Skipping 3 and 4 questions, because I never have a slightest idea what to answer.
5. Durga shows visible respect to other gods, bowing and blissfully closing her eyes, when someone bows their head in prayer. But it's all part of her act: in reality her heart and soul are open only to her father, and she makes sure to show him that by acting respectfully to other god's shrines Durga is mocking them by kneeling in front of their altars while being dishonest in her respect and faith.
I went ahead and decided to answer these for Sion Elunthir.
I hope I'm answering the right questionnaire. I may or may not have posted a couple of these on the same day. 😅
[25] Do they have fears and phobias, and if they do, do they usually keep it to themselves or talk about it openly?
Yes, definitely! He has a few fears/phobias, some that were there before the threat of the parasite, and many that come to be during the campaign of BG3.
His main fears are as follows:
Being forgotten or left behind - Sion has lived so much of his life in his twin sister’s shadow. Not out of resentment, but devotion and his identity has often revolved around being her anchor. Now that he’s forming his own path, a quiet gnawing fear that enters his thoughts every now and again is "If I am not someone’s guide or caretaker, will I still be chosen, needed, or loved?"
Losing control of his mind or body - This fear comes to be after his experiences with Haarlep. During the confrontation with Harleep, He tells them, "You can have my body, not my soul." Offering a partial concession to Haarlep. Guilt definitely consumes him after the scene that occurs when in the lower city Haarlep uses "Tav's" body.
His own dark desires - This, especially because his own internal dark pleasures don’t align with the gentle, loyal, “safe” version of himself he tries to protect.
Does he talk about them openly? Rarely and never directly.
Sion is subtle. His vulnerability is eloquent silence, reaching gestures, or the way he touches someone’s sleeve just before pulling back.
[36] Do they own items that have sentimental value?
Yes!
🌿 Around his neck hangs a pendant of deep jade, its smooth surface cradled in a worn macramé weave. A gift from Tove, made when they were young teens. Tove had found the gem and woven it for him after he got lost in the woods for a night, terrified and ashamed. He was crying when she gave it to him, and she said, “Now you’ll always find your way home.”
The pendant reminds him of the green of new spring leaves and old promises.
○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○
🌙 He also keeps a torn page from an old druidic tome
Copied in his own careful handwriting from a book he wasn't technically allowed to borrow, this page is filled with a spell he was once obsessed with mastering: Moonbeam. Not because it was powerful, but because he once saw it cast by a wandering archdruid who made it look like dancing silver fire. Sion thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He keeps this page folded in his journal because it reminds him that wonder is just as important as knowledge.
He occasionally rereads it when feeling hopeless or drained, like a tether back to his younger curiosity.
3. Did your Tav receive any formal or informal education? If yes, how well did they learn? If no, why not?
(I liked this question so much that I had to draw it.)
The Mother raised Church within the same walls as millenniums-worth of religious and arcane texts. Along with keeping him alive, she kept him entertained and learning by teaching him magic and tutoring him through these tomes and scrolls. The little tiefling spent his childhood climbing all over the rafters of the church and the towering shelves of the library, slowly making his way through its contents over the younger years of life. While his knowledge of everything was antiquated as a result, it still was in-depth.
After making his first escape, an informal education began when he began to spend time in the village of Tarrin’s Hearth. His friends and the more sympathetic adults taught him about the reality of the world: social norms, how to defend himself physically and verbally, as well as show affection. He could read and speak multiple languages, recite ancient texts from memory, and do math. But he didn’t know things like how to realistically diffuse tense social situations, or that he couldn’t stay out in the sun without getting burned, for instance.
When Church was fourteen years old, after a harrowing fight he made the pact with his mother that allowed him to leave her building for good. He stayed in the village for a couple more years, and went to the same school as his friends more for the social experience than any particular need to learn.
His real education happened when he left the village at age 16. He headed to Waterdeep where he walked up to the adventurers’ guild looking for work. He began to learn through apprenticeships and mentorships as a squire of sorts to various guild members.
5. Did your Tav have any formal or informal employment? If yes, what was their job? If no, how did they make ends meet? How did they feel about it?
From age 16 onward, Church’s employment was primarily at the adventurers’ guild. While he eventually became a squire to some of his mentors, in between adventures he worked as the apprentice archivist/arcanist within the guild’s library. But, for the most part, he took jobs as the youngest member of the guild.
6. What is your Tav’s favourite childhood memory?
(Perhaps not the favorite, but a favorite…)
The third time Church escaped, the world was dark — no stars in sight. The ground crunched and crumbled as he walked, and it almost glowed. The grassy plains and hills were all blanketed in white. Stinging pinpricks fell upon the tiefling’s face, which still grinned up at the bizarre, feathery flakes floating down from the dark sky.
But the ground stung underfoot as Church made his journey back to the village, and soon Church’s fingers began to hurt too. He objectively knew that snow was cold, but it always looked so soft in his books. He didn’t expect it to hurt.
Church puffed a cantrip of flame to warm himself, summoning the innate, infernal heat of his being to keep himself moving.
But eventually it stopped hurting. He actually felt even warmer than ever as he trudged through the deep snow. Eventually, he was in the woods, where the snow wasn’t as deep. He decided to take a break and curl up in a familiar hollow. It was just for a bit, he told himself. Just until sunrise when he could continue on to the village.
Church fell asleep.
And when he woke, he ached and burned.
“Mum!” a girl’s familiar voice cried. “He’s moving!”
“Oh thank the gods,” breathed the innkeeper. “You foolish boy. Can you hear me?”
Church nodded stiffly, eyes still closed.
“Can you see me? Can you see little Miri? Remember your friend Miri?”
Church opened his eyes, squinting up at the dark shapes above him, haloed in light. It took a while, but eventually his eyes focused upon the worried face of the innkeeper as her daughter — his friend Mairead — peered over her shoulder.
“…yes,” Church uttered weakly.
“Can you move your fingers and toes?”
He could. Kind of. It took some effort to get them to obey, but little by little his extremities twitched as the innkeeper hummed, pleased.
“Silly boy!” she scolded him, slumping back in her seat beside the bed. “What were you doing out in that blizzard?”
“…coming… back?” Church suggested, weakly.
“You couldn’t have waited for daylight at least?” the innkeeper admonished him. “Miri, the bowl.”
Mairead left and returned with a bowl and a spoon, regarding Church anxiously.
“Don’t die, Church Boy!” she beseeched him.
“He won’t die,” the innkeeper scoffed, massaging warmth into the boy’s feet through the thick quilt draped upon him. “He’s just thawing.”
She took the bowl from the girl and blew gently upon a spoonful of its contents.
“Drink,” she ordered him, holding the spoon up to his chapped lips.
Church drank, and his tongue ached as the hot soup warmed him from the inside out. He tasted chicken grease and root vegetables, uplifted by pepper corns, ginger and herbs.
It’s too salty, which, for him, makes it… wonderful.
Mother’s food is always perfectly seasoned. He’s never had a complaint about it — flavor-wise, at least. But ever since his first escape, he began to notice that whenever he ate her meals, he physically couldn’t bring himself to leave again. He could only sum up the power to leave when he had carefully hidden and disposed of the food, with the help of the rats. And even then, it was a double-edged sword. He’d be physically weak as he escaped, but at least he would make it outside.
Mairead took over for her mother and fed the boy another spoonful of soup. And then another, this time with solids. The chicken is chewy and the vegetables are mushy and over-boiled.
Mairead’s mother’s chicken soup was perfectly imperfect.
It tasted like freedom.
~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks @agent-jaselin for the ask!
Here’s the original question list by @raysoffrost, if anyone wants to ask anything else!
2. Being a semi-popular bard, Durga had quite a few fans whom she had some intimate relationship with, yet barely any of them included actual sexual intercourses. That is because Durga found sex often being boring to her and got little to no satisfaction from it. Though she had one regular lover whom company she enjoyed greatly.
This man was a gnome, musical instrument maker by day, Bhaal cultist by night and a very loyal devotee of specifically Durga. It wasn't love between them probably, but he praised her and admired, while she found him cute, was flattered by his feelings towards her and, since he was a bhaalist, did not have any plans on killing him. Even more than that, it's safe to say, this gnome was her closest 'friend' until Gortash appeared in Durga's life.
That gnome was an obedient man, or rather looked like it from the outside. Soft spoken and with a kind look about him, he, just like Durga, was a good actor and pretty efficient killer, when there was a need. Though his feelings for the Chosen were ardent, he never showed jealousy, happily taking second roles in the life of his patroness if she found it necessary. His devotion lead him to his death however: he was not happy about Orin's ascent to the place of the Chosen One, and Orin wasn't happy about this loyal puppy of her sister just existing even, so she killed him without second thought. He knew she would.
Later Durga would see this face as her dream Guardian, but would not recognize him ever again.
Durga multiclassing Storm Sorcery and Bard College of Lore. Since she is a gnome, brute strength is not a thing she can use in her daily Durge activities really. Makes sense for her to be a master of the word and be able to cast magic from early ages to be a capable fighter and persuasive leader.
Yay thank you for asking! I answered 3 and 6 for Church and Irva respectively, so I’ll focus on 2 for this one!
2. Describe their tent setup! What’s on the outside? The inside?
Gotta borrow Astarion's tent for illustration!
Church
His tent itself is a worn and a faded burgundy, likely given to him by one of the tiefling refugees. However, he dresses it up to make sure it's cozy for himself and his companions.
On the outside is a small table beside which are two simple wooden stools with a cushion upon each of them. There are a couple mugs of coffee and a small vase that holds different flowers or other plants depending on where the camp is located. After gaining enough approval with him, there is also a red sketchbook that sits open on top of the table, along with a few sticks of graphite.
There is a worn, but complementary rug spread beneath all of this, and the interior and exterior of the tent are illuminated by a dancing lights cantrip.
Somewhere nearby is an incense burner (even though realistically he'd use this to commune with his mother/patron further away from camp,) as well as a small desk with a stack of books collected throughout the journey.
Inside the tent, if romanced there are two bedrolls spread open side by side along with a couple cozy wool blankets draped across them. There is another incense burner in here.
Irva
She situates her patchwork dark green tent further from the others. Eventually, the exterior becomes decorated with dragon iconography and statuettes found throughout the journey. While the outside is fairly modest and marred by some scorch marks, on the inside you can see containers glittering with gold and jewels she has accumulated throughout the journey. A woven rug is spread beneath all of it.
Within the immediate vicinity of the tent you'll notice a few small dirt piles where you can discover she has buried offerings of gold and jewels. In the game they would be highlighted in red, so if you dig them up and loot them she disapproves. Ironically, this is one way to eventually trigger the conversation about why she does this and who she worships.
In Act 3 with high approval, a small cushion along with a couple dishes are set up outside of her tent. On occasion, you'll see a cat sleeping, eating, and otherwise visiting Irva there.
I’ll do 3 and 6 for Irva since someone else asked the same for Church!
Here are my answers for Irva!
3. What would their character quest be titled? Why?
Irva’s quest would be called, “The Dragon’s Daughter.” In Act 1, her first quest would be to track down her sacred dragontooth dagger which was lost on the way down. Once revealed, most of her quest would center around her residual fanaticism of Tiamat and desire to raise a dracolich (I’m still trying to figure out what her quests would actually be though to be honest). In Act 3, it would focus around her and Wyll realizing their pasts are intertwined and resolving that conflict. In a “good” route, there would also be a quest to confront some dragon cultists who aligned themselves with Bane and defeat them, culminating in Irva reuniting with someone from her past. Somehow in her “evil” route, she’d become a Lich Wyrmspeaker or Wearer of Purple, returning to the cult as the next Severin.
—————
6. How would the player go about meeting them in Act 1? What is their introduction?
You first find Irva in the Nautiloid wreckage, her prosthetic leg very broken. She’s pissed about it and mainly glowers at you. If you help her, she doesn’t say thank you. She simply reattaches her leg and limps away, disappearing before you can ask her anything else.
During a long rest, a couple of your companions remark that they’re missing gold, gems, or other valuables they picked up. That night there’s a cutscene where you run into Irva again. You find her agitatedly rummaging through your camp supplies, taking gold and food. You confront her and she’s defensive, but reluctantly asks for food and shelter. If you allow her to join up, she awkwardly thanks you and returns what she stole. You can also refuse or fight her and she’ll leave/flee. If that happens, you later find her body surrounded by burning terrain and can loot it for a number of gold, gems, and amulets or rings.
