do so themselves due to work.

~Growing pains~

- Not really pain but there was plenty of growing in her early teens. Her paternal family was sure that she wasn't gonna grow to be as tall as her taller than your average Orc Mother Vel who was rocking 2.06m (6'9) due to her father's side having those strong Dwarven genes with Dad Gerald 1.52m (5').

- Well, they were all in for a surprise as she kept on getting taller and taller than her Dad.

~Taking responsibility~

- If it's something she has either done or said that caused any form of harm, then Tamia will take responsibility for it and admit to her fault.

- However, if it's related to her sister or the other party took offense for the most ridiculous of reasons and blames it on her, then you lose all her attention and get ignored.

Adulthood

~Leaving home~

- Not long after the 'Tower Incident' Tamia had a rather hard time looking at the very prominent tower looming over her every single day. So about a month after it happened, she made the decision to apply any form of work at the Font of Knowledge in Waterdeep. She would receive her confirmation after sending them many letters for almost 5 months. As soon as she received this news she packed up everything that she still owed after selling off the rest in order to afford the fee to join a ship heading to Waterdeep at the age of 20.

~Their “first time”~

- Not to long after moving to Waterdeep Tamia started to explore as many new restaurants, bakeries, and taverns. During one of her culinary explorations, she encountered a charming Earth Genasi Cleric of Chauntea who was a regular and took notice that she was a new face. The two got to know each other by random facts the two learned over there years and teaching the other even more random fact. After their 5th outing of food and knowledge sharing they paid for a shared room to get to know each other on a more intimate level.

~Serious relationships~

- Alabaster: The charming Earth Genasi was her first-ever relationship she had and one that she treasures to this day. During their 4 years, he taught her all he knew of nature while she taught him arcana. They had planned to get married and start a family the upcoming spring when sadly tragedy struck. While out to bless the crops for some farmers he unfortunately ran into a group of bandits who were not too happy with how light he traveled with little value and took his life out of frustration.

- After losing her fiance Tamia took her time to mourn by diving into her work more than ever. Didn't give dating another go until 3 years later but was not as lucky with those and they mostly left her feeling uncomfortable afterward to the point that she stopped dating altogether.

~Work~

- From the moment she started working at the Font of Knowledge in Waterdeep it's been her one form of workplace. Starting out as a simple novice to eventually earned her current and favorite position as a Record Keeper. For 9 years she worked there and was very much content with it.

~Aging~

- As a Half-Orc she should be aging faster than your average human, though it would appear that the Dwarven genes on her paternal side have managed to get a foot in when the more dominant Orc ones took over. So it would appear that she ages slightly slower than humans would and ages almost similar to a certain Tiefling who's about her own age. A fact that the two don't fully realize until her late 30's.

~Finding your place~

- Who knew that while out during one of her lunch breaks she'd get snatched up by a fly by Nautiloid and toss her life upside down. After the whole Neather Brain business is dealt with and Baldur's Gate is safe from the whole Absolute Cult stuff Tamia has to decide if she wishes to return to Waterdeep or stay in the city of her birth to help build it back up.

- But once Baldur's Gate is built back up, what then? Stay longer or Waterdeep? Feeling bold she wishes to take a rematch at Ramazith's Tower she decides to offer Rolan her years of experience in Record Keeping services and her help in finding each and every secret that the tower has to offer.

- A project that would take them years to fully complete in a safe and methodical manner but suits the two of them just fine. It's during this project Tamia finds herself feeling like she's found her place, where she truly belongs. Working alongside Rolan, making sure he's not burning himself out and taking care of himself with him doing the very same for her.

~Staring a family/found family~

- The weird ragtag of individuals that Tamia traveled with while tadpoled has become this big strange little family in which you are close to some more than others. Which also includes the Tieflings that they helped way back in the Grove. Tamia makes the effort to stay in contact with the majority of them all however with how easily absorbed she can get with her work and family could mean long periods of silence.

- While she and Rolan work on their shared project of unpacking the mysteries of the Tower and its content the two enter into a close relationship that ever so slowly develops into a romantic to eventually turn sexual. Neither knowing when the shift truly happened and yet it feels so natural for them.

- 4 years after the Netherbrain the two receive a much unexpected surprise in their lives in the form of a cryptic pregnancy. Tamia jokes how their son is such an extreme introvert that not even his own parents had any idea he even existed until he was forcefully evicted into the world. Though he may have been a surprise, Derrick Rolansson is very much loved and wanted.

- Another 4 years after they had Derrick the two married and lived a very comfortable but far from boring life in the tower when they learned that they were expecting a second child. However this time they learned about them much earlier, giving them time to digest this news and prepare. They welcomed their second son who they named Aiden Rolansson.

(Edit: Realized someone else already had used the name Nathaniel for their own Child OC of Rolan way before I did, so I'm changing the firstborn's name to Derrick instead.)

[tashas-cauldron-of-magic-soup]

The Tryst (or An Exchange of Flowers)

Kazimir Littlemoon (my drow ranger) as The Knight.

Atlas Sumeur (@kelandrin’s tiefling paladin) as The Prince. Atlas, my beloved.

Inspired by this painting.

Atlas’s flowers are a yellow tulip (“there is sunshine in your smile”) and edelweiss (“chivalrous devotion”). Kazimir’s flowers are forget-me-nots (“true love, don’t forget me”).

[littlelostmabari]

4. Eating/Cooking Together

Pairing: Shadowheart x Halsin x Tav. Tav isn't described, and uses no pronouns.

Warnings: A teeny bit of angst, but they're all happy.

Word count: 1.3k

It's all just fluff. Fluff fluff fluff. Thanks to @kelandrin for the lovely BG3 Pride Prompts! (Link to that post here) (Dividers here)

The sun was grazing the horizon when the door to Chateau Buttercup was gently pushed open to reveal a form waddling through the barn with a stack of boxes too tall to carry with any ease. 

“Halsin?” a voice called out from behind the boxes. “I brought the – oof!” The boxes would have fallen comically into Buttercup's stall, had there not been a wall of elf blocking the path. A rough chuckle and relief of the top three boxes revealed a tall, broad-shouldered Halsin wearing nothing but trousers, sandals, and the remnants of Buttercup’s thorough grooming. He easily hefted the three boxes up and over into the empty stall next door, following up with the second three a moment later, leaving Tav’s arms blissfully empty and sore. 

“Thank you, my heart, for helping me with this little surprise.” He opened his arms for a hug. Tav leaned back and made a face, gesturing to the leftover cow hair. Halsin laughed heartily, brushed himself off with a casual aire, and then leaned forward to place a kiss at Tav’s temple. He took care not to shed more Buttercup onto Tav than was necessary for the contact. “I’ll take care of the rest of this,” gesturing to the boxes now well hidden behind the faded red wood of the stall. “Why don’t you go and make sure she doesn’t come out here while I work.” 

Tav nodded, bent forward for one more temple kiss, and then hurried out the front of the small barn. It was easy enough to find Shadowheart this time of day — sundown was often a time where her mother could reliably remember herself. Shadowheart had taken to sitting at the foot of her mother’s lounging chair, allowing the older woman to run her hands through her daughter's silvery hair. Sometimes Tav would stand in the doorway, just watching as Emmeline carefully braided colored ribbons; Shadowheart would wear them with pride until they fell out of their own accord or her mother insisted on trying a new hairstyle. Sometimes Emmeline would sit back in her chair and Shadowheart would read to her, other times Emmeline would tell her of happy times before the influence of Shar broke their family apart. Arnell would often leave during the latter evenings, the knowledge of those lost years too much to bear in front of their new family. 

Tonight was a reading night, Shadowheart had climbed up into the chair with her mother and the two were snuggled, carefully perched on the extra wide armchair. The book was “Nimoneon’s Fantastic Adventures”, which let the two of them choose their way through the story. Shadowheart was endlessly amused by how often her mother chose the same pathways, because they had read often enough that they both knew the story by heart — and Emmeline would always pick the ending where Nimoneon found his true love and rode off into the sunset. 

Tav took the long way around their modest cottage, stopping to place a kiss on both women’s cheeks, before seeking out Arnell in the kitchen. He was busily stirring a pot of something that smelled extraordinarily delicious; it reminded Tav of the tomato stew that Yenna had made one night in the Elfsong. Arnell looked up with a smile and pointed at the vegetables still on the counter waiting to be added. The carrots and squash still needed chopping, and after a brief question on how Arnell wanted it done, Tav set to work. Tav also kept a careful ear out into the main room, ensuring that Shadowheart’s beautiful voice was still carrying through the cottage — and not interrupting Halsin’s carefully laid out plans. 

Thirty minutes later, Arnell announced to the room that dinner was ready, and Tav left the kitchen to gather the rest of the family to the table. Halsin needed five more minutes, so Tav took the time to make sure that the table was perfectly set, Emmeline and Shadowheart’s wine glasses full, and both women happily chatting about which choice they would make after dinner when they settled back into their peace. Arnell and Tav happily served the table, as Halsin entered the cottage with fresh clothes and hair still wet from rinsing off the day’s work. 

The stew was delicious, but Shadowheart’s eyes became more and more glazed over as the meal progressed. Tav and Halsin both noticed; Tav’s hand was on her thigh and Halsin’s on her back as her eyes welled with tears. She was clearly confused as to what brought on the sudden increase of emotions, and Tav looked to Arnell who was gently smiling at his daughter. 

“This was the meal you always asked for on your nameday, my sweet,” he said gently. “I’m glad to see you remember it.”

“I do,” Shadowheart said, with a small sob. “But there’s something missing, something sweet and crunchy and —”

“The bread rolls that your nanna used to make,” Emmeline interjected with a smile. “She made them with the local flour and added a touch of honey to the dough. Unfortunately those we lost when she passed, but she would be so happy to know that her rolls were something you remembered!”

Shadowheart burst into tears, reaching an arm over Tav’s shoulder and pulling Tav close. Halsin pulled both hands from the meal and used them to rub soothing circles into her back. It took a couple minutes but Shadowheart pulled herself together and wiped the tears away with the back of her hands. Arnell reached across the table and tossed a handkerchief, which she caught readily and finished cleaning away the mess that had been brought about by such happy memories. Tav and Halsin shared a worried glance, but it was quickly remedied when Shadowheart burst up from the table and ran to her father with a new set of tears. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she cried into his shoulder. Emmeline couldn’t help herself either, blowing her nose noisily into her own cloth. A few more moments passed before — “Wait,” she said, her head poking up from the embrace. “You said that I asked for this on my nameday? Why did you make it today?” 

“Oh, my sweet,” Halsin said sadly under his breath, shaking his head. Both Halsin and Tav stood, Halsin leaving the room quickly and Tav helping Shadowheart stand and return to her chair. 

“My darling,” Tav stated gently, kneeling at her feet. “It is your nameday.” 

Shadowheart’s eyes glanced about to her mother and father, who nodded. A smile began to grow, turning into a toothy grin and another series of tears left her eyes. “Kythorn 3,” she laughed. “With my propensity towards the dramatic, I would have bet I was a winter baby!” The table laughed along with her, and distracted her long enough for Halsin to enter with his and Tav’s gift in tow. He placed it gently in the space where the side table had been (Tav lied very convincingly that the side table never fit with the decor, and Shadowheart allowed its removal). 

Tav took Shadowheart by the shoulders and turned her to face an exquisite carving of the five of them, their beautiful found family, holding each other around a small opening, which was currently empty. It seemed as if a candle might fit, but Shadowheart knew better. Tav held onto her tightly from behind as she gestured a gentle incantation, a small call to Selûne, and a wisp of moonlight flickered into being above the circle of their love. 

“Happy Nameday, Shadowheart,” Tav said, clutching her tighter. Halsin’s arms wrapped around them both, kissing the top of their heads. Arnell wrapped an arm around Emmeline, kissing her temple as well. Shadowheart closed her eyes and leaned into the warmth of her partners, once again eternally grateful to be home. 

[charmedcleric]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

I was tagged by @lemonsrosesandlavender , thank you so much <3

Tagging (no pressure of course): @auspex-author @lolthslover @fistfuloftarenths @orangekittyenergy @darkurgetrash and anyone else who would like to do it cause it’s v fun ✨

Athena

This was honestly so fun! I could talk about Athena forever. I also talk more about athena and rolans life together andddd it’s very long so it’s all under the cut lmao oops

Baby:

Parents

- Athena’s parents were Thomas Knight and Elerra Knight (née. Kenafin). Her father Thomas was a human Wizard/Paladin of Mystra (boooooo) who worked for the Waterdeep City Guard and her mother Elerra was a drow cleric of Eilistraee who worked as a healer at the local house of healing.

Birth

- She was born in Waterdeep at the families cottage. Her parents treated her birth as if they had been blessed by the gods themselves (as they should lol) they had been trying to have a baby for a while and were starting to lose hope until Elerra finally fell pregnant with Athena.

First word / Tantrum / When they first walked / First sickness

- Athena’s first word was ma. She didn’t really have tantrums often, and if she did they didn’t last for very long. She was 15 months old when she first started to walk and her first sickness was a common cold.

Childhood:

Friends

- Athena had a couple of friends growing up, as a half-drow she didn’t really feel like she belonged anywhere, some people knew she was half drow and treated her different, others didn’t know what she was but they still treated her with caution. Her best friends consisted of Tyler, a tiefling, and Ari who was a high half-elf.

Siblings

- She had one sibling, a sister called rose. There was a 10 year age gap between them. Her sister rose was actually adopted and was a tiefling. Her parents were struggling to conceive yet again so they decided to adopt instead.

Getting into trouble

- Athena had terrible anxiety growing up so she never really did anything to get into trouble.

Birthday

- Her birthday is Alturiak 20th

Games / Learning something new

- She loved a good game of hide and seek, she was very good at hiding so she always won when she played with her parents and friends.

- Athena loves learning and takes it very seriously, when she puts her mind to something she is determined. Growing up she loved lanceboard and even though she wasn’t good at it to begin with, she stuck it out and learned how to play, it took many hours with her mothers help but she got there in the end

Trauma

- Her family being what they were, were judged by some of the public. She grew up hearing people call her mother an under elf, deep elf etc. her mother always tried to ignore it but Athena could she the heartbreak on her mothers face. If it wasn’t for her father, Athena would have grown up to not trust humans as most of the comments made about her mother were from humans.

Teenager:

First love

- Athena’s first love was her friend Tyler. She loved him very much and he loved her as well. Athena wanted to have something more with him but she also didn’t want to ruin what they already had so they just stayed friends

Rebellion / Running away

- Due to the situation Athena was in she never really had time to rebel. After her parents died and her sister became ill she had to grow up real fast and was essentially a mother figure for Rose. Athena had to work, cook and heal all day, everyday. She barely had any time to herself so there was definitely no time to rebel or run away

Reckless behavior

- When her sister had fallen deathly ill, Athena started to pickpocket/steal food and supplies as she now didn’t have much time to make a living to support the two of them. She did still work but it was very rare.

Peer pressure

- Although no one was pressuring her she still pushed herself. She would push herself so hard to heal her sister that some days it took all her energy and she would fall asleep on the floor next to her sisters bed.

Taking responsibility

- She spent most of her teenage years taking responsibility, between healing her sister, earning a living to be able to feed herself and her sister, She never had time for herself and always had to put her sister first. Athena developed a bad habit that when she eats she tends to eat very fast due to always needing to aid rose. Most of the time when she would sit down to eat, rose would start coughing and need urgent care, so eating fast became a bad habit of hers, one she is still working on today.

Adulthood:

Their “first time”

- Athena’s first time was one she wishes she could forget. At 23 years of age athena had her first time with a man she met at the Yawning portal. It was soon after her sister had died and Athena was not taking it well and she wanted a distraction. She ended up getting drunk and have sex with the first man that showed a slight interest in her. Soon after she started to regret it and when she arrived home she curled up in a ball on her bed and started crying wishing her mum was there to talk to. This experience tainted sex for her for a long time after. The next time she had sex was with rolan after the fall of the absolute, she had filled rolan in beforehand about her experience and rolan made sure that she was showed the up most care and love during their first time together

Serious relationships

- Athena’s first serious relationship is with rolan. Although they had their differences when they first met Athena quite liked rolan, she loved how caring he was for his siblings, how determined he was and she found him very attractive. For a spell she thought he hated her but it was the complete opposite.

After Cal and lia were saved from moonrise, rolan found Athena sitting by the waters edge at last light, where he decided to apologize to her. The two ended up talking for a bit and ended up sharing a kiss, Athena thought rolan would regret it come morning but if he did he never showed it.

They didn’t really discuss their feelings till after the fall of the netherbrain. Athena wasn’t sure what she wanted to do now that the absolute was no more, so she decided to go and talk to rolan just to catch up and to see his reaction to her maybe going back to Waterdeep.

They were having a nice conversation when she briefly mentioned going back to Waterdeep, this made rolan drop his drink and turn to her like umm why???? She explained that she didn’t have anything here or anyone needing her to stay so she might as well go back home. Rolan then said something along the lines of “you’re so selfish you know that yes? You are just going to up and leave when the man who cares and loves you the most is standing right in front of you?” When she goes to reply he cuts her off and basically begs her not to leave. Basically rolan finally tells her he is in love with her and has been for a while and he has a meltdown about it. very dramatic, very much rolan lol

- Her first serious platonic relationship would be shadowheart, although she knew shadowheart was lying to her about something she knew that there was probably a good reason for doing so. The two grew close and are still good friends long after the fall of the absolute. Another platonic relationship dear to Athena is Jaheira, I talk about them more in this post. Jaheira is very much a mother figure for Athena.

Work

- Before she was a cleric she was painter, she had to take a break from painting due to obvious reasons. After the fall of the absolute she takes up painting again and sells them in the lower city, all the money she makes from them is then donated to the local orphanage/s.

She tends to paint a lot of landscapes so when rolan first showed her the balconies of the tower she told him about how much she would love to paint this view. When she had finally moved in to ramazith’s tower rolan pulled her to one of the balconies and surprised her with a new easel, paints and a lot of canvases. She was on the brink of tears, she couldn’t have asked for a more caring partner. Most nights rolan will join her outside and will read one of his many books while she paints.

She still was a cleric of course and offered her aid wherever she could. Rolan cleaned out one of the rooms in sorcerous sundries and made it Athena’s office where she could manage all the paperwork for her patients. She was a call out cleric meaning she would go to the patients house instead of them coming into the sundries. She also helped out around sorcerous sundries. Whether that was scroll sorting or working the counter, she loved helping where she could, especially if it made rolans life slightly easier (the less stressed and busy rolan was, the more time they got together)

Leaving home

- Athena left her family home when she was 24 years old, after falling into a deep depression after her sister died she decided that enough was enough. Athena felt that the only thing she had left was her religion so she decided she wanted to become a sword dancer of eilistraee, after she did this she made her way to the promenade of the dark maiden. She helped and lived there for about a year.

Aging

- She doesn’t really like to talk about aging, from losing her family very young she would rather just live in the now instead of thinking about death, she’s had to much of that in her life. When she starts getting older she spends more time painting and hanging out in the tower with rolan.

Finding your place

- Athena feels she has found her place after the fall of the absolute. She is finally living with rolan (they end up getting married 2 years later), cal and lia, she has amazing friends which she still sees and keeps in touch with. She finally feels happy and feels that life is going her way for once.

Staring a family/found family

- Athena and rolan don’t end up having any children. She realises that she has been looking after people her whole life and she wants a chance to just live and have a somewhat calm life. Rolan, Cal and Lia are her found family along with Jaheira and her friends. Although they don’t have any children of their own, athena ends up adopting Yenna but its more of a sister than mother relationship for Yenna. Their family also consists of grub (yennas cat), two other cats they adopted and scratch.

[spacebarbarianweird]

Get to know your OC

I was tagged by @kelandrin to complete this challenge and decided to make the same list for Alethaine, Astarion's dhampir daughter. Her mother Tiriel is here

(younger and older versions made by picrew.me)

Alethaine Ancunin | Hight-Elf/Dhampir | Sorcerer/Necromancer| She/her

Alethaine Ancunin's...

favorite weapon: Necrotic Magic (but she won't hesitate to use her fangs).

style of combat: Casting as many dark spells as possible from the shadows.

most prized possession: A Sussur Dagger. Many years ago, Tiriel gave it to Astarion and, when Alethaine was 19, Astarion gave it to his daughter.

deepest desire: She desires to find a place to call her own where se will be accepted as a dhampir.

best-kept secret: She has ugly scars on her back and stomach, left with a silver dagger. Since Alethaine always wears black covering clothes, no one ever saw the scars (including Astarion).

greatest strength: Problem-Solving. She is a great diplomat and can make a devil make peace a mindflayer.

fatal flaw: She tends to be cold-hearted and distant, never giving her full heart to anything or anybody.

favorite smell: Chocolate.

favorite spell or cantrip: Fear and Hold Person.

pet peeve: Stupid people.

bad habit: Laziness.

hidden talent: Very good with kids. Once, Alethaine saved a five-year-old girl turned into a vampire and spent almost a year taking care of her before giving the vamp-girl to the Gurs for adoption.

leisure activity: Reading. She learned to read in the age of 4 and feels "getting dumber" if she hasn't read for a while.

favorite drink: Hot Chocolate (and different sweet monstrosities you can buy in big cities)

comfort food: Sweets.

favorite person: Theris the Bard.

favored display of affection (platonic and/or romantic): Alethaine isn't fond of PDA (probably, the direct result of her parents being really affectionate to each other) so she usually shows her affection with actions - if she suddenly offers you a cup of tea or help with some intricate spell, be safe to invite Alethaine for a date. She won't bite.

fondest childhood memory: Alethaine had a happy childhood and she can't choose just a few memories. One of the brightest was when Tiriel managed to return home before Winter Solstice despite snowstorms even though Astarion warned Alethaine mother wouldn't be back till spring (and Alethaine was really attached to her mother growing up).

[kelandrin]

RULES: Post 5 songs associated with your OC's and four outfits they’d wear or their style.

Ty for the tag @primal-savagery !!! I am gunna tag @haarleps @taras-toe-beans @thecrowandtheraven08 @tashas-cauldron-of-magic-soup !

5 Songs for Kelandrin:

Righteous Hand of God by Poor Man’s Poison

Teeth by 5SOS

Masochist by Ellise

Love Bites by Jade LeMac

Lilith by Halsey

4 Outfits

[commander-krios]

BG3 Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

I was tagged by @lemonsrosesandlavender, thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Tagging: @eluvisen, @darth-salem-emperor-of-earth, @mimabeann, @starknstarwars, @greyias, @captainsigge and @fistfuloftarenths

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

Juniper

Baby

Birth & Parents: Juniper was born in Neverwinter to a half-elf craftsman (Feanor) and a tiefling sorcerer (Elara). She grew up moderately wealthy and deeply loved by her parents. Feanor woodworked for a living in a small shop in the city, creating instruments for the wealthy and the poor (most times donating lyres and lutes for free to orphanages). Her mother was a sorcerer employed to a local patriar, mostly making potions or other alchemical things for him and his family. They made good gold thanks to their positions and provided Juniper with the best life they could.

Childhood

Friends/Siblings: No siblings, she is an only child. She had a rather small group of friends, majority because of her heritage as a tiefling. But the friends she did have were some of her favorite people. One in particular, Lymrith, was a dragonborn who was in much the same position of being shunned by many in Neverwinter and they formed a close bond.

Birthday: I don't have an exact date, it's sometime in Midsummer.

Learning and Playing Games: Juniper was given the best education her parents could afford. Elara taught her a lot of magic when she was young and it was apparent that she was a sorcerer as well, but when it was proven that she had wild magic, they opted to train her as a bard, hoping that it would help her control her gift. Feanor sent her to a bard college in Waterdeep for a time when she was a teenager.

Trauma: The biggest trauma of her childhood was losing her mother to an alchemical accident when she was seven. One day, her mother never came home, and it will always haunt her.

Youth

First Love: Her first love was a fellow bard she met in Waterdeep. It was, in the end, just a fling, but Juniper always harbored feelings for the little elven woman who captured her heart for the first time.

Rebellion and Running Away: Juniper never wanted to run away, but she did want to be an adventurer and traveling bard. She wanted to experience the tales that she sang about, wanted to meet people, to be the story. She was a free spirit, always getting into trouble, and was definitely a handful for Feanor when her mother passed, but he encouraged her antics since it brought her joy and didn't harm anyone, much.

Peer Pressure, Risk Taking and Responsibility: Juniper takes risks more often than not, mostly because she believes they are worth the result in the end. She didn't have all that many friends, but it isn't difficult to convince her to do something stupid. She's not into the risks associated with drugs or alcohol (usually) but if something sounds fun, she's usually down. She's also just as likely to accept responsibility. She wants to prove herself and sometimes takes on more than she can handle, but she has good intentions.

Growing Pains: She had a very difficult time after her mother's death. She was young, confused, and all she knew was that her mother was gone. She blamed her mother's employer, blamed her father, blamed her mother, for what happened. It took time for her to come to terms with her grief.

Adulthood

Leaving Home: She left for the first time when she was a teenager, to attend a bard college in Waterdeep, but as an adult, she went from city to city to small town etc as a traveling bard. It was difficult for Feanor who only had her left after Elara's passing, but he also loved seeing her flourish and knew it was in her best interest to leave.

First Time: It was in a tavern after one of her first shows. A younger man, most likely a mercenary or thief, human, moderately good looking. They used each other for a bit of fun and that was that. Juniper didn't put much importance on the act of sex, it felt nice but it was just sex.

Serious Relationships: Platonically, her most serious relationship (besides her familial bond with her father) is probably Karlach. They are ride or die besties, do everything together. Juniper was one of the only people willing to travel to Avernus and fight Zariel face to face for her. Romantically, the only serious romance she had prior to Rolan was her dragonborn paladin bf, Lymrith. Even after breaking up, they are still close and she will always love him. Then, there is Rolan. He is everything to her, makes her try harder to be serious, but also knows that if she can't, he'll still love her no matter what. He is the only person she can ever truly say she's in love with and has been in love with. That earth shattering, world ending love.

Aging: Juniper dislikes aging for how it slows her down. She stays in the Tower more, does less work in the city or with the bard college in Baldur's Gate. And she dislikes it immensely. She's always used to being on the move that when she is forced to sit still by her own body, she goes stir crazy. Thankfully, she has Rolan, Lia, Cal, and her friends to keep her grounded. One of the biggest things that she enjoys about aging, is counting the grey in Rolan's hair (much to his dismay).

Family: Her father, Rolan and his siblings, Zevlor (who becomes a father figure as well), Alfira and Lakrissa, the tiefling kiddos but especially Mirkon, Mattis, Silfy, Ide, and Arabella, Dammon, Bex and Danis, Karlach, Wyll, Gale, Shadowheart, Lae'zel, and reluctantly, Astarion. Also Scratch and the Owlbear. Her family is her friends, the people she loves, and she will do anything for them. She never has children of her own, but with all of the tiefling kids around, she doesn't need to.

Work: Bard, of course, but also teaching. In Baldur's Gate, she finally settles down (with the occasional adventure on the side) and teaches at Alfira's college for a time. She also does private lessons and performs at taverns in the city.

Finding Her Place: Juniper was a traveling bard for much of her young life, and while she had a home back in Neverwinter, she never gave it much thought because she loved life on the road. But she found her place in Baldur's Gate after the Netherbrain, with Rolan and his family.

[thecrowandtheraven08]

From @kelandrin ~ Here is what I wrote about Kel and Cassian’s romance set in act two ❤️ I hope you like it! It isn’t edited so I am sorry in advance. Also sorry if Cassian is OOC any Dx

New Gods

Regardless, he found Cassian at the top of the hill, legs pulled up to their chest as they looked out at the darkness. Their only companion was a single torch, flickering in the still air.

“You’re missing dinner.” Kel noticed a movement in Cassian’s shoulders. They didn’t look back at him but they were listening.

Kelandrin walked onto the other side of Cassian from the torch and looked down. They couldn’t meet his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” they whispered. “It really isn’t like me to be so pitiful.”

“I agree,” Kel replied, lowering himself to the ground. “You’ve been off for some time.”

Cassian sucked in a sharp breath. Kelandrin could sense their fear though the tadpole, jumbling their thoughts. Then they finally spoke.

“My goddess is cross with me. Lolth.” Cassian added her name as if Kel needed a reminder. “I haven’t been as faithful as I should be, haven’t been doing her will. All I want is to be able to heal, to help you, but I can’t even do that because I have let her down. I feel so worthless…”

“Look at me,” Kelandrin reached out, cupping Cassian’s cheek. He turned their face towards them. Their brow was knitted tight and their lips curved down. There was a pained expression in their eyes and all Kel wanted was to swallow them, and their pain, whole.

“Loyalty cannot be exchangeless. You waste yours on her. Worse yet, you waste your fear on her. If she cannot offer you the things you want, then what good is remaining by her side?” Kelandrin was surprised by how soft his voice was. He had meant it to come out firm, not the whisper that it was. “If you cannot rely on her, rely on me instead. I may not be capable of granting you the gift of healing. I can only give you what I know: the violence and the death. But unlike Lolth, I won’t abandon you. If you must have a god, I will find you one worthy of your loyalty.”

Kelandrin let his hand fall away. He made his offer. Whether or not Cassian accepted was up to them now. Their pupils shook, searching Kel’s eyes for deception. But Kel did not deceive. He meant every word because there was no need to lie.

Finally, Cassian rose to their feet. Kelandrin followed suit.

“I’ve been acting too precious. I was a weak hearted child and I seem to have held onto that still.” Their words were stronger now, resolved. “I think you’re right. There is little point in continuing like this, weeping because an unloving goddess will not spare me attention.”

Cassian looped their arms around Kel’s neck, pulling them down into a kiss. It was all tongue and teeth, like they were devouring each other. When the pair parted, they were breathless but the hunger remained in their eyes.

“I think I’ll keep you around,” Cassian’s lips curled up into a coy smile. “If you’ll have me, I’ll have you.”

Kel caught himself smiling back. “Then you’re mine and I am yours.”

OH MY GOD I LOVE IT!?!! They’re so good! Thank you so much. I ship them so much! You did so good too

[elspethdekarios]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

Thank you @lolthslover for tagging me in this forever ago!! It had taken me literally a month (or more??) to write all of this, so I'm sorry it took me so long!

I have no idea who all has done this already, so sorry if you're getting tagged again lol. I tag @mumms-the-word @waterdeepwhiskey @loserwitchbitch @lewdisescariot @fantasyfictionfables @orangekittyenergy and anyone else who wants to do it <3

I didn't answer all of the prompts, so make sure you check @kelandrin's original post for all of them!!

Elspeth Dekarios (née Vaidelark)

Age: 35

High Half Elf • Cleric, Corellon Larethian, Nature Domain • Noble • Chaotic Good

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

This is long, read under the cut!

Baby:

Parents

Elspeth Vaidelark is the second and youngest child of Lord Rodorick Vaidelark and Lady Selma Vaidelark. A high elf sorcerer born to low-level nobility in idyllic Evereska, Selma always longed to live in the hustle and bustle of a city. So, when a noble family in Baldur's Gate was seeking an alliance via arranged marriage, she volunteered. Selma is a cold woman, and an even colder mother. Rodorick, a human paladin, is a touch warmer than his wife, but aloof and distant from his daughters. He is about 60 years old, and Selma is about 200. They are both more than okay with this age difference, given their marriage has never been one of love, but of convenience and rank.

Birth

Elspeth was born 5 years after her sister Ariadne. Selma's first pregnancy was a breeze--no morning sickness, no swollen feet, and the birth itself was smooth and quick... but her second was not so easy. When she was pregnant with Elspeth, she was constantly sick and absolutely exhausted. Towards the end of her pregnancy, the midwife insisted Selma needed bedrest. When it was time for the baby to come, Selma was in labor for days, in pain and sick as a dog. When Elspeth finally made her appearance, Selma wanted to feel the same motherly love she felt with Ariadne, but when she held her new daughter for the first time, she felt only resentment. She thought perhaps their bond would strengthen later, once the trauma of her pregnancy subsided, but it never did.

First word

The Vaidelark sisters had a private tutor as small children before they started attending school. Little Elspeth's favorite part of tutoring was storytime, and she'd often wobble over to the tutor with a brightly colored children's book clutched to her chest. She'd thrust the book out in front of her, silently asking the woman to read to her. After months of tutoring, Elspeth had picked up a few words, but her speech was mostly babbling sounds, until one day, she handed a story to the tutor with a word, clear as day: "book."

Tantrum

Elspeth wasn't much of a tantrum-thrower--that was Ariadne. Though she did once throw a mighty fit after tossing her favorite doll down the stairs, breaking its ceramic head in the fall. She didn't know it would break, and it was her first lesson in actions having consequences. Her parents offered to buy her a new doll, but she didn't want a new doll. She wanted that doll, unbroken as it was moments before. She screamed and wailed and cried until her red face was wet with tears and snot before eventually falling asleep.

Childhood:

Friends

Elspeth had a consistent group of childhood friends, including her best friend, Hera. They met at school in the Upper City when they were about ten years old, and have been friends ever since, even living together in adulthood. Hera is a high elf with bronze skin and deep chestnut brown hair that has always been impossible to tame. Early in this friendship, Hera chased down a group of boys who were making fun of El's upturned nose, poking their own noses up and mocking her with nasally voices. El turned away, mortified and trying to hide her tears. Hera ran after them, kicking each of them in the shins and dragging the ring leader back to El by his collar to apologize. Elspeth credits Hera with teaching her to stand up for herself.

Siblings

Ariadne is older than El by 5 years. They've never been close. Ariadne was always the golden child in their parents' eyes. She realized quickly that she could do no wrong, and used it to her advantage. Their parents wanted Ariadne and Elspeth to follow in their father's footsteps, so they were both trained to become paladins from an early age. Where Ariadne found sword fighting and shield bashing natural, Elspeth struggled. She became decent with a weapon, but it never came easy, and she would often retreat to her room bloodied, bruised, and crying. Always being compared to her sister, Elspeth grew up knowing she was second best in everyone's eyes but their housekeeper, Tessie.

Getting into trouble

El got in trouble for everything even though she tried her best to stay out of it. Eventually, she realized her parents would find a way to use her as the scapegoat for anything they possibly could, and she stopped trying--though this didn't happen until she was a teenager.

Teenager:

First love

When she was about 15, Elspeth developed a massive crush on a human boy at her school. He was tall with deeply tanned skin and tousled black hair, and he looked at her like no one had ever looked at her before. Like he wanted her. He was the first boy she ever dated. They would sneak out of their upper city homes late at night and meet in the park like some kind of forbidden, secret love story (even though it wasn't forbidden at all). They were only a couple for a short amount of time before the infatuation faded, but she did love him--as much as she knew what love was at that point in her life. It was love in the moment.

Rebellion

Once she realized that she could never do right in her parents' eyes, she stopped trying. This really came to a head as a teenager. El didn't hold her tongue anymore, and she wasn't afraid to speak up for herself any longer. She got in heated arguments with her sister regularly, she stopped her Paladin training of her own accord, and she started spending as much time as she could away from home. As she got further into her teenage years, she started partying. She spent many nights out at dance halls with her friends, indulging in whatever mind-altering substance was offered to her--alcohol, dreammist; she even tried silkroot a few times. As she neared adulthood, these habits imbued her with a bit of a party-girl-socialite reputation in the city.

Reckless behavior

This incident actually happened in adulthood, but it's the most fitting thing for "reckless behavior":

El's partying habits continued into her 20s. Despite her strained relationship with her parents, she was still nobility, and she was a bit naive to the world outside of her upper city upbringing. One night, El and her friends attended a ball in honor of a diplomat's visit. Always looking for an excuse to wear her absolute best clothes, El was dressed in an extravagant lavender gown adorned with silver vines. When she bought it, she knew exactly what necklace she needed to wear with it--the one kept in the family safe, white gold with hanging droplets of shining diamonds and alexandrite. She always loved that necklace and the way it seemed to sparkle the most in moonlight. It was an heirloom from her father's side of the family, and worth an obscene amount of money. She wore it to the ball, got compliments on it all night, and when she and her friends decided to venture to a pub afterwards, didn't think twice about the fortune of gems that she wore around her neck.

She drank far too much wine that night, and possibly indulged in some other things as well. Most of it is a blur, but she remembers ending up in a card game with a stranger--a large man with a scar on his face. She remembers being certain, absolutely certain, that he was bluffing. She remembers being so confident that she would win that instead of betting gold, she bet her family's jewels that adorned her neck. And she remembers losing.

She came clean to her father the next day when the haze of the night wore off with the morning. He sent his toughest men, with the help of the Flaming Fist, the track the man down and pay him off. The jewels were secured and back in her father's safe, but Elspeth's relationship with her family was essentially over. They granted her her inheritance and she was told to leave. She didn't speak to them for years. Painful and embarrassing as the evening was (it landed her on the front page of the Gazette), it was a wakeup call for her to get her shit together.

Adulthood:

Serious relationships

El dated and slept around a little bit during her party years, but she never really fell in love until she met Leon. He was a paladin who trained at the same academy she attended to channel her divine magic (more on that in the next couple sections). Leon was charming, funny, treated her well--she fell in love with the way his auburn hair fell loosely behind his slightly pointed ears, the freckles dotting his skin, the chiseled muscles of his body....

Leon was good for her, she told herself. He encouraged her to try to repair her relationship with her family, and to show them that she'd grown and learned from her mistakes. She was much more mature now that she was in her 30s, and she always hated that her parents still probably thought of her as an obstinate, reckless child. "Redeem yourself," Leon would tell her. "They need to see how much you've changed." So she did. Bit by bit, she began stitching together her family ties until she and Leon were biweekly dinner guests at her parents' table. There was still tension, sure, and she would never see eye to eye with her mother, but her father seemed to actually grow fond of her in those months.

While Elspeth grew closer to her family (even Ariadne was tolerable most of the time), her and Leon began to grow apart. They were both invested in their own work, and their relationship fizzled out. It was an amicable breakup, though it was hard to remain friends, so they mostly avoided each other. El wasn't really hurt by the breakup, but she did miss him. She did feel like second best again, since Leon continued spending time with her family--her father especially took a liking to him. Even though she didn't love him anymore, she still carried a fondness for him... until he proposed to Ariadne.

She was in love with Leon, but she never experienced true, soul-binding, unconditional love until being with Gale. Neither of them had. What she had with Leon pales in comparison to her relationship with Gale. She had to process the betrayal, of course, but she doesn't miss him at all.

Work

Elspeth is a healer and assistant instructor at Ambrose Academy of the Divine--a post-secondary school for clerics and paladins of Seldarine deities to hone their skills and knowledge. Being a healer is her calling (literally lol). More on the Academy in the "Leaving Home" section.

Finding your place

Since Elspeth spent a lot of time with the housekeeper, Tessie, she picked up lots of skills that nobles don't often need to learn. She learned to cook, do laundry, basic cleaning skills--but most importantly, she learned about healing. Tessie worked as a healer for years before she began working for the Vaidelarks, and she was often the person El would seek out after being injured in training with her sister. Tessie would hold her small, work-worn hands over El's bloodied skin, and El would watch in awe as a turquoise light radiated from her palms and warmed her skin as it regenerated. Tessie taught her how to soak her bruised, sore body in a warm bath of epsom salt and herbs, how to make balsam ointment for burns, and how to stop bleeding quickly with pressure and bandages. Healing spells eventually became second nature to her.

Elspeth's mother, hailing from a land of elves, was a devout worshipper of Corellon, and raised her half-elf daughters to be the same. El always found peace at the small shrine her mother had built in the courtyard, and devoted herself to her own private worship for years. One night, as Elspeth kneeled at the stone statue of the Elffather under a clear, crescent moon, she felt a presence of overwhelming peace and certainty envelop her. She was spoken to without words, but somehow knew within her body that this presence was her god, and that he, in that moment, bestowed his favor upon her. The moment felt like it lasted for hours, but it was only a few seconds. When she opened her eyes, her palms were glowing golden and small, white flowers started sprouting from the ground she kneeled upon. For the first time in her life, she knew who she wanted to be.

Leaving Home

When Elspeth told her parents about her divine experience, her mother was--possibly for the first and only time in El's life--happy for her, even if she seemed a bit jealous that the god she spent her life worshipping revealed himself to her daughter instead of her. Regardless, her parents enrolled her in Ambrose Academy of the Divine where elven and half-elven clerics and paladins develop their skills, knowledge, and faith. Ambrose consists of the school, a healing center, and dormitories for students/instructors if they choose to live at the academy. Elspeth has lived, worked, and studied at Ambrose for over a decade, and it has truly become her home. She shares a suite with her best friend Hera, also a cleric of Corellon by coincidence (they've been best friends since childhood). Working in the healing center is her favorite, but twice a tenday she serves as an instructor assistant--something she's learned to enjoy, even if she was unsure at first.

Staring a family/found family

Hera is definitely El's found family, but now, of course, her companions are found family as well. She's especially close with Karlach and Shadowheart (though they had their fair share of arguments before she turned away from Shar). She and Gale have worked tirelessly to find a solution to Karlach's infernal engine problem, and hope to one day bring her home from Avernus for good.

As for starting an actual family, I'm not sure if El and Gale want to have kids. I think if they did, it would be years down the road, and they'd only have 1. I think they would love being parents, but I see them wanting to focus solely on each other for a long time before/if that ever happens.

[tavstavernofdisasterbisexuals]

More Ilmatari shenaningans

Davhomin can explain just give him a moment-

I realized I completely forgot to add the heightchart I did when drawing the 3 together but this gave me the perfect excuse to draw them together again jsdhklsja (chart under the cut)

Once again Atlas (the one in the middle) is @kelandrin's Tav and Izzrhys (the one on the right) is @taras-toe-beans's Tav

I think this three have become my new brainrot I'm sorry-

Davhomin is SMALL next to the both of them oh god-

[nyda-the-tav]

RULES: post 5 songs associated with your OC, followed by 3 outfits they would wear

Thank you for the tag, @avani-telvanni ❤️ Took me a while to get this together so here we gooo!

Here's Raina

... the high elf Arcane Trickster daughter of Coran (he doesn't know she exists) and a courtesan in Beregost!

She starts off with a long ponytail, chops it to try to avoid recognition in the Gate (and she's rockin a face scar now), and magically regrows her hair again! Tahdah!

Now for the 5 songs!

Aaaand the outfits!

Camp casual chic ✨

Formal event (easy guess who picked this out lol)

Aaand all armoured up with no one to kill

This was fun. Tagging @faundlydreaming @randomfanner @kelandrin @memyselfandnobodyfromnowhere @chewchewman to give it a go~ No pressure though ❤️