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nera789 · 5 months

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The Consequence of Sacrifice

Sigh. Here we go again.

Rating: Teen and Up audiences Word Count: 2.5k Warnings: manipulation, mental anguish, mentions of past abuse Summary: You managed to resist the astral touched tadpole when it was given to you, but only just barely. Astarion does not take too kindly to its influence over you. Pairing: Astarion x Urchin/Rogue!Tav [Reading this that I also wrote for my Tav isn't necessary for understanding this one, but it does give greater context to where my head is at for characterization when writing this haha. I am writing these ideas as they manifest while playing the game 🤣] [Takes place immediately after the event at Wyrms Lookout. Big, big spoilers through the end of Act 2 ahead. I had to bend a couple small mechanics as this scenario plays out in the game and how the characters handle this. But I felt this scenario had a ton of potential and wanted to explore it since it would have been difficult for the game to implement, haha.]

With the hardest thrust you could muster, you threw your sword into the ground and it dug itself deep into the dirt. You fell to your knees with a loud yell, screaming out into the sky at the cliff that overlooked Rivington and Baldur's Gate.

It had been a bad idea. Your gut had told you this from the start. You should have seen this coming.

You had barely resisted the astral touched tadpole from the Emperor. Barely. By shear, unadulterated, dumb luck. But these so called illithid instincts had nearly taken you. Changed you.

You had embraced the potential, early in your travels…

You were not imbued with magic the way sorcerers or wizards or warlocks or druids were. You did not have the strength of a barbarian or a fighter.

You grew up on the dirty streets of Baldur's Gate, surviving on crumbs with little beyond knowing your way around locks and traps, an adeptness for persuasion and, somehow, an uncanny ability to lead. For most of your life, that had been enough.

But this…these battles, this journey you were up against– it terrified you that it wouldn't be enough.

You had grown attached to your companions. Attached enough that you'd die for them if it came to it. Beneath your little rag-tag group’s quirks and beneath your steely exterior– it was the first real family you wish you had long ago. Throughout your life as an orphan, people had come and gone. Some had stayed longer than others, some had a greater impact on your life, but they were kindnesses that existed only in passing.

These companions had fully trusted you with their lives, their very fates– and you took that seriously.

They had all suffered such incredible hardship even before this mess– before these tadpoles had bore their way into all of your skulls. Your life surviving on stealing and scraps seemed like a cakewalk in comparison to what some of these people had gone through. Yet here you all stood– persevering despite it all.

Their second chance at a life of peace was in your hands– these people who cared for you and you cared for so deeply. Failing them was not an option.

So when the time came to consume the tadpoles and “embrace your potential,” you and you alone took it. You thought you had done it strategically of course– consuming as few as would keep you all alive. You used your tadpole’s influence where you thought it mattered.

But like all things, it came at a cost.

When the mindflayer….the Emperor had pushed you to use the astral touched tadpole– it had nearly taken over. Hijacked your mind– almost consumed you with the desire to…evolve… When you came back to your senses, it had only just dawned on you how close you had come to losing yourself.

How long could you hold out like this for them? How much of your mind had the tadpoles destroyed that you’d never get back…How many of your thoughts and decisions were even your own anymore? And would they continue to align with keeping your companions safe?

What would happen if there came a time it didn't?

Tears leaked around your balled up fists that pressed against your eyes and your tadpole squirmed at the pressure.

“....Darling, are you alright?” The voice startled you from behind and you lurched around, your reflexes expecting another fight. But your mind finally caught up and your body relaxed– squeezing your eyes shut as you wiped at your face.

“I heard yelling. Given what we just faced… I wanted to be sure we didn’t have any more unwelcome visitors.”

Your throat wanted to close.

“I'll be fine, Astarion. I…I just needed a moment…”

“‘Fine’ does not look or sound like this, dear.” He gestured at you with a quick once over. You watched as he studied your face with rapid eye movements.

This had been the first time he had seen you break. And you could tell it was startling him.

You had survived the crash. Quietly killed the goblin leaders. Leveraged Wyll's contract for him. Convinced the Orthon to kill himself and all of his followers. The tollkeeper. Ketheric Thorm’s followers. Faced and defied Vlaakith with Lae’zel, helped Shadowheart defy Shar and free Dame Aylin. And to top it all off--killed Ketheric Thorm as the avatar of Myrkul. The God of Bones himself.

To him thus far, you had seemed unshakable. An unyielding force as sure as gravity. To him, thus far– your protection and the safety you provided was unwavering.

Dealing with Cazador was still on the horizon.

“Please, Astarion. It doesn't do you or anyone any good to see me like this. I just need to get my bearings…it was... It was just overwhelming.”

He watched you again. With a depth behind his eyes you had a hard time placing. But then his expression fell and his shoulders dropped with a slow sigh. And after a moment's thought, he closed the distance between the two of you.

“I'm not here for my sake.” He said as he sat next to you, allowing silence to settle between the two of you.

The both of you stared forward, watching the faint glow of the city below. The people that had no clue what was headed their way. How many of them might die in the coming days?

It was interrupted only when his eyes caught sight of your hands as they wrung together in your lap.

“It's about the astral touched tadpole isn't it?”

You bristled, and your hands suddenly tensed together in a tightly knit lock. So he had picked up on it…of course he did. Much of your conversations together had been unspoken. Reading body language was an art form you both spoke.

“I saw the look in your eyes. When the Emperor gave it to you. It almost happened…Didn't it?”

Without turning your head to him, your eyes darted in his direction at your side then away. You could feel his gaze on you. In a small way, you were relieved that there was a mutual understanding here. The less energy you had to devote to making sense of the topic, to conveying it to him– the less risk there was for the tadpole to warp your words and betray you. But on the flip side of the coin– you weren't sure if it was safe speaking about this to him at all.

“I have to be careful with my words about it.” You mustered carefully, tactfully– and you could swear you could feel a frown form at your side.

What came next however you did not anticipate.

Hearing him shift closer next to you, you felt his cool hand slide against your face– urging you to make direct eye contact with him in an uncharacteristically intense focus.

You blinked a couple times, taken off guard by how close he was now.

“It's trying to control you. Manipulate how you feel about it. Even now…isn't it?”

An answer came to you immediately, but the words struggled to leave your mouth. Something was pulling them back.

“...--Yes.” You winced, managing to grab back the reins momentarily. “I'm scared of what I might say about it. To you. I’m not sure how much I can even acknowledge it, let alone…” Another wince.

He studied your face even longer this time, as if he might find something hidden somewhere in the most subtle aspects of your expression.

Apparently it worked. And he found his answer.

“Give me your pack for a moment.”

“What?” You asked, but before you could protest, he was already on his feet and rummaging through it before he found the astral touched tadpole.

With very little hesitation, he dropped it to the ground. Without having embraced his illithid instincts like you had or needed to use his tadpole’s influence almost at all prior to this because you had taken on that mantle– its grip on him seemed almost nonexistent in comparison to yours.

Wait! Stop him from– The emperor’s voice gripped at the edge of your mind, demanding alarm and attention.

“Astarion–!” Your illithid instincts lashed out, unsure if the words were even your own and lunged at him with anger. But Astarion was quicker than you, and he squashed it deep into the dirt beneath his heel.

The crack in the veil formed by the time you made it to him, and he caught you in a firm restraint of an embrace. He knelt back down to you.

You felt a tug at your mind again.

Disappointing. Our chances of success have been lowered by your companions' actions. You would do well to work on your leadership.

“We…we could have needed that…” you gasped, but your words were hollow and lacked conviction. There was objective truth to the words you spoke, but you couldn't tell if you said them because you believed them or if you were still being influenced by your tadpole.

Your weight sank in his arms as your vision was clearing, though the echoes of the influence remained with the tadpoles you had already consumed. “What if…what if it was the only way I could–”

“I remember when I turned into a vampire.” He started, loosening his grip on you to something gentler. “I was helpless when it happened. My body warped against my will and I was just there along for the ride. My body and mind were no longer my own. I refuse to do that again. And I certainly will not let that be forced on you if I have any say in the matter.”

You were frozen there, knelt over awkwardly in his lap and unable to think clearly. You weakly gripped at the fabric of his shirt and buried your face in his chest. It seemed to compel him to speak again.

“Look, you've–... you’ve given a lot of yourself to everyone here. In fact, you’ve helped everyone in this camp. Myself included. Here I was thinking I had nothing to give back.”

“It wasn't transactional.”

“Please. I’ve spent too many years feeling pathetic. As miserable as it is to say– the highlight of my life has been this little adventure of ours and most of what I've gotten here has been pity. The bar isn’t very high.”

“Astarion–...” but he raised a hand to stop you.

“So believe me when I say that if you needed but couldn't squash the little monster on your own, I am delighted to. We've made it this far without the astral touched tadpole, we'll make it out of this without it too. With your mind and body still intact. Even if you managed to resist it now there's no telling if you could later. I'm simply removing the temptation when it clearly does not seem like you or, quite frankly, anyone here wants this.”

It took you a moment to form the words.

“I felt this…strong wave of disappointment when I denied the astral touched tadpole. When the Emperor gave it to me. A stronger emotion than I think I’ve felt for anything. Ever. The abilities I gained by using these illithid powers and the influence I had on others, it turned itself on me twofold. I almost lost myself to it. I was afraid to talk about it to anyone here. Touch it, look at it– anything. I was afraid I'd lose the battle the second time around or even worse…might try to convince someone here to evolve.”

“Perhaps your tadpole would not have let you do what I did. All the more reason some intervention was in order. Take this from me. It is not worth the cost.”

“The Emperor will be…is…upset with us.”

“Let him be. Eugh. That way he looked at you, that whole ‘devastating beauty’ shtick–” he said with his signature mocking tone, a sweeping hand gesture and an annoyed flick of his wrist, “not that I disagree of course,” he added with a sour chuckle, “but it made my skin crawl. I know that tone better than anyone. Seems even a mindflayer can be capable of floundering with subtlety.”

“Am I detecting a hint of jealousy?” you tried to tease lightheartedly, but it just came out exhausted. “Almost everyone in this camp has already come onto me or tried and you made no mention of it before.”

“It's a different discussion entirely if you were entertaining the advances of our travel companions. But the Emperor trying to influence your free will on the matter is frankly something I won't stand for. At least when I tried to...to manipulate you into– well… you still had the free will to say no.”

You could feel him bristle at some kind of internal struggle at his own words. But it seemed before he could put any more thought to the matter, he spoke again.

“We’ll be better for this, I assure you. Like I said– we've gotten along fine without it so far.”

“Let's just hope it's a decision we won't come to regret. If it was the only way I could save some of you, I–”

“I think I should stop you right there. I believe you had a line for this, my dear. Refresh my memory on your wording, would you? I think it went something like– repeat after me– thank you for helping me, it was very kind?”

You sighed, wishing you could muster a measure of your usual returned banter. Some kind of feigned annoyance at the fact your teasing was being turned against you. But in honest to goodness truth– you were relieved. Relieved that this decision was taken out of your hands. Relieved that you didn't have to worry about convincing your companions to evolve or doing so against your will. Relieved that you weren't battling this alone.

And incredibly grateful that he had stepped in and sensed this about you. That you needed help with this– and that he helped.

“Thank you, Astarion…Thank you for helping me…it was very kind.” you said, pulling yourself further into his embrace. “More than you realize.”

There was a momentary hesitation from him, but with a slow drop of his shoulders, he returned the gesture– pulling you up into a proper hug as you both still sat there on the cliff that overlooked Rivington. His words were softer when he spoke again.

“Any time, love.”

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starlyht · 3 months

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rip orpheus sol is selfish and was not volunteering to become an illithid ☠️

#bg3 spoilers #act 3 spoilers #orpheus : someone has to become an illithid .#sol : well it's not gonna be me ! that's so tragic !#he *would* only do it if he Had No Choice . but this . there was definitely a choice here . LSJF .#i think it's so silly that none of your companions react to any of this .#(i did not have karlach with him . unfortunately maybe .)#him cornered into accepting the astral touched tadpole feels like a very bad ending for him . 😬

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gaygay--astronaut · 4 months

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Ugh so I just found out why you don’t want to stuff your mouth full of all the tadpoles you find — apparently you’ll have to clear a wisdom saving throw and I have 0 wis buffs and it’s 21 to clear so I need a nat20 fml

#this is why I save scum #I’m on my 3rd reload bc i DONT want to eat that astral touched tadpole #yuck

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thedragonagelesbian · 2 months

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i do not know myself... but you do, i think

i am not immune to a glimmer of yiseeril's eye poking out underneath her feathered halo

#gods least favorite princess #yiseerilXminthara #i thiiiiiiiiiiiink im going to get to the emperor reveal tonight #which also means.............. they're going to take astral-touched tadpoles together :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

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l0vely-mysteries · 7 months

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so I’m on my second playthrough of BG3 rn and I decided to use the astral touched tadpole this time around and convince some of my party to as well… and MAN wyll, lae’zel, my tiefling and shadowheart are looking BAD. I don’t have it in me to get astarion (my romance again lmao) to use it because of the way he tells you to fuck off and explains the importance of having bodily autonomy after years of trauma, but everyone else I can convince to use it I will. However I am so not over how UGLY we all look like I put so much effort into making my tiefling adorable and hot and now I just have all these black veins protruding everywhere…. And SHADOWHEART 😭 she was flawless and now I’ve ruined her. Lord help me, I’ll never do this again. I just wanna be able to fly without relying on spells:/

#BG3 #yes I care far too much about looks #but we are literally just a camp full of disturbing looking people #I’ll never convince astarion tho he doesn’t deserve that #and you have to say some awful things to make him take it so fuck that #astral touched tadpole

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eyebagshawty · 5 months

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Hello! May I request Lae’zel, Karlach, and whoever else you want to write being washed by the reader. I find the idea of bathing and taking care of someone to be really sweet.

Headcanons + Blurbs for Being Taken Care of/Washed by Tav

A/N: Hello! Sorry for just getting around to requests and other things now, the end of the semester got pretty crazy (at least I passed everything !) and now I’m finally able to focus and get out of this rut. Thank you for your patience and I hope you like it!

Characters: Lae’zel, Karlach, Shadowheart, Wyll, Gale, Astarion, Halsin

Part 2

Lae’zel

• When you first offer to wash up with Lae’zel she’s mostly confused and kind of annoyed - there’s already a tadpole in her head, and that’s enough lack of privacy.

• “Chk. At my crèche these things are normal. However, you istiks insist on attaching emotional meaning to such things… no.”

• However the more she thinks about it… you two have shared a bed more than once. She respects you more than the others; when she tells you to speak she also makes sure you know she will listen. She supposes that maybe connection wouldn’t be so bad with you of all people.

• She just walks up to your tent, grabs your hand, and says “Fine.”

You meet her at the waterfront and- is she nervous? Her gaze wavers between you and the night sky, feet firmly planted into the ground and arms across her armored chest. You get most of your armor off, but that last clasp just has to give you trouble. “Lae’zel, could you help me out with this?” It’s silent for a tension filled moment, and you’re about to ask again.

“Chk.” She walks over and with ease undoes the clasp. She’s back to feet firmly planted and arms crossed, only looking at the sky. You unfurl your hair from its practical braid and keep your eyes on her. “I wish I could show you the Tears.” Your eyes widen when you think about the first night she invited you to her bunk, how hard getting used to this unusual plane must be for her. You place your hand on her shoulder and she tenses, but relaxes after she’s brought back to the moment.

“I wish I could see them.” You whisper to her. You ‘help’ her out of her armor (she’s just letting you at this point, she could’ve been out of it in 30 seconds flat) and you both hiss as you enter the cold water. After a soft and asking touch, she allows you to undo her hair and wash it. You gather her hair gently into your hands and have her lean back to the water. As she does, you can see that she clearly hasn’t been this vulnerable in maybe ever. You give a soothing stroke to her scalp and she hums. As you lather the looted soap into her hair and scratch your nails lightly, you hear her sniffle.

“Lae’zel… are you alright?” You stop your ministrations but keep a hand cupped at the back of her neck.

“My-my queen is false. I will never ascend. Tsk’va, I’m an enemy to my kin. I don’t want to be on this plane anymore… I miss the astral. I must fight but I do not know how to keep going.” She quickly wipes her tears and looks at you. “Speak, source of my bruises. I will always listen.”

With her hair looking clean, you slowly move the bar between her shoulder blades and move it in soothing circles. You kiss her temple. “My love, this situation is quite a mess. Tadpoles in our heads, endless injuries, and I cannot imagine what this world must be like for someone who has never been in it. We will get through this. I’m here. I’m yours.” With that she shows an inkling of a smile as she stares into the water in thought. You continue to bathe her with soft kisses in between every swipe of soap along with words of reassurance. You are hers, the source of her bruises.

Karlach

•Once Karlach is able to touch people again, she is ecstatic to wash up with you. She’s barely been able to keep her hands off of you since, so when you offer she squeals.

• “Of fucking course soldier! Who knows, we might even be able to turn that river into a hot spring.” Her eyebrows waggle and your face goes beet red.

• When you meet her she definitely cannonballs into the water and complains when it’s shallow

• “Aw hells, that’s gonna be a kink to work out in the morning.”

• You guys don’t bathe for a good 15 minutes, she’s just kissing you and rubbing your sides and it’s so SWEET

She breaks away from the kiss and wades further into the water. You grab the soap from the grass and follow after, settling your arms around her neck and wrapping your legs around her waist. Her fingers come up to pinch your nose and she flops backwards into the water, leaving both of you sopping wet when she comes back up. “Gods Karlach you’re gonna kill me,” you sputter as you cough out the bit of water that got in your mouth. She pats your back and lets out a full bellied laugh.

“That’s right soldier get it all out,” she grins. You shoot her a playful glare. When your collective giggles finally die down, you bring the bar of soap up to her hair and begin lathering and spreading it with your fingers. Her eyes close with a serene smile. You make sure to get the area around her horns, and she kisses your cheeks as you take care of them. “You know… after Gortash. After… Avernus. Nobody has taken care of me like this in so long. So fucking long.” She sighs as you bring the bar to her neck and chest, taking away the near pints of blood the party had spilled earlier.

“I’ll make sure it never is that way again. I love you, and no matter what happens you deserve to be free from all of this.” You meet her gaze as the bar moves to her shoulders, and you see fear.

“Tav… my heart.” She lets out a choked sob and a tear streams down her cheek that you immediately wipe away. “I finally have you after so godsdamn long, and I don’t want to lose what’s most important. Not again. I’m just so scared.” She breaks down into tears and her skin heats up warmly under your skin. You crush her into your chest and she buries her face into your neck, where you rub soothing circles into her scalp along with kisses.

“You won’t lose me. Whether it be in Baldurs Gate or Avernus, I’ll be here.” She lifts her head and you kiss her nose, where a little flame sparks and then snuffs out. She lets out a soft chuckle as her mood cools. “I promise to you we’re gonna kill that pathetic little fucker and anyone who helped him.” Her lips meet yours and you kiss back with eager passion. As you pull away you go back to soothingly rubbing the bar across the planes of her back.

“Wait- didn’t you grab this soap off a dead guy?! GROSS soldier!”

Shadowheart

•She immediately says no

•Not because she doesn’t trust you, she just can’t swim and finds it a bit embarrassing for her powerful presence

•After you finally convince her it’ll only be where she can stand, she agrees.

• “A bottle of wine, my lover, and a nice grassy beach? It’ll do,” she gives a sarcastic but playful smile.

•You two get plastered on Chultan Fireswill before you hop in

After one last swig from the bottle Shadowheart takes your hand and leads you into the water. You stop at around three feet deep and get to your knees. Her braid whips around her shoulder as she serenely begins to scrub away blood with the soap bar. “I love this silver color so much. It illuminates you as some would say,” you utter softly, and she chuckles. She slowly takes her hair out of the braid’s confines and your jaw drops at how long and pretty it is as it flows down her back. You look pointedly to the bar of soap. “May I?”

She squints at you in playful suspicion then smiles. “You may.” You lather the soap into her hair and she lays her head back into your chest as you scratch lovingly at her scalp. She brings her hand up to your cheek behind her and whispers, “The moon looks beautiful tonight.” As soon as the words leave her lips the wound in her hand opens. She hisses and sits back up. As she looks back to you, her gaze looks broken. “After everything I’ve been through with the dark lady, I don’t think this will ever go away.”

You inch your hand closer to hers, placing your pinkies over each other. “It’s horrible… what she did to you.” She grins bitterly but moves to interlace your fingers, rubbing the back of your hand with her thumb.

“I just wish I could remember any of that horrible stuff. I want to be angry. But mostly I’m only numb. She was… she was everything to me. And although it is horrible yes, it’s all so new. Being away from her.”

She nods in confirmation as you move the bar of soap to her chest, the motions soothing her and making her eyes soften as she watches you. “I understand,” you whisper as you lean up to kiss the shell of her pointed ear. That’s all that needs to be said, Shadowheart thinks to herself. You’ve become more than her greatest companion in her eyes, she trusts you’ll be there through thick and thin. “We’ll just have to make new memories,” you smile, and as you finish rubbing the soap across her body you throw it back to the grass, pulling her into a loving kiss as she wraps her arms around your neck.

Wyll

•When you offer to wash up with Wyll a MASSIVE blush runs across his cheeks

• “Are you sure? ImsurethehornsfreakyououtandtheresbumpsinotherstrangeplacesIdontwantyou-“ he basically starts talking at a mile a minute about how it might be awkward for you

• “Wyll honey, I can just meet you there while you’re already in if that’s more comfortable for you” and you give him a sweet smile and his face goes red AGAIN

By the time you get to the waterfront, you see Wyll propped against a rock, the water resting at waist level with his arms propping him up. You throw him a shy smile. He has a sly grin and nods your way, beckoning you towards him. You twirl your finger and mouth, “Turn around!” He lets out a silent chuckle and turns his head towards the mountains beyond the lake.

You slide out of your evening clothes and grab the soap bar laying on top of your towel. As you wade further into the water you let out a shriek — it wasn’t winter right? Wyll turns around and laughs at the sight; you’re rubbing your arms with chattering teeth. “It is quite frigid tonight, huh? I think I’ve got a cantrip in me for a special someone.”

You look around, bemused, as to how spells could possibly help you out here. Wyll shoots a fireball into the depths of the water, your skin instantly warming up. However, it doesn’t last long as the lake cools back down to freezing. You swim at the speed of light over to Wyll and wrap your arms around his neck. “Sorry, I just need something. By the nine hells you think a blizzard would be rolling through,” you laugh. When you’ve warmed up enough, you take the bar of soap and gingerly begin to wash and lather his hair and horns, kissing the scars across his face.

Wyll looks down at you, surprise slathered across his face as you finish up with his head and move to his broad shoulders, kissing everything infernal you can find. “Tav��you like this?” He brings up a hand to your cheek as you continue your ministrations. You cup water in your hands and gently rinse away the soap on his chest.

“Of course I do, Mizora could make you look fully cambion and I would still have the strongest of feelings for you. You’ll always be my dashing, strong, Blade of Frontiers,” you peck his neck with each last word, and he laughs, kissing your forehead with a soft cherishing smile.

Gale

• When you offer to Gale, he gives you the most devious look you’ve ever seen

• He hasn’t been around others for so long till now, much less bathing with anyone, and he’s grown pretty strong feelings for you so he love love loves this idea

• “My dear Tav I would love to! You know how I enjoy your body after a battle, all the sweat covering your skin and the flush of your cheeks”

• He’s not your quietest companion so everybody does hear this and everybody does let out an exasperated groan

• Your face flushes even further than when you asked him and you squeak out an okay and run to your tent

When you meet up with Gale at the waterfront, his tunic is already off, showing his surprisingly wonderful muscles. He kisses you upon greeting, and helps you out of your evening clothes with a soft caress here and there on every part of your body. You grab your soap and lead him into the water, the water being just warm enough for your plans.

He gathers you into his lap, his cheeks a light red as he grins up at you. You lather the soap and scrub it into his hair, listening to his groans and praises as you work. You kiss his cheeks as you move to his chest, and he finally opens his eyes again, looking up at you with those big round puppy eyes.

“This is surprisingly wonderful. I remember doing things like this for her, running water through her hair and lathering the finest oils onto her skin, but she never once did anything for me.” You stop your work, looking up to his eyes with an expression of shock and sadness. His eyes bore just as strongly into yours, and his thumbs rub circles into your hips.

“Gale… you are worthy of being loved. What she did to you wasn’t right — it never was, even from the beginning if I’m getting my facts straight. She isolated and took from you. I never want you to feel like that with me.” You kiss his cheeks and his hairline, and his lips follow yours, chasing to press them together.

They finally do, and his kiss is filled with eager passion, pouring every thought he’s had about you into you. When you pull away he lets out a soft whine, bringing his hand to your neck. “I’m in love with you, darling. And I know and trust that you feel the same, any need of the tadpole be damned.” You smile and begin to continue rubbing the soap into his stomach, but he stops you. He brings his lips to yours once more, and he rolls you over onto your back in the water, letting you prove how loved he is.

Astarion

• His eyes go soft and round when you ask him

• “Really?? Little old me??” Even after the graveyard and all your reassurances, he’s still moving towards actual coupley things

• “You’ve never wanted a luxurious meal and bath together my love?” You take his hand stroke his fingers with care

• If he could blush he would, but he just sputters with the goblet of wine he has

• He collects himself back into charming mode, “Well then, I thought you’d never ask. Come find me when you’re ready.” He kisses your cheeks and literally just walks off into the woods, leaving you standing at the entrance to your shared tent looking absolutely befuddled

When you find him at the hot spring the camp had discovered last night, he’s already in the water with his eyes closed angling his head towards the night sky. His ears twitch as he hears you begin to take off your evening clothes, and his eyes open to look at you with a rakish smile. “Why hello, my treasure. The water feels amazing.” You smile, grab your soap and head in. Immediately you groan with relief, the hot water soothing the aches from your nasty fight with some undead earlier.

Astarion moves closer to you, taking the most warmth he can get. You bring your arms around his neck and just stay there for a minute. He hugs you back, burying his face into the crook in your shoulder. You fingers lightly stroke against his raised scars in a loving motion, and after his breath hitches he melts into your touch, practically purring as you lavish him with affection. When you pull away his loss of heat is devastating. However, he calms down when you begin to wash his hair, scratching at his scalp and running the hot water over his curls.

“I don’t think I’ve ever let anyone touch my hair like this,” he mumbles. You kiss his cheek and move the bar to his chest and shoulders, working out any aches and pains he might have.

“Well, now you have me my love,” you whisper, kissing the tip of his ear.

“I just can’t believe that after everything you want to stay. The sky is beautiful tonight, but it is all I will ever know once this mindflayer business is said and done with.” His words are bitter, almost as if he is angry with himself.

“It is all we will know my love. And I’m actually quite the night owl. As much as I love our ragtag group, I’m quite introverted around most of society. Everything is fine,” you kiss his bite marks, the hollows of his cheeks, and finally his lips. He kisses you back fervently, pouring care he was never able to show for anyone else previously. You pull away and finish gently washing the rest of his body in silence. As you prop your neck to the side for him, he looks at you with an expression akin to great offense.

“Darling! I thought you knew me well enough to know the bath is never over after only soap.” He waves his hand over to the small crate of oils he’d brought to the spring. “Now, I’m feeling lavender tonight. How about you my love?”

You give him a beaming smile, wading out of the spring to retrieve it. “Sounds wonderful, my heart.”

Halsin

• You don’t even really have to ask him, he’s just joined you most of the time to protect you

• He doesn’t like you venturing out in to the woods by yourself, because Silvanus help him a lot of people are after you guys

• “Of course my heart — Scratch is licking at his paw a bit so I need to inspect that, but I will join you in just a couple of minutes.”

• With an encouraging woof from Scratch, you caress his shoulder and go to collect your things

You’ve stuffed all the stuff needed for the bath into two large bags, your arms making you crouch downward with the weight. As Halsin walks to meet you he sees this, chuckles, and wild shapes into his bear form. He takes the bag handles into his mouth and nudges your leg with his snout. You pet his head and hop onto his back, him letting you ride on it as you both make your way to the water.

On arrival, you hop off and he drops the items into the grass. As his bear form is used most in combat, you grab out a bottle of soap you’d nicked off of that crazy dog handler in Rivington. You drizzle it all over his fur and gather some of the river water into a bucket. You begin scrubbing the soap into his fur, and he lets out cute little groans and growls. When you finish you dump the bucket of water onto him, and he lets out a noise of surprise. He turns back into regular Halsin, his hair soaked down against his head with playful exasperation.

“My heart, you did not need to release the full power of a waterfall onto me I assure you.” You laugh and beckon him into the water. He wades in and smothers you with kisses.

“Halsin please! I need to breathe!” You giggle, pushing at his chest. He finally settles down, pulling you into his lap.

“Thank you for helping me with the shadow curse. Thaniel he… he needed us. He needed you.” He settles into a somber smile, nuzzling his nose against your temple.

You trace your fingers across his chest, leaving kisses that follow. “I knew the lands needed our help, and I’m glad he’s free from the curse. All we have left is this elder brain, and we can go back to the grove and live in peace.”

He tilts your chin up with his hand, and looks tenderly into your eyes. “I would be blessed by Silvanus to spend my thousands of years with you.” He crashes his lips into yours, one of many you’ll share over the passage of time.

#astarion x reader #baldurs gate 3 #fanfic #astarion ancunin #bg3 #lae’zel x reader #lae'zel #karlach x reader #karlach #shadowheart x reader #Shadowheart #wyll x reader #wyll ravengard #gale x reader #gale dekarios #halsin x reader #halsin #bg3 romance

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mademoisellegush · 9 months

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On the Emperor and *that* scene

so i went and looked at some of the branches of that conversation -he basically reacts by reflecting and amplifying whatever energy the player gives him. Whatever you say, he will not contradict you.

You reject him, violently? He'll show you how right you are, how much of a monster he is. You reject him, preferring to "stick to business"? so does he. You agree to see him as a potential partner? Not a one-night stand, you are "bonded and it is time to consummate love with war".

Something to keep in mind, however (pun intended) is that "to best protect yourself from illithid manipulation, pay attention to its actions, not words."

tldr: i think the emperor is a very neat character.

The first branch is the disgusted rejection - the one where the player calls him a freak. his reaction is to show you how right you are. a mind controlled Stelmane, how the partnership was puppeteering. "you are my puppet", he tells you. "You have no other choice, if I must, I will force you."

he does not force you to do anything, after that. the threat is there, of course, but it's hollow. empty.

should this be taken at face value? can we trust him, even now, that he is telling the truth? it is certain that he mind controlled stelmane, yes. But was he the one who made her ill?

two items put that into question. a) stelmane's portrait, hung up at his desk along all his treasured possessions from before and after he became an illithid (balduran's butter fork, to go with the butter knife. his old sword, a recipe for fiddlehead soup, his dog Rascal's collar. the emperor's outfit, container for brains, chains for his "meals".)

If he's a liar about everything, why does he have a framed picture of Stelmane? He would not have been able to physically go back and set things up in a Knights of the Shield secret hideout while he was stuck inside the Astral Prism in our pocket from the hells, down to the Underdark, unless i'm getting the timeline of this story majorly wrong.

and b) an account of stelmane's illness.

Stelmane's condition got worse *after* Balduran/the Emperor disappeared, captured by Gortash and the cult of the Absolute.

Make of that what you will. Is this an actual testimony, or something he somehow planted there for you to find, despite the logistical difficulties in doing so? You decide.

2. The violent rejection is the only branch where he does not tell you how big the elder brain has grown. I think that is because there is an actual reaction on his end; something vicious that he's unused to feeling. Not the cold, calculating pragmatism he was praising in the player character three lines ago. Compare the first branch to the following two paths:

What i think is: Balduran uses you. The sole thing he cares above all else is his continued survival, any power gained that way is a side benefit to his goal. If you even get the Orphic hammer, even "as leverage," even as you threaten him, he does not "force you" to do anything, as threatened above. Ansur died, yes, but is self defence murder? Neither Ansur nor Balduran deny that Ansur tried to mercy kill Balduran as he slept.

What I also think: you have to succeed at perception check, in the third guardian dream, to figure out that "the hurt runs deeper than they're willing to show you." then, an insight check (something that requires wisdom, what you use to resist, or lean into, the tadpole's hivemind) "beneath the resilient veneer, a touch of fragility. they need comfort." This allows you to hug them, if you desire - something they say "it has been a very long time since someone did that. for [me]".

Make of that what you will.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 spoilers #the emperor #balduran #he is an awful little manipulative bastard and i think hes perfect

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sernik-z-dzemem · 6 months

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Astarion on how it felt to be turned, the dialogue triggered by asking about the Astral-Touched Tadpole.

#and some of my favorite in-game voice acting :)#astarion #bg3 astarion #bg3 #astarion baldur’s gate 3 #astarion ancunin #astarion bg3 #neil newbon

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creative-frequency · 2 months

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Raphael x Reader: Act II: The Dinner, pt.2

Summary: Your patron Raphael invites you for a dinner with multiple ulterior motives. Part 2 of 2. Word count: 3853 Notes: Dinner date with Raphael at House of Hope. Some romantic tension finally relieved, making out with the devil.

Previous part

“I’ve been looking forward to spending an evening with you,” Raphael mused just as you pulled your hand back from his. His warmth lingered, burning your fingertips.

He had brought you into a grand foyer. Nervous about the new situation and Raphael’s company – and not really knowing what to reply – you gaped around at the decorative hall. Massive pillars stood in rows at each side and the ceiling was impossibly high. There were no paintings on the walls unlike in the rooms you had previously visited, but devilish sculptures stood amidst the pillars. No doubt sculpted after Raphael’s own visage. Deep red drapes softened the masonry.

Raphael lingered in the middle of the foyer while you paced around a bit, marvelling at the interior.

“Before we dine…”

You turned to look at him.

Raphael snapped his fingers. A sweet wave of nothingness washed and settled through you – silence.

“There. A little privacy from our tentacled friend,” he said with a complacent tone.

The Emperor was going to be extremely upset about you dining with the devil and denying it the chance for eavesdropping. It already had opinions and dire concerns of you lending your ear to Raphael. Even more so about sleeping in the devil’s bed, but that was a conversation you rather wanted to forget.

“Oh. It’s… quiet,” you said, bemused.

The whispering and humming of the Artefact in the back of your mind was gone. Not once had it occurred to you that Raphael might have the power to do such a thing. At the same time, it warranted slight worry about his motives for silencing your astral guide. What had he planned for the night that he didn’t want anyone else to hear?

“This way, my raven.” Raphael motioned towards the hallway and you stepped into pace at his side.

Your mind truly was wondrously silent, thanks to the devil. While it felt weird, a sense of bitter longing filled you. What a luxury it was to remain the only inhabitant of one’s skull. You couldn’t get rid of the tadpole soon enough.

The earlier times you had visited the dining hall of House of Hope, you had not exactly been keen on examining the interior design. Raphael didn’t seem to mind that you were taking in every detail of your surroundings now. Hells, he even seemed pleased at your silent awe as your gaze moved around from the massive painting of the devil himself above the fireplace.

There was a simple brass bell on a chain that was mounted into the wall. The bell was almost invisible in the middle of all the elaborate decoration, but something in it drew your attention.

Raphael followed your gaze and hummed in thought. “Go on, give it a ring,” he urged.

You moved closer to inspect the item.

“What is its purpose?” you asked but didn’t dare to touch it despite his encouragement.

“It is merely a simple dinner bell. Ring it and I will know the table has been set.”

You reached for the short chain and gave it a light tug. The bright jingle sound reverberated in your skull and made your teeth ache momentarily. If that sound couldn’t travel through different planes, nothing could.

“Satisfied?” Raphael spoke while you held your cheek to stop your head from spinning.

“And regretting it,” you asserted with a pointed glance and moved in for the seat he was offering. Raphael let out a low and soft laugh while ensuring you were seated comfortably, then took his own seat opposite.

The hexagonal table was once more laden with dishes that you had never seen or tasted before. It seemed that Raphael currently held a taste for the more exotic Southern flair as many of the foods originated from Calimshan. There was roasted goose and stuffed portobello mushrooms with cherry port wine reduction and foie gras stuffing, aqua-tinted Green Calishite cheese, pork sausages and honey-sauteed vegetables – the same dish you had eaten on your first meeting. He also served you a glass of trike, a sweet and strong wine made from palintrike. Oranges, apples, sunmelons and other fruits were plentiful on the table, cut into bite-sized pieces and served with a sweet paste made of dates.

Raphael took care of most of the conversation on his own while you ate. He told you about the ingredients and spices in the dishes, their preparation methods and the history of the area they originated from. While it was certainly interesting, you couldn’t figure out a natural way to bring up Astarion’s dilemma.

After five courses and three different wines to match, you couldn’t possibly eat anything more. When Raphael paused to sip his drink, you braced and went for the direct route.

“Can I bring my companions here for dinner?” you asked.

Raphael arched a brow at you.

“They’re not my clients,” he replied, unsurprisingly, and leaned forward. “You are. My most precious one, in fact.”

The weight of his words made you shiver and a wave of apprehension coursed down your spine. It had been evident that he really didn’t care for your companions, but when he accentuated it like that… You had to avert your eyes in a flush and focus on the empty plate in front of you.

Raphael placed his glass on the table and fixed a curious gaze to you.

“What is on your mind, little raven?”

You inhaled quickly, remembering why you had brought up the topic in the first place: “So, about Astarion…”

Raphael made a calming gesture and smiled knowingly. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’m motivated to help him.”

Your loyalties were already stretched between your companions and your devil patron. To both of them, you essentially owed your life. Raphael could stand to be pressured a bit more. You straightened up on your seat.

“How soon?” you questioned.

“As I’ve previously stated, I’ll think about it and get back to you. Don’t fret,” Raphael replied and, to your astonishment, added: “Until I offer the little vampling a mutually beneficial solution, take care not to tread into any perilous dens on your adventures.”

He was talking in riddles again and looked impossibly complacent.

“I don’t need your approval,” you replied coolly and sipped your wine.

Raphael hummed with mirth and spread his arms theatrically. “Certainly you don’t.” The balmy timbre of his voice sent another wave of shivers through you, but this time the sensation made you feel warm.

You swirled the wine in your glass, examining the deep red colour against the light of the fireplace. Raphael leaned back in his seat, gazing at you contemplatively.

“I was surprised to see you at Last Light today,” you said to change the subject. “A mere coincidence, I take it?”

Hells, you were apparently starting to imitate his way of speech now. That was too much wine.

Raphael chuckled, as though pleased with your question. “There are so many people ripe for temptation,” he replied. A non-answer.

Your brows furrowed as you remembered Mol. Had she already made a deal with the devil? You had half a mind to ask Raphael, but he probably wouldn’t provide an answer other than citing whatever patron-client confidentiality rules devils lived by. You sipped from the glass again, flushing down the thought.

“Does it ever bother you to make a living out of mortals’ suffering?” you questioned and watched Raphael’s reaction over the rim of your glass. He snapped his fingers and the glass filled up right in front of your eyes.

“Life is not a fairy tale, my dear,” he replied in a low tone, posture relaxed and not at all bothered by your questioning.

You paused to huff in thought before answering: “Yet mine already has the main antagonist on stage.”

“Oh?” Raphael raised a brow. “I didn’t realise I was the villain in your narrative,” he said, clearly amused. If the line was meant to taunt you, you held back any further retorts and sipped the wine.

Raphael didn’t let the silence sit for long, eager as he was to continue painting the analogy. He leaned forward over the table. “And what does that make you, little raven? The hero? The sage? The victim?”

You leaned back on the chair. “Isn’t it a bit too late to choose a role?” you mused. “I am clearly the underdog.”

Raphael laughed. “Everybody loves an underdog, don’t they?”

You hated the blush that crept over your cheeks. “I should hope so,” you murmured nonetheless.

Raphael’s eyes narrowed at the sight as a self satisfied smirk crept across his lips.

“The journey has changed you already,” he noted.

Despite having a whole table between you, the moment felt as intimate as him buttoning up the borrowed shirt on you that morning in his boudoir. Heady and tender feelings coiled inside you, and it didn’t exactly help cooling down your flushed skin.

“How so?” you asked.

Raphael brushed any doubts aside with a burgeon motion of his hands. “You’re no longer the tender bud I encountered at the site of calamity. You’ve grown, little raven. Flourished.”

“Right…” You didn’t really know how to react when he was suddenly showering you with compliments. “I hope it hasn’t been a complete waste of time for you to watch me grow.”

“At least I can’t say I’m not entertained,” Raphael said with a warm chuckle.

“Enjoying the show, then? I’m glad.” It was the wine talking, but damn if flirting with him didn’t make you exhilarated and hot all over.

“Very much so, my dear.”

You placed your elbows on the table and locked your fingers under your chin, never breaking eye contact with the devil. Raphael’s eyes glinted at the sliver of gold on your finger. His lips curved upwards. He too leaned over the dinner table, fingers intertwined, and immobilised you with a heated stare. The honey-tinted brown eyes had gained molten swirls. Your heart started drumming faster.

“How your features and string of tragic misfortune have entranced me,” Raphael said, surely in jest, but the voice. It was a lover’s voice, sensual and suggestive. A sharp pulse of desire shot through you. His attention was intoxicating. You wanted more. A flutter sprang to life in your chest.

You blinked and focused on trying to stay calm even though your head was spinning.

“Shall we enjoy the rest of the evening in a more comfortable setting?” Raphael asked carefully. The rumble of his voice set your very soul alight. Gods help you, you were hanging on his every word. A pulse of desire was pooling into a warm liquid that spread through your body.

“You’re the Master of the House, so I’ll follow your lead,” you managed to reply.

Raphael arched a brow in surprise and chuckled. He stood up.

“Undoubtedly I am. Come.”

He offered his arm to you like the perfect gentleman and walked you down to the next room. Just holding his arm threatened to turn your legs into jelly, but you steeled yourself, determined, though nervous to see the evening through.

The room was a small parlour with plush sofas and small tea tables littered with delicacies and confectioneries. You made a little gasp. Calimshan Knots, Mraed and different kinds of chocolate were on display on a luxurious silver tray with three layers. It looked almost too beautiful to break a piece from the work of art for a taste.

Raphael guided you to sit down on one of the red loveseats and sat down next to you. Exhilarated at the proximity, you had to force yourself to breathe, only to inhale his sweet scent of cherries concentrated in the air.

“Please. Indulge.” He motioned towards the sweets, but you felt the words had another underlying meaning. Your blood started running hotter in your veins.

Raphael examined your features with great interest.

“You said there was something you wanted to discuss with me…” you suddenly remembered.

“Ah, yes. There is a matter of great importance that your little group will soon have to resolve,” Raphael stated and his head tilted slightly in thought. “One way or the other.”

“Oh? What kind of matter?” you asked unsure if you really wanted to hear this. “I assume it has something to do with the Artefact?”

“Technically, yes,” he said, a hand to his chin, “I happen to possess an item of great interest to aid you in this predicament. I could be persuaded to part with it.”

You blinked. “And what would I have to offer in return for this item?”

Raphael chuckled mirthfully. “Very good, little raven. Your skills in the art of infernal negotiation are improving. But, for this particular instance, I’m willing to take a loss.”

Simultaneous feelings of unease and pride clouded your mind. “That’s… unexpected. You would lose hold of such an item for me?”

“If it means you win, my dear,” Raphael purred and leaned closer. “However, it still comes with its conjectures.”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that,” you said quietly, “What would those conjectures be?”

“I’m willing to loan you this item, if” – Raphael lifted exactly one finger in the air – ”you promise to return it along with another trinket of my choosing.”

He could very well ask something impossible of you and do whatever he wanted with your soul in the end when you inevitably failed to deliver. So far Raphael had been fair in his dealings, but you had to be careful. Cryptic and unhelpful hints aside, you didn’t want to think about the Artefact, the tadpole or the Absolute right now.

“I’ll think about it and get back to you,” you murmured.

Raphael barked a laugh. “Indeed. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, my dear.”

The laugh left the remnants of a smirk over his lips. You swallowed. His scent of fire and cherries was making you go mad as it addled your poor, tadpoled brain. He lifted his arm over the sofa back and angled his body properly to you.

“You, my most troubled protege, will surely make the right decision,” his lover’s voice whispered with a rumble you could almost feel over your body.

Raphael’s hand dipped to caress your shoulder. The touch ignited a trail of fire in its path. He leaned closer and instinctively you leaned away. A proper smirk now curved his lips. So it became a chase; the fox hunted the raven. Your breaths grew shorter by the second.

He placed his other hand on your knee, a gesture to keep you still. The touch shot a wave of heat through you and you barely held back a wince. Thanks to the wine and your general ludacrity, you were already feeling wanton enough in his company, so you wouldn’t be able to take much of his enabling to finally snap and throw all noble notions into the fires of Hell.

That was presumably his goal.

“I’ve grown fond of you, little raven,” Raphael purred, “I’d hate to see you make the wrong choice.”

His every word caressed your skin, adding fuel to the liquid fire raging in your body. You swallowed to gather the last bits of your prudence and said: “I’m sure my companions and I will make the best decision we can under the circumstances.”

Raphael’s smile widened, his head leaned to the side. “That is most gratifying to hear, my dear.”

His hand still lay on your knee and you believed you felt it inch up your thigh while the other one continued caressing your shoulder, trekking up to the back of your neck. You couldn’t take your eyes off Raphael’s face. His gaze lowered to your lips. You placed your hand over his on your thigh and saw the delight spill into his expression. His skin was hot and you were already dreaming how it would feel wandering around your body; caressing, circling, fondling…

Did he do this with all his clients? Somehow you knew the answer. You could read it in the curve on his lips and the spark in his eyes. Mortals often held no such interest to him.

You were special.

In the back of all the lust-ridden thoughts, you wondered how it might feel to be loved by him, to wake up next to those molten saffron or darkened honey-tinted eyes.

You swallowed as Raphael’s fingers moved to the inner side of your thigh.

“Though I could use some motivation…” you heard yourself saying loud and clear.

The devil’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they were lit with plain and clear desire.

“What a brave and naughty little thing you are. You never cease to surprise me,” Raphael husked. The words were latent with seduction and promise.

He leaned closer and you felt his shallow and waiting breaths fanning over your cheek. Only the warmth radiating from his body and his scent of sweet cherries, deep musk and smoky brimstone was registering at this point. You felt almost woozy, aching in the trepidation that he might pull away and not give you what you craved more and more with each passing second.

Raphael’s eyes were the colour of dark honey, his eyelashes so dark and beautiful, and the thought of his lips on you… The consuming craving to taste him was overwhelming.

“It’s the company I keep,” you intended to say, but in the end were unsure if the words actually left your mouth or were blocked.

Raphael kissed you with overwhelming heat and hunger.

He cupped the back of your head and pulled you right into him.

The kiss was searing, passionate and would’ve swooped you right off your feet had you been standing. His hand instantly made headway up your leg, fingers already tracing your inner thigh and unceremoniously delving closer to your aroused, aching sex.

You gripped Raphael’s shirt, pulling him even closer. You wanted him closer. You wanted him so much. How you wished the clothes on your back would just burn away.

He pushed you against the sofa back with his body. His mouth moved from your reddened and swollen lips to plant hot kisses on your cheek, jaw and down to your neck. You mewled with pleasure and offered yourself to him, indulging his every motion and brush of his lips.

Two thoughts fought for purchase in your head, but neither gained any foothold: were you really doing this with your patron and what consequences there would be. Your soul was already damned. He had been tempting you for weeks so it was about time for things to progress this way. Tangling your body with his surely didn’t actually mean anything.

“Give yourself to me,” Raphael whispered into your ear, his breathing tickling. His hand reached its aim between your legs and you gasped as he resolutely stroked your clothed sex.

Your whole body quivered from the delicious friction of the contact and you bit your lip. A tight sensation coiled in your lower abdomen, ready to burst at the next hint of touch.

You wanted more of him.

“So eager…” Raphael whispered. He kept your head still and close, turning it as he pleased to reach the sweetest spots of your skin. You acquiesced to all of it, too stunned, too ravenous for more to move. The grip of your fist tightened on his arm and at the hem of his shirt.

He claimed your lips again. You spread your legs and his nimble fingers stroked you through your clothes with the most perfect pressure, all the while his heavy breaths tickled your neck and the shell of your ear between demanding kisses. The more you gasped and moaned, the more laborious his breaths also became.

“R-Raphael…” Your throat was dry and your voice already hoarse.

Your hand wandered south with the goal of reciprocating the pleasure he was giving you, but the brushing motions of his fingers sped up and you waivered, abandoning mission. It was extremely hard to focus on anything else besides the pleasure Raphael was so expertly giving to you.

Amidst the kisses and hot breaths on burning your skin, your release was hell-bent on building fast and hard, and, frankly, it surprised you both.

It hit you like a pit fiend running into a wall at full speed.

You gasped for air, clutching Raphael’s forearm and felt the ravaging pulsing against his fingers through your clothes.

“Fuck…” you huffed, voice hoarse.

Raphael’s motions stopped as it dawned on him: You had reached an orgasm in a shamefully short time. It was certainly… surprising.

“Uh, guess I was more motivation-starved than I thought,” you managed to mumble in what you aimed to be an apologising tone. Your head was spinning from the sharp and intense orgasm, and it was extremely hard to think in complete sentences.

Raphael slowly drew back from you with a muted expression. No tender kisses, no praises, he was just staring at you in mild disbelief.

“I, uhm. Do you want to…?” you mumbled ambiguously, but couldn’t quite reach the shame waiting somewhere in the back of your mind. It had felt way too good to be ashamed.

You took a deep breath to clear your head and Raphael straightened his back.

Then he laughed, low and rough and assumed back his role. “Like I said, you never fail to surprise me, little raven.”

You blinked. He was acting as if he had not just kissed you silly and made you come with his fingers while both of you were still fully clothed.

“Hopefully the evening was as enjoyable to you as it was for me,” he continued in a cultured tone.

Heat rushed to your cheeks. So that’s how it was going to be. You hurried to settle your clothes into a more presentable state and hopped to your feet. Your legs were shaking and you felt lightheaded. There was no way your companions would not realise what had happened. Astarion would take one look at you and start either yapping or giggling.

“Yes, uh. Would you be so kind and send me back now?” you inquired, trying to reach an impassive tone but failing spectacularly.

Raphael paused, clearly deciding whether to abide by your request or not. Not a hint of the earlier lust was visible on his face. Either he hid it extremely well or your little display had not affected him at all. How frustrating. So he could make you come with a single finger, but you had no effect on him.

“Of course. Far be it from me to keep you here against your will,” Raphael said with an incline of his head. Not even a hair was out of place on him.

With a quick snap, he sent you back to camp right then and there. A swift look around told you that no one was awake. Good.

Only a moment later you realised that by ‘motivation’ Raphael probably had not meant to allow you to come. Oh well, what was done was done. You could only hope the consequences of your own actions wouldn’t come back to haunt you.

My writing masterlist

#bg3 raphael #raphael bg3 #raphael x you #raphael x reader #baldur's gate 3 fanfiction #bg3 fanfiction #fanfiction #the devil wears house slippers

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carmsgarms · 19 days

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The Emperor's reaction when you eat the tadpole kills me every time because the first time I had a character that ate it in one of my playthroughs (keep in mind, I'm....more than a few... playthroughs deep i always resisted the tadpole) because UP UNTIL I DID IT I GENUINELY THOUGHT THAT WE WERE EATING THEM. So my first reaction was "Wait is that NOT what we're supposed to do?"

Astarion (because this was my Astarion origin) had just been EATING all of the tadpoles thinking that's how it's done. We're like 10 tadpoles deep in his brain, he's gotten Gale to eat some too, can you imagine the look of sheer disgust and anger on his face when he realizes he didn't neat to ~EAT~ the tadpoles to gain their power.

Or even better - Astarion *did know* and convinced Gale as a bit that was what you're supposed to do ((because I had Astarion manipulate Gale into eating it tbh)) so Gale finds out *when he eats the astral-touched one* that he didn't need to eat those other two tadpoles.

#bg3 #astarion #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 act 3 #bg3 act 3 spoilers #the emperor #the emperor spoilers #astarion ancunin #gale dekarios #i didnt mean to make him so mean it just seemed like what he would do LMAO #gale disapproves

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optiwashere · 2 months

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Baldur's Gate 3 Fic Prompts

Prompt fills always give me a quick shot of inspiration, so why not? There's not a lot of general prompt lists out there for this fandom - at least that I can find - so be the change you wish to see and all that.

You can send in a ship or platonic pair along with the letter and number for the corresponding prompt that you want to see (e.g., "Shadowheart/Karlach B5") and I'll write a ficlet! These are meant to be largely rating agnostic.

If you have multiple prompts, please send them in separate asks! It makes keeping track of everything so much easier 💜

A. Fluff & Comedy

Non-sexual physical intimacy

Cooking together

Building something together

Teaching one another their language(s)

Character A gushes about their favorite book with Character B

Gift giving

Bickering/arguing over the party's magic item distribution

Playing a game of cards and one of them gets very competitive

Celebrating one character's firstmorn (birthday!)

First post-canon date

B. Hurt/Comfort

Resurrection hurt/comfort

Scars

Crying

Breakdown and comfort

A character that isn't used to being protected finds someone who will protect them from anything

After being separated from the party, Character A carries a wounded Character B to safety

Character A has a vivid nightmare and Character B comforts them

Non-sexual assisted bathing due to injuries/sickness

Convinced that their past makes them irredeemable, Character A struggles with Character B's affections

Character A suffers from low self-esteem and Character B vocally or physically adores them

C. Angst

Lifespan differences (e.g., Character A is an elf and Character B is a tiefling)

Mutual pining

Unrequited love/attraction

Tired of fighting

Fear of abandonment

Fear of acceptance

Permanent character death (no resurrections, no revivify)

Character A forgets everything about Character B and the relationship they have due to memory loss, mind control, or any other devious plot device the writer devises

Character A believes that Character B doesn't truly love them/care about them at all (resolution up to the writer)

Character A kills Character B

D. Action/Adventure

Catching a spy in camp

Trying to get a better reward for a quest

Exploring a dungeon together

Sneaking into a location together (literal stealth, disguises, etc.)

A desperate escape from an unwinnable situation

Attacked at camp while on watch together

Scouting ahead together

Last two standing in a fight

Stranded on another plane

Character A is magically incapacitated (petrified, mazed, etc.) and Character B is the only one that can help them

E. Miscellaneous Scenarios

Tadpoles sharing thoughts that shouldn't be shared

Discussing their Dream Visitors

A clash over differences in deities

A magical mishap with a scroll, potion, or wand

The first night at camp in the Shadow-Cursed Lands

Character A considers consuming a Mind Flayer Parasite or the Astral-Touched Tadpole, and Character B sways their decision one way or another

While relaxing at camp, Character A begins to suspect that Character B is Orin in disguise

The first morning/day/night in Baldur's Gate after the conclusion of the Absolute Crisis

Character A is considering a devil's deal or a hag's bargain, and Character B convinces them one way or another

One of the characters draws from the Deck of Many Things

#Not tagging this but I'm keeping reblogs on so if you want to use this yourself then please feel free to do so w/ a reblog #I spent so long looking for a fitting prompt list and frankly I hit a point where I just had to take matters into my own hands lmao #so here we are - me spending breaks trying to think of interesting and fun prompts for these categories

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starlyht · 4 months

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the emperor : do this :)

sol’rys : i will do the opposite, in fact <3

#bg3 spoilers #threatening to force him into taking the astral touched tadpole .#was the worst thing the emperor could have done .#yes threatening the autonomy of a man w/ the usual menzoberranzan trauma etc will go GREAT .#after that ? *national treasure theme intensifies* he’s stealing the orphic hammer .#tfw someone would rather risk pissing off a devil and stealing from them than deal with you . :/#the second his autonomy etc is threatened is the second he stops cooperatively playing fetch with you .

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veilkeeper · 5 months

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the emperor is basically roz's controlling boyfriend

disclaimer: *i do not hate the emperor and i am not admonishing anyone who likes him or interprets him in a different way. i actually really like the emperor as a character and i enjoy his writing. part of the joy of characters like this is that people can have vastly different interpretations and still have them all be rooted in canon. *im going to be speaking specifically about my tav throughout this. im using their name as a way to specify that this is my tav's experience and feelings, and not necessarily every tav's experience and feelings. *im only partway through act 3. this is talking about roz's feelings during and immediately following the scene in question. they may change and develop later.

so you know how when you meet raphael at sharess' caress he temporarily breaks the PC's connection to the emperor to give them privacy, and then as soon as you leave the devil's den the emperor slides into your proverbial DMs demanding to know where you were?

let's talk about that.

for folks who haven't been following the roz saga, let me set the scene really quickly. roz is a githyanki tav. the "dream visitor" took the form of the elven priestess who took them in when they were a teenager. it was a relationship that was pretty bad for roz, but they were always loyal to her. roz trusted the dream visitor and completely betrayed their queen to protect them. when the emperor reveal rolled around, roz refused the astral-touched tadpole but failed the save and became a partial-illithid against their will. they've been having a bad time because of that, mostly because everyone in the party had really bad reactions to them becoming partial-illithid and now they feel gross and unwanted.

so now that the truth is out about the emperor being a mind flayer, roz is a little conflicted. on one hand, he's already lied to them about a lot of stuff, and they can't tell when he's manipulating them or being genuinely vulnerable. on the other hand, he has been protecting them, and in a time where they feel very off-kilter and alone, he's the only one who doesn't seem fazed by their new... everything. he reaches for a sort of intimacy and implies a sort of understanding between them that roz craves but doesn't know how to reciprocate when everything feels uncertain.

needless to say, their feelings are complicated, and roz feels... trapped, for lack of a better word. despite their hesitation, they have to rely on him - he's the one keeping them from transforming into a mind flayer, and if roz fucks up with him then the whole group is in danger.

and it is on roz - correct me if im wrong, but at this point in the game it seems like the emperor has given up on manipulating everyone else. i say that because party members stopped commenting on dream visits even before the emperor reveal; the first two visits everyone had a "so, i had another visit from our mysterious protector last night" but after that those conversations stopped. it seems that the emperor picked out roz as the best person to focus all his attention on, and as it turns out, all of the emperor's attention is a lot.

which brings us to raphael. the first thing he does when he turns his attention to roz is shut out the emperor... and the dialogue when that happens is interesting.

*For the first time since the nautiloid, your mind is clear. It's... unsettling.* Roz: I feel... empty. What did you do?

unsettling. empty.

i think this is the moment that makes roz realize just how... present the emperor has been. they've been passively aware that he's around; as early as the grove the dream visitor is pointing out tadpoles to pick up, and since making it to the city he's made a few comments on the environment. but this is the first time it's really clicked for them that he's been here, in their head, paying attention, ever since they woke up on the nautiloid.

how much has he learned about them? how much has he seen? how could they ever trust a single word he says when he knows exactly how to manipulate them?

it's a terrifying thought, isn't it? to realize all at once that someone else truly does hold all the cards.

they need time to think, and making a deal with a devil while they're freaking out internally seems like a recipe for disaster, so they say no to raphael's deal. and when they walk outside, all of their fears are confirmed by a little voice in their head, questioning them before the door is even closed behind them.

The Emperor: There you are. I thought I'd lost you. Something was blocking me from hearing your thoughts.

he just says it. mask off, he tells roz as if it is the most natural thing in the world for him to hear their thoughts, always. it feels like he's making fun of them, suddenly. like they're on the wrong end of a practical joke and they only just realized, right before it was time to deliver the punchline.

they don't know how to navigate this conversation. they're frozen. they don't want to tell him anything but they know being too evasive will only draw suspicion and whether they like it or not, they still need him.

they're as vague as they can be. it was raphael, he wants the crown. they hope it's enough but of course it isn't - the emperor asks what raphael offered them.

Roz: Does it matter? I said no. The Emperor: I'm glad you had the sense to turn him down. But it certainly does matter. [...] So I ask again - what were the terms of the deal he offered you?

it isn't enough to have said no, it isn't enough that they told him it was raphael. the emperor needs to know everything, and that's the problem, isn't it? he talks about being allies but he has the upper hand, always has, and he won't tolerate roz knowing anything he doesn't. if he isn't in control of the situation then he wants to be, and he has the power over them to make sure they do exactly what he wants.

so they tell him the terms of the deal. they wonder if it's too late to turn around and accept it, if raphael would be willing to shut the emperor out of their head while they took the hammer into the prism, so they didn't have this looming over them a second longer.

but as they expected, the emperor knows exactly what to say to plant that seed of doubt, to make sure they stay in his influence.

The Emperor: I trust that you will continue to remember who is really on your side. Without my protection, you cannot defeat the elder brain. You cannot even get close to it. No matter what the devil whispers in your ear.

he knows them. more than they ever wanted him to. they never told him anything, but he knows them better than anyone else they've ever met. and worst of all, they never gave him permission. for any of it. he has crept into every corner of their mind unbidden, looked through their eyes, seen some of the most intimate and personal moments of their life, changed them, all without permission.

yet as much as they want to get away, they can't. he's not wrong - they need him, and the only other person who can protect them, orpheus himself, will probably try to kill them on sight if they try to free him. and if that wasn't enough, the means to free orpheus in the first place is locked behind making a terrible deal with a skeevy devil or going on a heist to the hells that the emperor will watch every single moment of.

they feel violated. they feel manipulated. they feel like a puppet on a string. they feel helpless. and they feel like they can't breathe a word of it to anyone, not just because the emperor will hear it, but because they still don't know if their companions even want anything to do with them.

the emperor feels like a controlling boyfriend. the kind who grills roz on where they've been and demands to know everyone they've talked to. the kind who belittles them and tells them that they need him, and then turns around and tells them that they're the only one he trusts and he's so glad to have them.

at every turn they're being manipulated by people; guys with power who try to offer them whatever might sway them. but the emperor might be the worst of all of them, because he doesn't just want their cooperation - he's taking it, in the most insidious way he possibly can.

#as per usual i am okay with discussion on this post but please be civil!!#the emperor #roz pt #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #bg3 meta #mine #emperor critical #<- not really but im trying to be like. respectful i guess?

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githkisser · 3 months

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H'rayn of Verkos

Not revised soree😩😩

oathbreaker/cleric of life/[nondisclosed worship: Orphic cleric]

Name is pronounced "highrend"

192cm/6'3

V.A: Karen Strassman (Shyvana) or Amirah Vann (sevika)

NOTE: her tone is soft, but the way she speaks is poetic and long-winded, sometimes featuring words that don't even exist. Her way of speaking is described by Shadowheart as "githsplaining"

Background: Commandeer-er of the great Red Lady

"Once widely revered amongst your kind, your story pierced the classrooms of many a crèche, your face, legend, and name are known among your own kind. Holding to your true allegiance and seeking comrades in your cause will boon and empower the abilities of those around you, should you stay true to your cause."

Note: The renegade agents are a homebrew gith faction. They hold an extreme proficiency in astral knowledge and have touched the sea of thought itself (they aren't aware of it, they just know what they have been called to do). Because of this, they see reality as it should be (À la the seas interpretation of justice and the right path) and are fervent to beat it back onto the right track. They're excellent spies and like H'rayn they have the potential to shoot through ranks. They are extremely manipulative and charismatic. Renegaders are a chaotic neutral supporting faction with no leader. Individuals within it often sit on the intersections between lawful evil, neutral evil, and true neutral.

Origin backstory dsc

Hatched into the unyielding cold of Crèche Verkos of Vaasa as the weakest of her clutch, H'rayn managed to rouse the fervor of the god queen Vlaakith after slaying a mind flayer as a mere youth, she was the only survivor of her crèche. H'rayn became an agent to the queen, but that was not where her true allegiance laid. Now unmasked as a traitor, hindered by the tadpole, dragonless, and unable to travel between planes, she must find a way to secure the weapon and harness it, all while hot wings of fire rage within her skull in symphony with the tadpole.

Origin introduction preview

"Your eyes meet the one and only un-child, un-child of many minds and one head. I who have slain countless illithid—I who have long feigned faith, reverence, and subservience to a god queen, I who tediously siezed red dragons from their masters and reduced them to hot coals beneath her nose. But she is no longer my fool. Flightless, called 'Hshar'lak', now bound to the material plane and hunted, I must act, or succumb. I will un-shatter and unleash. Zero-sum, I will stir the prince. Even if he kills me."

Recruitment and first interactions

•H'rayn can first be found at mountain pass (X-112 Y-549) speaking with the tiefling Ellyka, disguised as Zorru. The tadpole connection will expose this. The player may either shoot their accusation at 'Zorru', humor the situation, or allow the charade to continue until Ellyka is out of the way or until 'Zorru' decides it's time for the both of them to leave together.

•A passive roll check decides which of the two outcomes happens. The odds are 50/50.

NOTE: if Zorru is killed at the grove prior to this encounter there will be a special dialogue choice mentioning this.

•If H'rayn is exposed here she can be recruited. She will redisguise herself as a youth when first meeting Voss, and all through Crèche Y'llck, claiming that someone of her status need not be pestered by adoring admirers.

NOTE: Voss will oust H'rayn as a traitor to be hunted alongside the weapon. If Lae'zel is not present you can protect H'rayn or expose her disguise. You will have to fight the patrol. Additionally, if Lae'zel is present and exposes H'rayn herself, you can side with the patrol and help them take H'rayn out, She will summon her agents to protect her. If you side with H'rayn, Lae'zel will have to be persuaded to side with her as well (disadvantage if approval is low). This will initiate the patrol fight

•if players miss H'rayn at the mountain pass or do not recruit her, she can be found a final time upon entering Crèche Y'llck through the main entrance, disguised as a 'distressed githyanki youth' being questioned by Warrior Khunaruth(Y-1349 X-834). If the player is a githyanki, they can pass a deception check and claim she belongs to their traveling party (Lae'zel can also be used for this) and save her from the interrogation. Or, they can simply convince Khunaruth to kill her immediately. If there are no present githyanki in your party: you can attack Khunaruth and face the troops guarding the crèche.

•This will be the final chance to recruit her for your party. Once the inquisitors chamber is unlocked/the zaith'isk is used, she will have been snuffed out of her disguise and killed.

•You can either send the 'distressed githyanki youth' to your camp, or you can allow her to temporarily join you for the crèche.

NOTE: if killed by the warrior, a slate will be accessible in the inquisitors chamber detailing her death. If not killed and instead sent to camp, Vlaakith will order Lae'zel to kill H'rayn, wherein Lae'zel willl decide H'rayns fate—or seal her own.

•Disguised as a youth she will begin conversation when examining the comet drawn on the portait of Vlaakith. She will ask that the party take the time to speak to those in the crèche before progressing. If denied to prioritize the zaith'isk, she will head to the classroom alone and wait for you. Should the crèche turn hostile, she will have been killed, not eligible for resurrection.

•Joined in the classroom, she will also demand the player allow her to deal with Varrl. If you refuse her, she will mildly disapprove. If you kill Varrl she will also disapprove. She will approve if you trade Orpheus' slates with him, and disapprove if you threaten him for it.

•She will not reveal herself as H'rayn until waking up next long rest (if in camp) or (if with party) until returning from the prisim/killing inquisitor W'wargaz. The inquisitor will not allow H'rayn to join you inside of the prism, she will be dead when you exit, her body will be at X-1270, Y-673. She will be eligible for resurrection and can be recruited from there.

•If you refuse to recruit her here, she will immediately run off and all chances will have been missed, but her body will reappear inside of the prisim, having died fighting the emperor. The dominated red dragon during the fight with the elder brain will be her dragon, Red Lady.

NOTE: all deaths will yield different dialogue if speak with dead is used on her. She will also begin conversation with you if you read the slate 'Hshar'lak voss' in the inquisitors chamber. Whether you know of her traitorhood(post res) or not will yield different tones and dialogue. Either way she will demand that the party pursue Voss at any cost.

Doubly note: Lae'zels origin guide on the nautaloid, 'Losiir' is a member of H'rayn's squad, who were among the group of dragon riders pursuing the nautaloid. In H'ryans origin, Losiir will come to her aid in the prologue instead of her running into Lae'zel.

•She will abandon the party if you blow up the crèche.

Gear

Note: I don't care WHO the IRS sends I am NOT drawing weapons, rings, or shields!!!

Descriptions, personality, and more below the cut

Armor — Torn Pelage

The arms and many other elements (including most of the shell) of this once regal heavy armor have been torn off to accommodate temperate climates and need for mobility. The belsnick fur around the neck clings to its wearer, begging to remain. Once, it was warm enough to withstand the rages of winters womb.

Gloves — Gauntlet wraps

These bandages are worn. Tattered by desperate climbing and clawing.

Boots — Githyanki renegade shin guards

These shin guards are scorched by the flames of the hells, devolving them into crude shells.

Ring — Claws From the Mother(CFTM)

This ring is hot to the touch. Bound to its wearer. Pulsing around their finger like a twinned heartbeat, or a slowly sucking leech.

NOTE: CFTM cannot be removed from H'rayn. It is linked to H'rayn's great dragon 'Red Lady'. As long as CFTM is active, Red Lady will remain out of reach, trapped inside of H'rayn's mind. Through higher approval, she will confide in the player about this.

Belt — Shorts.

Short shorts! Comfortable. Versatile. Efficient. Always out of the way.

Shield — Githyanki Coutercoup Shield

Shield crafted for specialty githyanki warriors.

Note: Shield cannot be sold. Will receive a disapproval point if tried >:[

Weapon — Githyanki shortsword

the steel of the hilt has been indented with the three fingered grip of its ever close owner, every red gem plucked. It seems to refrain from cutting you as you run your finger along it.

Camp clothes — temperate harem pants

Common item of clothing among githyanki raiders... comfy. Probably.

Personality

Known traitor to her queen, when first met, H'rayns personality will seem no different than Lae'zels, if not far less trusting, especially towards allyship with those who are not the same race as her. It doesn't take her long to soften up to the camp. After all, she's used to losing whole squads and having them replaced.

She is not outwardly xenophobic, but if she is asked about her attitude towards non-gith, she will humor you briefly, read your race to filth and move on. She has much more important things to worry about than debating her perceived superiority.

She is conceited. As a result of this, one of her quirks is that she speaks even to those who would outrank her with her nose up so that she may always look down on those she deems weak. The only who she will not look down on is the prince himself, allies to the comet, and you, should you prove yourself an ally as well.

Given that she is already "tainted" in her eyes from the tadpole, and within proximity of the prisim she won't change, she is open to the idea of using them to her own gain and consuming the tadpoles to become stronger.

She fights her mind, wading between 'two selves' as per her own description. The self she constructed to feign and the self she has always been. One which is erratic, battle hardened and vicious, and one which is far softer and yearns to nurture and protect. Your guess is as good as anyone else's as to which is the real her.

If your relationship is high enough, she will reveal what she did to be ousted as a traitor. Like the emperor, she sought to steal the prism but was the victim of him meddling and exposing her to seek his own triumph.

Here are her mannerisims and a few tidbits about her that I find fun.

•When speaking, H'rayn will use sign language to better process what's coming out of her own mouth. Habit developed partially because she had a deaf renegader before the nautaloid crash happened. She also deaf in her right ear.

•While idle, she will comb her hair, wipe her brow, or fiddle with CFTM.

•when in camp during the day, she can always be seen either reading slates and books. She will write/annotate during the night.

•after Defeating Ketheric Thorm, if the player sits on his throne and she is present, H'rayn will approach and throw the player off of his throne the first time. The second time the player sits on the throne, she will say, "Tut. Stubborn thing." She will approve of this.

Approvals

Though her words will say otherwise, H'rayn approves of general good deeds, showing mercy to those who have not wronged you, helping children and being decent to those around you. She will also approve if you ask her about her attitude towards non-gith, but only if the player is a fellow githyanki, tiefling, or a dragonborn.

She approves of direct action against the absolute and all evil (ex. Attacking moonrise/goblin camp immediately)and double approves of pro-githyanki anti-Vlaakith statements and decisions. She enjoys the company of someone who values written word, aswell as somebody who is stubborn. She will often comment on books picked up within the world.

She will approve of saving the egg in the crèche.

Note: if this is done, eventually she will confide in you about wishing her kind could have mothers in the way that other races do. Relationship wise. She will hatch the egg and keep Ptaris, but only if the egg is spellbound and stolen back from the society.

She disapproves of acts like desecrating remains, betrayal of word, and insulting the faiths of others, unless you are insulting Vlaakiths faithful, of course. She will also disapprove if the player ever flees a battle.

She is indifferent to acts which are taken only to shorten the means to the end, given you can convince her that acts like slaughtering the grove are in fact just that.

Romance

H'rayn will sooner accept romance from another gith than that of a non gith. A gith will be able to start on her romance at some point in act one assuming you get the approval for it. Non gith will get the chance in act 2. She will not be the one to confess feelings, nor does she see the value in doing so.

NOTE: she will proposition a dragonborn/tiefling for sex when asked what she thinks about their species.

She's extremely cuddly and very affectionate for a gith, so when approached for a relationship/at the party after saving the grove, this is what she will propose if your approval is adequate. During this she will get to know you and vise versa while she cuddles (strangles) you :3

She has no interest in carnal desires, but if her partner wanted to engage in such a thing, then she would be interested to do so, once and only once. A non gith partner (excluding dragonborn and tiefling) will have to prove themselves worthy of this by boasting about battles and or other achievements.

Blue choices will sway her

•Having read Necromancy of Thay unscathed

•Defeating Sarth Baretha and her squad

•Saving the deep gnomes from the duegar

•Defeating inquisitor W'wargaz and or Kith'rak Therezynn

•Saving the grove

•Slaughtering the grove

•Saving Mayrina

•Initially saving Barcus

If you have not done anything worthy of boasting about, you will have the option to bring up surviving the nautaloid in hell. To which she will just say "begone, serf."

Once the relationship has reached its peak, she is intense and religious in her expressions of love. She will demand you to never leave her side.

She will give you the option between being called a helot, and a servant. You can accept either one or persuade her to "act normal" to which she will give you the title "little moth"

this successful persuasion will shift the dynamic into a much softer one, but in both dynamics, she will kiss you, but only if you kneel for her. The only time she will kneel to you is if you free Orpheus, or promise to do so.

She will view her treasured one as an object to hold in her possession, especially a non gith partner.(If not titled "little moth") You will have to prove yourself to be "in control of your faculties" and her equal should you try to break up with her. If you fail, she will just laugh, say "no" and end the conversation. Humorously so. This will not lock you out of other romances. She will be salty about it and there will be one chance to ask for her back within the same long rest.

Note: If you explicitly agreed not to leave her side and try to break up with her, she will challenge you in direct combat.

She is not opposed to engaging with the drow twins, but it will not be a pleasant experience for either of the twins.

Note: if you cheat on her with somebody else she will abandon the party.

Notex2: After meeting Voss in Sharess' Caress, if her partner is not githyanki, she will act colder the following long rest and later approach the player and refuse to continue a relationship.

Dialogue will be different depending on if you had tried to break up with her previously. You can pass a performance check to manipulate her into not leaving you. The roll will have disadvantage if you have slept with her.

Note: Depending on your relationship, she will also tell Voss the truth in spite of you, should you choose to accept Raphaels deal and lie about not having the Orphic hammer.

Personal quest: Claws from the Mother

This quest will see that the player has the choice to urge H'rayn back into Oath with Vlaakith, or help her rid herself of her curse for good; to give her the chance to piece back her two selves and free Red Lady.

In her origin playthrough her main quest consists of trying to find a way to lift CFTM, and trying to find a way inside of the prisim once it is secured. Once inside, there is the choice to successfully help the honor guard against the emperor, and then surrender yourself and your entire party to them.

NOTE: This will be her choice if she is not origin, and if she does not like/trust the player.

To lift CFTM, H'rayn has four possible options, two of which are provided by Mizora, glossed over in act 2, and fully proposed in act 3.

•If Wyll is present, Mizora will say she knows "a devil itching his stinky britches for a contract with a githyanki" whom she owes a favor to. To which H'rayn will have the choice to sign away her soul to become a debtor post brain destruction in exchange for the curse lifting.

•If denied, Mizora will instead propose that H'rayn replace Wyll (if he is to be free of his pact) or join him as one of her warlocks.

NOTE: Both of the proposed options above will result in stronger aid during the final battle and several buffs, but H'rayn will not be permitted to leave faerûn.

•(if present) You could have her seek counsel with Gale, and he will then try his best to see if Mystra could help, which she will do if Gale has agreed not to use the crown.

You will recive aid from both Red Lady and H'rayn.

•The final option is to convince H'rayn to sever her attachment to the ring. Player must roll only a critical sucess to pass. You will not recive aid from Red Lady, and you will not recive aid from H'rayn. If you have romanced her (both gith and non) she will break up with you herself.

If H'rayn has CFTM lifted by Mystra, her agents will provide aid in the final battle along with Red Lady

•The gathered Red Lady will shed the ashes from her scales and apply bane for the next 10 turns to all enemies on the field, ignoring all sightlines.

•H'rayn's aid calls upon her loyal agents, they offer the option to modify the ability Kith'raki Inferno to convert fire damage into another elemental type of your choice.

•If her buff to Kith'raki Inferno is not used before the top of the elder brain is reached, this ability will be forfeit and she will use "Greater Red Ladys Sarath" immediately, applying a bless to her favorite allies until they fall.

Allies who will receive bless are as follows:

•Hellrider Platoon

•Hellstalker Yugir

•Battle ready Owlbear

•Florricks Cohort

Note: If none of the listed allies are gathered, H'rayn's renegade agents of the comet will assist their knightly allies: Kith'raki Inferno will recive another charge ONLY if it has been used already, but it will not be eligible for elemental conversion.

Red Lady will appear in camp alongside H'rayn after CFTM is lifted. H'rayns two surviving renegade agents of the comet (Losiir, Gish Sha'naziim) will also join alongside her. These allies cannot be recruited into the party, but H'rayn will gain the ability to summon them. She will only be able to do this once. The player can also engage in dialogue with them to learn more about H'rayn and the renegade agents.

Neophyte Losiir—Fighter/Gloomstalker Ranger

•Wields the githyanki crossbow version of joltshooter, can haste without making the target lethargic

Gish Sha'naziim—Devotion Paladin/Orphic cleric of life

•will wield an incandescent mace and can cast elemental conversion, adding an element of your choice to an allys attacks.

NOTE: Summoning them uses a bonus action, they can be summoned during the final battle.

•When CFTM is lifted the ring will turn into another version that grants the wearer the reaction "Great Red Ladys Sarath" which can be used once per long rest.

•The wearer has the ability to whistle when entering combat. This whistle will apply greater rally to all team members, granting them 14 temporary hit points and giving them +1 to initiative.

Endgame(post CFTM)

She will aggro immediately if you side with the emperor and let him feed on Orpheus, becoming a mindlfayer and feeding on Orpheus will yield the same result (regardless of approval level), and her romance epilogue will be null if Orpheus is turned.

•If she is not present inside of the prisim when Orpheus is assimilated/he turns into a mindflayer, she will appear with Voss and his raiders, along with her remaining agents (Neophyte Losiir, Gish Sha'naziim). She will appear regardless of Orpheus' status.

NOTE: If she has been killed inside of the Prisim, Sha'naziim will replace her role in this scenario.

•If Voss is sucessfully persuaded just before the final battle, he must then passively roll an invisible d20 (Persuasion) to hit a target of 20 (with advantage if Orpheus is present as a mindflayer), If he fails, H'rayn and her agents will turn hostile and will need to be eliminated.

The Red Lady will still provide aid at Voss' order, should H'rayn/her agents die.

NOTE: if CFTM is not lifted, Voss will have disadvantage on this persuasion check.

She will also offer herself to become a mindflayer instead of Orpheus/Tav/Karlach. Once this is done she will surrender herself to Orpheus' blade after the defeat of the brain.

If you want her faithful to Vlaakith(her bad ending i guess. Makes 0 sense for her character), H'rayn has one thread of choices: let emp assimilate Orpheus>Kill Voss, his raiders, and the renegade agents>betray Emperor>destroy brain. Quintuple whammy.

Post brain destruction

If H'rayns curse is still present, she will remain in faerûn, searching for a way to lift CFTM. She will attend the reunion in flesh.

NOTE: This ending will also occur if she accepts either of Mizora's deals, the only difference being there is no more CFTM. She will not attend the reunion if she accepted the first proposal, and you will not receive a slate from her, you will recive a letter from the devil she was signed to.

If all above criteria is met but CFTM is no longer active, and she is not signed to any devil, Red Lady will come to take H'rayn and she will join the other gith. At the reunion she will either project her form, like Lae'zel, or send a slate.

If you have romanced her as a githyanki you can leave with her, no problem

NOTE: Non gith romance endings are contingent on successfully urging her not to break up with you in favor of her own race.

If you have romanced her as a non gith (excluding dragonborn and tiefling), she will urge you to stay behind for fear of her kind flaying her beloved helot/moth on sight.

Tieflings and dragonborns will be able to join her without having to pass a check, and she will gladly go into battle with either. If another race, you will have to persuade her via promising to be careful or to stay out of battle and become something to be taken care of.

All romance endings will allow you and H'rayn to attend the reunion. With a dialogue choice, you will be able to decide if you have heeded and remained out of the battle and githhanki affairs or if you stubbornly fight with her. She will approve with the latter.

•If Voss is successful in calming her when Orpheus has been turned/killed, she will also leave with the other gith. She will not attend the reunion. She will send a slate.

If H'rayn becomes a mindflayer, she will surrender herself to Orpheus' blade. The player can beg Orpheus to refuse, and H'rayn to give life a chance as an illithid.

•If you persuade just Orpheus, H'rayn will not attend the reunion. She will send a slate.

•If you succeed on both rolls, H'rayn will attend the reunion as a mindflayer.

If loyal to Vlaakith, and if she has done everything Vlaakith has asked and denied the influence of the sea of thoughts, H'rayn will not attend the reunion. She will be dead.

Bonus: with H'rayn present, the egg which contains the githyanki child Ptaris can be handed over to Esther and stolen back from the society before he hatches. The party will have 2 long rests to retrieve the unhatched Ptaris after they reach baldurs gate. If they complete the game having taken the egg, and having it in H'yrans inventory, Ptaris will hatch as he does normally, and H'yran will have a beautiful warmongering baby boy who grows at an excelerated rate🤞

•He will also be projected to the reunion party with mommie dearest (H'yran)

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Hii if you read all of this and enjoyed it feel free to ask me about her in my ask box hehe... I really like her and the agents. I've even written some barks, party banter, all speak with dead Q&As (written for both survivng renegade agents too), and dialogue aswell as some of her reunion slates :)

My tummy hurts posting this bro. My twt is transpennywise

#baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate #bg3 #githyanki #bg3 oc #baldurs gate art #baldurs gate 3 art #baldurs gate oc #bg3 oc art #githyanki oc #bg3 companions #character concept #oc #original character

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