What drives your Tav to make the counterintuitive and insane decision to go to the creche?
Perhaps this question is not a problem for your Tav, but for me, this quest is so counterintuitive, and yet the fact that it CANNOT be skipped bc of Lae'zel 🥺, has forced me to really think hard about why some of my Tavs would go here against their better judgment. So I'm curious if anyone else has!
Arasene: She was the most problematic to figure out why she'd even go in the first place AND why she'd stay after the zaithisk. Arasene has no illusions that walking into the gith creche is SUICIDAL. But she is well aware of the shadow curse, has seen it from a distance herself, and the logistical fucking nightmare of bringing enough supplies (even simply determining what will be "enough") into that godsforsaken shithole makes her desperate enough to try the creche.
Why she doesn't leave after the zaithisk was the bigger conundrum. Lae'zel is endangering all their lives by being in crazy denial, insisting the zaithisk was tampered with and refusing to leave. Arasene is ready to leave without her; she really likes Lae'zel, but she's not risking all their asses for this shit.
She stays because Gale ropes her into it 😂 Gale, as we know, embodies how curiosity killed the cat, throwing caution and safety to the wind when it comes to uncovering arcane secrets. He REALLY what's to know the deal w/ the artifact, and, as he reminds Arasene, the gith ARE calling it a weapon. As a warrior, doesnt she want to know how to use this weapon~ And she's like.... DAMNIT alright you got me. The gith ARE an enemy, and here's her chance to learn all this inside intel ABOUT the enemy and their motivations.
And then she realizes what a BAD judgment call that was on her part as she's fighting the inquisitor getting her mind shredded 😭 (she's mad at Gale but really she's livid with herself bc she should know better). It's her idea to search the room for every scrap of everything they could use help fight their way out, when they find the false wall, the blood of lathander, and oh now THATS a weapon, so yes, she blows up the creche 🤗
Isidro: He was a rather problematic case as he's aware of what violent fanatics and racists the gith are, who look at other races as tools to use. He only goes because he's aware of the shadow curse, and already is in love with holds Halsin in high regard, and takes his warnings very seriously. So he figures they should try this before being so desperate as to enter the shadow cursed lands.
His blood pressure is through the roof the entire time lol, as he struggles to hold himself back from flipping the fuck out on these gith that speak to HIM, Isidro Prudencio Aguilar V, as tho he's less than dirt 💀. He does not leave after the zaithisk debacle because Lae'zel won't leave, and is CLEARLY in crisis, and he wants to protect her.
Silmarien: a combination of being sweet and pure hearted + finding Lae'zel rather reasonable, despite what she's read about the gith, makes her think the creche won't be super dangerous. Even when that is proven wrong by the zaithisk, she doesn't leave because lae'zel won't, and her curiosity about this fascinating arcane artifact wins out in the end. Ofc the results are disastrous, and Silmë is very, very, very upset by the creche: by what she saw in the kids training room, the zaithisk, getting attacked by the inquisitor, having to fight their way out even though she pleaded for the gith to just let them go because she knew kids were there :(. It makes her very wary of following her curiosity too far again, and it makes her even MORE worried about Gale and the crown than she otherwise would have been.
Xanaphia: As the underdark is the natural home of the lolthsworn drow, she is TERRIFIED of it. T E R R I F I E D. She is also terrified of this shadow curse, but not as much as the underdark lol. So she goes VERY willingly to the creche, PRAYING they have a cure. She stays after the zaithisk bc lae'zel is her friend, and bc she is still hoping against hope that the gith can help and she can avoid the underdark i cannot stress this enough lol
Prince: He's an idiot who doesn't know he should be afraid of things 😂 "Lae'zel said the gith can fix it so sure, let's go! I've never seen a creche before :D. Oh, the zaithisk tried to kill Lae'zel and the gustil was ready to kill her for the tadpole? She's just a weirdo, I'm sure the REST of the creche isnt so crazy! That egg guy was really nice, right?" Imagine having to solve the tadpole problem with this idiot. I pity the tadfools, I truly do.
It does not go unnoticed that Prince was strangely resistant to all the psychic rends btw...(foreshadowing for his act 3 Super Saiyan moment where he unloads on the Emperor for never laughing at his jokes and unleashes his hidden potential, becoming The Most Powerful Psionic Warrior in the Realms)
Arakka: She's entering the shadow cursed lands thru the mountain pass bc that's where Minthara told her to go, so since it's right there, sure let's go to the creche. Similar to Arasene, there is something wrong with Arakka in that she's not afraid of things she really should be lol, except she's even worse. She's not actually scared of the gith. When the whole thing goes ass up and they nearly get killed by the inquisitor, surviving the fight is just proof her unnatural lack of fear is justified and she's invincible lol (also maybe she heard about the blood of lathander treasure 👀?). She definitely uses the lance too lmao, but more on accident, after fighting her way through the creche first because she is NOT missing out on that loot.
qathryn; 30s; Queens Honey 🍯; hermit by the sea 🌺🌊; in love with Gale Dekarios
Fav BG3 party: Gale (my loyal wife), Karlach (my little princess), Astarion (and who could forget dear Rat Boy) + Halsin (my husbear)
my writing: queenshoney on AO3 (registered users only) + masterpost + tag
BG3 Dialogue You've Never Heard: masterpost + tag
Gale plushie adventures, since people seem to like these :p
occasional fields of mistria, BG3 tomodachi life, dragon age, and mass effect
mod recs: BG3 | Dragon Age: Origins
My Tavs
Silmarien Telcontar-Telerin
The Starlight Maiden
intro + tag + starlightweave
High Half-Elf 💫 Sage 📖 Storm Sorceress 🌩️ Gale romance 💜
Isidro Prudencio Aguilar
The Paladin of Helm
intro + tag + lion & bear + two dumbasses in waterdeep
Human 🌎 Noble 👑 Oathbreaker -> Oath of Devotion 🛡️ Halsin romance 💚
Arasene
The Wandering Warrior
intro + tag
Wood Elf 🌲 Soldier 🪖 Fighter ⚔️
Xanaphia Zau'ghym
The Little Monk
intro + tag + bloodmoon
Seldarine Drow 🩰 Acolyte 📿 Monk 👊 Astarion Romance ❤️
Prince Rivera
The Giggle of the Gate
intro + tag + chuckleheart
Wood Half-Elf 🍃 Entertainer 🎭 Bard 🎻 Wild Magic Sorcerer 💥 Psionic Warrior, Most Powerful in the Realms 🧠 Shadowheart Romance 🤍🖤
Arakka
The Golden Scourge
intro + tag + web of gold
Half Orc 🐗 Criminal 🔪 Swashbuckler 🏴☠️ Minthara Romance 😈
Race: Half-Orc
DOB: 26 Uktar 1469 DR; a day of violent, stormy seas
Age: 23
Height: 6’3”
Voice: 6
Class: Swashbuckler Rogue
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Background: High Seas Thug (criminal)
Background Icon: A ship with red sails, a golden half orc at its prow, her pistol pointing the way forward, fiery hair wild in the wind, underneath a blood red sun
Favored Companions: Minthara, Lae’zel, Astarion
Romance: Minthara 😈💛
Color Palette: copper, white, red, gold
Theme Song: My Ambitionz Az a Ridah
Orphaned at age two and remembering nothing of her mother except her murder, the sound of a heavy body hitting a splintered floor, Arakka's first real memory, clear and sharp, is of theft and violence: a time so long ago when even as a half-orc, she was small enough to be bullied, beaten, her meager scraps of food stolen. But humiliation turned to rage, to violence, to goring flesh on her small tusks, and to burning fury: she would never be stomped on again. And so Arakka learned to take before she could be taken from, intimidating and beating the weak, pathetic urchins around her for everything she needed.
And then — a rare day, a blue sky and a strong breeze, the stink of the Lower City suddenly replace by the crisp scent of the sea. It was then Arakka realized there was a world beyond Baldur's Gate, beyond this stinking shithole where everyday was a fight to survive, to avoid being stomped on by those with more power.
She lived her life on the docks after that, moving quickly from the typical half-orc profession of porter to all purpose thug for whoever paid the best to sabotage their rivals’ operations. It was here a pirate caption saw the potential in her viciousness and professional detachment, and offered her space on his ship. And so at age eight Arakka began her life at sea, and her first steps towards true freedom.
A decade later when her captain was killed, just as he had lived, as a pirate through and through, Arakka saw her chance; she killed the first mate in a duel, claimed her old captain’s precious Flintlocks, and the ship itself, The Lady Vengeance. For the last five years, the ship's wheel under her hands, The Golden Scourge of The Sword Coast has been plundering, boozing, and whoring as she pleases, answering to no one but the call of the horizon.
A pirate to her core, Arakka lusts for sex with young women fawning over her powerful beauty, for adventures promising a priceless artifact in an exotic locale, and, most of all: for the freedom to chase that horizon to the edge of Toril. In Minthara she finds a twin soul, another fueled by a cold willingness to do absolutely anything and everything to maintain her freedom.
“And men saw his sails coming up out of the sunset, dyed as with scarlet and gleaming with red and gold, and fear fell upon the dwellers by the coasts, and they fled away.” — the mighty fleet of Ar-Pharazôn the Golden, The Silmarillion
So in the middle of letting the druids and tieflings kill each other last night lol, I remembered we'd forgotten to fight the harpies. I didn't think we could save mirkon, but we still could! Which I was happy about bc yay we get to see Gale's dialogue about how he got Tara :3
So we kill the harpies, save sweet mirkon, but you know Arakka is not a nice person lol, and she has no experience with anyone ever talking to HER nicely when she was scared as a kid. And actually when could she afford to show she was afraid or even BE afraid a kid? She grew up an orphan on the streets and learned every quickly to use her size and strength to attack the kids who did show weakness and steal whatever they had. I imagine she had to kill and instincts of fear very, very early on in order to survive. That space in her heart where fear should be, instead there's only arrogance, violence, a lust for adventure and the sea (and hot babes).
So she took one nice option, then the quit whining option, mirkon ran off, and I DIDNT GET GALE'S TARA DIALOGUE I WAS SO MAD. Yes I know I've seen it 5 times before and have a recording of it too BUT I WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN 😤
You know gale has like 50+ approval with her 🤣. I have no idea how bc okay she's been nice to him but NOT in general. I assume he loses approval if you actually raid the grove, but if you start the civil war, then "help" minthara raid the grove that's already dead, he does not disapprove, which is crazy bc he's SO fucking upset at the party 😭😭😭
I feel like some flag should be set if you DON'T defend the tieflings against the druids and his approval should drop to like -10 bc of it. I guess there's no way for the game to know, bc setting a flag if you attack a druid wouldn't quite work. Bc you could do so w/ every intent to defend the tieflings, but then fail and they die. Altho maybe it could work! as he could be mad at you bc your stupidity is the shadow darkening him from without in that case lmao (bc what did your dumb ass think would happen when u attacked the druids lol)
I have decided on Arakka's theme song (ambitionz az a ridah : it was my only wish to rise above these jealous / coward mfs I despise - the oldest motivation she knows, to rise above the pathetic urchins around her, to ensure she is never stomped on again like them. It would only come to be matched by her desire for the sea and a life upon it, the freedom to chase that horizon).
Unfortunately her ship still needs a name 😑 (because The Get Rich or Die Tryin is not era appropriate #sad!), and then to finish writing her into post so I can actually finally make it!!
Thanks for the tag @scoldingdarjeeling! Funny you tagged me today bc I just finished doing this haha. Tagging @riddlerosehearts and @oryndoll bc you should totally share the ones you sent me
For Isidro, Arasene, and Arakka. A bit of elaboration on each below
Isidro
He was not most of these things before his family was massacred, and he is not most of them after retaking his oath in act 3. He always had the "believes they know what's best" and "doesn't communicate when hurt" traits, and keeps the "has extreme reactions to betrayal" one post BG3.
Believes he knows best: He's a natural born leader, and after years of smiting the shit out of evil, he does not doubt his abilities or methods, and knows his course of action to usually be the right one. He respectfully disagrees if his companions want to do smth different, but he is not going to be swayed.
Doesn't communicate when hurt: this is more like he doesn't want anyone to know he's hurt bc he doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. He's a paladin, he's supposed to protect the innocent and be a bulwark for them, he's not supposed to need help. Even in act 3, he still tries to hide his doubts and fears, even from Halsin, altho he has improved compared to act 1.
Pushes people away & verbally hostile: this happens sometimes throughout BG3 when he's having a real oathbreaker type day, and he lashes out very, very badly after he fails to save his kidnapped father in act 3. He is trying to push everyone away on purpose at that time because he wants to commit suicide.
Has extreme reactions to perceived betrayal/homewrecking: Isidro will struggle for the rest of his life with paranoia over the Banite massacre against his family being repeated: not just the murder, but abandonment by all supposed friends and honorable institutions in finding justice. Even tho he is NEVER jealous or mistrustful of Anelli, his wife, he never thinks she'd cheat (altho if another man ever looks at her it's on fucking sight with him lol). But he's paranoid of new friends, other than his fellow former tadfools, betraying them. Nobody but Gale & his family, and the tadfools, is allowed in the Aguilar house bc of this. Despite being filthy rich, him and Anelli don't have any servants bc of this paranoia
Uses violence/fear to control: Isidro can be very, very, VERY terrifying when he wants to be, and being an oathbreaker only makes him even more scary. Oathbreakers literally have an aura of fear and can use a channel oath move to terrify enemies lol. I headcanon these auras manifest a as faint but visible, green, necrotic aura around him. Scary. Pre family massacre, intimidation and violence was a last resort. During BG3, he resorts to it more quickly than he ever did before. This stops after he retakes his oath. But ofc, he's still a paladin lol, he'll still intimidate the wicked if needed.
Arasene
BINGO BABYYYYY lmfaoooo what can I say about my problematic pissed off daughter who's never behaved a day in her LIFE 🤣
She only causes problem on purpose with men she likes: she makes them angry on purpose bc it turns her on lol.
Doesn't communicate when hurt, doesn't went to talk things out, pushes people away when close by being like I'm fine, you don't need to comfort me: all this bc she does NOT like showing any ounce of weakness to anyone, even her friends. The experience of BG3 does make her somewhat more comfortable with being vulnerable tho.
Verbally hostile: do I even need to elaborate 🤣
Unlike Isidro, she is not respectful when people disagree with her course of action, it's always "WHEN YOU HAVE 200 YEARS OF COMBAT AND COMMAND EXPERIENCE THEN YOU CAN TALK." To be fair, she always makes a decision with the intent to save lives. She takes her duty as commander very seriously, and considers the tadfools wellbeing her responsibility
Her DARVO is "I did what I did, it was the right thing to do, you don't like it, you can kiss my glorious elven ass. Also, who the fuck asked you, and who the fuck do you think you are JUDGING ME and my 200 yrs of combat and command experience!?"
Doesn't mind being friends w/ people why have hurt others: A requirement to be her friend and esp a man she likes is that you're a talented warrior/mage/rogue/etc and have killed before lol
Not afraid to use fear or violence: my girl has BULLIED her way thru life and has loved every second of it lol
Bigoted bc racial slurs are her go to lol. But fr, she will be friends with anyone, and knows ethnicity, gender, or sexuality, is not the be all, end all of a person. She will never judge entirely on this.
Arakka
The Golden Scourge, a cold and ruthless pirate through and through. Arakka is a huge woman who moves through the world in a quiet, calculating matter, exploding with a cacophony of violence form her Flintlocks out of seemingly no where. Arasene you may say is all bark and very little bite - Arakka is no bark and ALL bite.
Her BINGO card is everything you'd expect from a pirate captain who will tell you once she will not have her orders questioned, and the next time you do, you'll end up with a bullet in your head. Arasene may threaten to beat your ass but she actually doesn't want to do that. Arakka will kill a mf in cold blood, and not feel a damn thing about it. She is a thug, plain and simple.
She doesn't push ppl away when they get close because no one has ever gotten close. She let's Minthara get close because she's never met a woman like Minthara, a woman who mirrors herself, someone with a cold willingness to be free, at any cost. Her problems with not communicating are because she has sociopathic tendencies as a result of a violent life in which she's never had a normal relationship with anyone. She has never had to talk about problems or her feelings. Her typical response to any kind of interpersonal conflict is murder. So talking about things is something she has to learn to do with Minthara. She will probably always struggle w/ it, but she definitely greatly improves over time.
