#tav: xa'rok

[astralprisms]

Some intimate quiet moments captured by @greseadraws

[deadhornedgod]

"Made for a cyberpunk themed sticker sheet , idea spearheaded by @unaarista and @des-no9" Xa'rok and hologram Skaro for @astralprisms

[astralprisms]

Ko-fi sketch commission done by @venacoeurva (same @ on twt) of Illithid!Xa'rok and the Emperor

[astralprisms]

A comic page based on a fic I was writing, with art by @/LaFrenchbroiche in twitter, text is my own.

The Emperor gave us that recipe and it seemed a shame not to be able to do anything with it in game, so Xa'rok makes some adjustments (and some familiar mistakes)

The Emperor's voice rang suddenly in their mind, urgent. Take care not to--

It didn't get to complete the sentence before Xa'rok saw the smoke curl up from the fire in a great black plume. Xa'rok cursed and shifted the pot from the flames.

..burn it. Despite the momentary panic, the Emperor seemed almost amused. A beat passed before its voice slid back into Xa'rok's head again. Why do you think I included that note in the recipe?

Xa'rok licked an errant splash of cream from their thumb and shifted the pan back to the fire again.

"You wrote that?"

Xa'rok didn't rise to the bait. "You must have been close."

Copied, from a book of my mother's. That note was a late addition. Its attention grew pointed. She often complained that without it, I would become distracted, and forget.

Of what I recall of my human memories, very. Its voice grew distant, as if lost in another place. She was, without a doubt, the greatest woman that ever lived.

Xa'rok hummed thoughtfully. "There aren't any relationships like that, among my kin. I don't really have anything to compare it to. Rearing was the job of the Varsh, and guidance the purview of our instructors -- but I wouldn't call their instruction 'care', exactly." They gave the soup another stir.

"They readied us for life beyond the creche, yes; trained our senses, and strengthened our bodies, but it was nothing like this."

They removed the pan from the fire. The soup had grown thick and boiling, its creamy broth churning with butter and spices, studded with the thick-cut vegetable from which it got its name. It smelled strongly of the soil.

"We ate what we could find and fought one another for what we couldn't. Taste was hardly a factor in those calculations. I can't say I've eaten ferns before, though."

Had you been paying closer attention, you could have sampled them for the first time unburnt.

Xa'rok snorted. "And whose fault is that!? Your stories are a lot more interesting than watching some pot boil over."

As I've said, I've made the same mistake. Consider it...a rite of passage.

Xa'rok ladled themself a helping and posted up with the bowl balanced on their knees. "Maybe I'll like it better this way." They said, just to be contrary.

The Emperor laughed. I said that, too.

A moment passed in silence while Xa'rok lifted the first spoonful to their lips. They swallowed, and the Emperor's presence seemed to solidify, almost as if it sat beside them in the flesh, instead of trapped within the prism at their side.

What do you think?

"I've definitely had worse," Xa'rok started. They swallowed another spoonful, savoring the flavors as they mixed on their tongue. Despite the char, the fiddleheads were surprisingly tender as they tore beneath their teeth. Earthy and hale, they were strongly reminiscent of the ground they had been plucked from.

"Gale says that it's human custom that a meal is only as good as the company that shares it. In that case," Xa'rok glanced beside them at the artefact, the empty space. "I suppose I haven't had better."

[astralprisms]

Finally some art of Xa'rok's illithid form! Courtesy once again of the ever-patient @greseadraws! Thank you for always honoring my Emps requests and being such a pleasure to work with! And thank you for bringing illithid!Xa'rok to life!

Xa'rok and Emp off on adventures with D'jaxia in the astral sea.

D'jaxia was abandoned for being born lame, but Xa'rok, an exile in their own right, stepped in to raise her. The lame leg doesn't cause D'jaxia any discomfort and she has five other to compensate for balance. Those who make the mistake of underestimating her don't live long enough to regret it. And, well, her friends have to eat after all. (:

[astralprisms]

Dissonant Whispers (commissioned from @/palicrone on twt)

[astralprisms]

TavEmp commission by @ourenjiro entitled "discussing strategy in a dream landscape"

[astralprisms]

Down, down, down by the river...

A stunning commission of Skaro & Xa'rok (inspired by the EA dream lover scenes) from @pickled0ctopus

[astralprisms]

Post-game naptime with D'jaxia, art by @greseadraws

[astralprisms]

Comic page commission by @des-no9 exploring Xa'rok's journey through the game and the transformations that they face, with words by the incomparable Ursula K Le Guin.

The Left Hand of Darkness was one of my main inspirations in creating Xa'rok, whose companion title has always been: The Astral Envoy.

In finding their place in the world, Xa'rok had to leave theirs behind entirely more times and in more ways than one. The journey was often difficult and ended, some would say, in the death of the self. Who they became after that rebirth is someone they are still discovering, but they hope to be worth knowing.

[astralprisms]

Quest objective: Hug your Protector ✓

[astralprisms]

Commissioned a theme for Xa'rok from @aceforspinaltap on twitter. Some flute, some somber reflection, a little interwoven familiar melody to represent the beloved; ultimately optimistic if a little melancholy. I think it truly encapsulates them well.

[astralprisms]

"Most people think that mind flayers are soulless husks who feel nothing... I am glad you are not most people."

> [ Give the Emperor's hand a reassuring squeeze. ]

[astralprisms]

Commission from @redreart

[astralprisms]

xa’rok is vry interesting :3c from what i understand they sacrificed Orpheus in end game and sided with empy. whats their opinion of him/the whole war of comet vs Vlaakith conflict?

Thank you, and thank you for asking!

They did sacrifice Orpheus (ate him, actually) and side with the Emperor. There was no reason not to, and Orpheus himself meant little in the grand scheme of their life. As they hadn't actually spoken to Orpheus themself, they don't have any personal opinions about his character, but had they been given the chance I think they would have regretted it immediately; in that respect he's just like every other gith, and the personal insults would not have done him any favors. They understand the importance of symbols and figureheads, though, and Orpheus was less a man than a symbol to rally by. The gith would move on, and with Lae'zel as their comet they would actually have a chance of changing for the better.

For all that Orpheus was gith's son and a powerful figure, he had been so long stripped of his autonomy and so long imprisoned that Xa'rok can't conceive of a world in which a reactionary rebellion figurehead of that caliber would be anything but a powder keg. He had milennia to languish in his inherited (and justified in his eyes, as someone who the enslavement touched personally) hatred. Freed he would have brought all of that prejudice back with him, even if he was planning to attempt to unite their sundred peoples. But also gith culture and the world had moved on significantly in his absence. His ideas for the future of their people remain fixed on what he remembered their people being, not what all of them had become.

He was, in a word, obsolete.

He worked best as a symbol, and his sacrifice was far more effective a rallying cry to bring about change than his leadership would have been, in Xa'rok's opinion.

And in the end that showed itself to be true: despite being at odds with Voss for killing his prince, Voss moved on to continue the work in Orpheus' name and Lae'zel was given a new purpose -- not in whole spirit service of someone else, but for herself. She was the Comet, now, and she was new blood borne in the old ways of thinking. She had traveled with Xa'rok, learned their perspective, came to respect them, even as they turned into what she had loathed most. She learned diplomacy from them and brought that to her people and between the two of them, now, they may actually have a chance.

And Vlaakith? Vlaakith has far less faithful than she thinks. Xa'rok believes her downfall is written, and it will come. What will spring up in her absence is anyone's guess, though, but maybe now their people will see clearer and with the right audience, be willing to grow beyond the cycle they've been stuck in since they broke free.

[astralprisms]

Watched the dream lover YT compilation and got inspired so I drew Them.