#and then calliper finds out that atropus hates clowns

[fangsandfeels]

While Jerra is my comfort animal, I do have some other Tavs whose story became much clearer after the full game.

For instance, this is Calliper, a half-drow Great Old Ones warlock/artisan from Baldur's Gate.

Born in the Underdark, in one of the drow cities, a byproduct of a loveless (and fucked up in every way you can imagine if you know how half-drow babies happen to be born in drow society) union between a female human slave, and a male drow slave. Needless to say, both parents wanted nothing to do with her, and the reason why she was even allowed to exist was the shortage of new slaves.

Never got a name during her existence in the Underdark - other drow made it clear that she was a mistake, a disgusting dirt-blood, and the only way for her to atone for that original sin of existing was to do what she is told and pray she is useful.

She managed to escape after involuntarily making contact with a Great Old One (strongly implied to be Atropus) through her feverish and nightmare-filled dreams and siphoning its power.

Calliper doesn't exactly know what her patron is and what it wants with her. All she gets are occasional whispers and horrible visions...and she would rather keep it that way. She is terrified of what will happen if that entity actually starts paying attention to her. For that reason, she actively avoids fighting and resorting to using her powers, preferring to lie, negotiate and bullshit her way through. She doesn't need to remind her patron of her existence more than it's already aware. And yet, she is deadly with her magic when provoked.

After making it to the surface and tagging along with the very first group that didn't instantly reject her, Calliper started making herself useful by actively applying her skills at making jewelry and fine crafts (something she got very good at while serving in the Underdark as the servant of a local craftsmaker. She wasn't allowed to touch the masterpieces, of course, but she watched her work and secretly tried her hand with whatever scraps she managed to collect. Surface dwellers turned out to be much easier to impress than drow, finding great interest in what she herself would call mediocre work. As she adjusted, she chose a name for herself based on one of the first Common language words she learned.

Her life wasn't easy, but she ended up as a guild artisan in Baldur's Gate, happy to work in her studio for the guild, surrounded by pretty magical things she made as well as fixing and restoring jewelry (she particularly enjoyed working with magical trinkets, they were always fascinating). The power of her pact kept competition at bay and provided her with some protection - and this was more than she could possibly want. Or so she thought.

Calliper is...not exactly a hero/leader material or a problem-solver. At least, not initially. She goes back into her survival mode quickly because she hasn't really found a community or support to overcome her issues. Staying huddled up in her workshop, reading books, and occasionally speaking to colleagues and guild members wasn't exactly therapeutic. Being snatched from her safe place made her withdrawn, avoidant, and dodging any situations that are too risky or can end with violence. Whatever problem you have, she is not the one you need. But if you have a fancy trinket or artifact to fix, she...might take a look. It soothes her nerves, y'know.

She is well aware of the drow prejudice, and she doesn't blame people for that because she is the biggest drow hater in the room. She doesn't trust drow. She doesn't like drow. She doesn't want to see any drow near her ever again. She would end up saving the Grove just because she sees Minthara, watches her sneer at her, and call her all the words she heard in the Underdark, and it's on. She has issues with her own self-esteem and would often use Disguise Self when having to leave her home, just to avoid people staring at her.

So, being far away from home with a tadpole in her head, Calliper's only priority will be to get that thing out of her oh this can't be happening (she lived in the Underdark, she knows what mindflayers are), and she would have no clue how she is supposed to help anyone if she doesn't know how to help herself? So, as soon as she meets Wyll, she basically goes "Finally! A hero! Please, Mr. Blade of Frontiers, come with us!" and follows his advice and decisions. Well, aside from killing Karlach because Karlach's flashback just hits way too close to home.

Of course, Calliper gets swept away by the warlock rizz. She looks up to Wyll as the "only-guy-who-looks-like-he-knows-what-he-is-doing" and then, when his secret is revealed, his ordeal is so familiar on so many levels that it hurts. She sees Mizora and instantly remembers how matriarchs and their associates treated male slaves. She hears the word "pact" - and it reminds her of her patron and what it might want from her. And seeing Wyll still having the strength to continue, to smile and stay calm all this time...she is bewildered by that man and falling for him. Hard.

Even though it's been years since she left Underdark, Calliper still wrestles with the feeling that everything is wrong about her - how can't it be? She wasn't born from love. She was told her blood was filthy. That she was a mistake. She has no real place neither on the surface nor beneath it - even if she was complimented, it was always about how exotic she looked as if she was a rare trinket to pocket. Meanwhile, Wyll, makes her feel as if she is absolutely and entirely fine as she is. Her heritage doesn't make her any less worthy of those charming gestures usually described in romance novels. Wyll gives her a fairytale, except that he means every word. In turn, she grows determined to give this man his happy ending, even if it means tapping into her own powers and making hard decisions. As soon as Calliper starts seeing Wyll as more than "the hero" and realizes that this man believes in her (thanks her even for stopping him when he was wrong), she gradually starts leaving her comfort zone and pushing her limits. She is still terrified of her patron and the uncertainty, but she can no longer put the weight of facing problems on Wyll's shoulders.

#cw: abuse #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 oc ramblings #bg3 oc: calliper #wyll ravengard #bg3 wyll #wyll x tav #calliper whenever she has to feed gale an artifact: *crying cat meme* #and then calliper finds out that atropus hates clowns