commission for @nicollekidman of her gorgeous oc lyra and some astarion guy i'm told is from a video game. my absolute favorite piece from last years and i can't believe i forgot to post it
I want to talk more on the subject of the specific physical impact of the orb on Gale, because I think it’s very glossed over in canon (and because I like this wizard a normal and socially acceptable amount).
When you see the night of “Gale’s Folly” through his memories, the narrator describes it as “…blackest Weave that pounces. Its teeth, its claws, its unstoppable as it digs through and becomes part of you. And gods, is it ever-hungry…”
Netherese Weave is not just dangerous - it is the kind of dangerous that even deities like Mystra refuse to touch because of the threat it poses to the very nature of reality and magic. Karsus’s attempt to ascend to godhood not only brought his civilization to ruin but destabilized the entire Weave.
In Forgotten Realms lore: “[The Weave] is an essential element of the universe. It runs through everything in unseen threads. It is what makes magic possible.“ (Excerpt from Magic of the Weave - An Introduction)
If we view the Weave as a constant source of underlying energy, like electrical currents, then absorbing even a fragment of Netherese Weave into a biological system would be like plugging an entire unstable power grid directly into your nervous system.
It seems unlikely, almost unreasonable, that such an unstable, predatory force would plant itself neatly in his sternum and neck and leave the rest of his body untouched.
Gale himself speaks about the orb like a chronic illness (“affliction”, “condition”, “remedy”, “stabilization”) and describes biological symptoms that track incredibly closely with neuropathy (nerve damage) if he does not feed the orb: “It begins with a biological deterioration. muscle spasms, disorientation, a slight ringing in the ears. and if left for too long… catastrophe.”
Based on what we know about Netherese Weave and the descriptions if his condition isn’t managed, the original incident likely was devastatingly medically and magically traumatic to his body - regardless of the subsequent status of the orb. Nerve damage to that severity would leave permanent consequences.
Think:
- Hands that shake when he’s tired or magically spent
- A slight limp, barely noticeable, after a long day of walking
- Rising just a bit slower, or leaning on his staff too heavily to disguise muscle weakness
These would be consequences that last regardless of the orb’s status, and likely are irreparable due to the nature of their origin.
While magic in the Forgotten Realms can heal and restore functionality, there is a limit to what it can do. Healing spells fix “recent injuries,” but can’t undo deep trauma or structural damage beyond what the body can naturally mend and even spells like Restoration have limits. Additionally, the narrator says the Netherese Weave “becomes part of [him]”. That doesn’t suggest just damage - it suggests fundamental magical and biological rewriting.
It’s also directly shown that the orb causes him pain/discomfort when he gets the Arcane Hunger status effect - but it doesn’t seem to be a surprise to him. He doubles over and clutches his chest (indicating the severity) but doesn’t cry out and speaks to you with in pained, but calm tones. This is not the behavior of someone with sudden, unexpected pain - this is the behavior of someone with constant chronic pain noticing the point where it becomes unsustainable. (Sidenote: This is a pretty common headcanon, I’m just mentioning it for context - other people have explored the idea of Gale & chronic pain supported by canon much more deeply. I’m looking more at consequences of nerve damage more specifically in this post)
So I present:
Gale with chronic pain and neuropathy. Gale with hands that shake when he’s exhausted. Gale who knows how to work around the reminders of his body’s limitations. Gale who can still cast and is a force to behold in battle, but who adjusts subtly afterwards to hide the way he’s favoring one leg - because the other is giving out on him. Gale who overuses Mage Hand because he doesn’t trust his own. Gale who sits by the fire a few minutes too long after a stressful day because the world feels like it’s spinning. Gale who is still himself, but who bears physical consequences of his ambition.
Wait, is Orym's bananas high perception a trauma response to not spotting the assassins that killed his husband coming? Is it literally 'Nobody will ever be able to sneak up on the people I care about like that again?'
Like, in my head, I was going 'oh haha, this is Liam trying to make the perfect counter to someone like Vax, someone who can beat a high level rogue's minimum stealth role,' but like... in character? In character this is a man who has decided he'll never let anyone catch him unawares again.
Oh you're absolutely correct. I kind of brushed that one off because I was like 'well yeah, he's a bodyguard, so he's doing bodyguard things.' But also... There's a reason he doubled down on those skills.
It really is simple arithmetic: If everyone else survives the fight, he wins. If anyone else dies, he loses the fight. His own survival is only a priority if everyone else is already secure.
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