#belaufein

[hostatthegateextras]

I have accumulated a bit of a collection of Aldiirn sketches (also feat. Cally and Zahne), so here they are for archival purposes.

Aldiirn and co belong to @mistercrowbar

[hostatthegate]

Issue 1 Cover

HERE WE GO!

NEXT PAGE ->

[hostatthegateextras]

[hostatthegateextras]

CAST

Alakil

“Maybe I’ll feel differently one day. Maybe you will too. A lot can happen in a life.”

Race: Drow Class: Monk (Way of the Four Elements) Place of Origin: Imberlur Companion Quest Name: Monk of the Masked Lady

A half-drow monk on a pilgrimage to represent his much maligned people to the people of Faerun, in hopes that it will open minds and hearts. He recently entered a new period of his life, and isn’t wholly sure what to do with himself.

Barb Ikkan

“If you believe you’re the one in control then you have gravely misread the situation.”

Race: Red Dragonborn Class: Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Place of Origin: Baldur’s Gate Companion Quest Name: The Commandant

A battle-scarred sellsword who was once the charismatic leader that a now defunct mercenary company once rallied around. He is an old soldier whose extensive experience keeps the large and often chaotic crew running smoothly. 

Belaufein

“I didn’t join because I wanted to kill elves, alright? I was just trying to live. I’m just trying to live.”

Race: Drow Class: Assassin Place of Origin: Menzoberranzan Companion Quest Name: A Drow of No House

A houseless rogue from the lowest caste of drow society. After being recruited into a house army during Menzoberranzan’s civil war, he is now unable to return home after deserting his unit during a raid gone bad.

Pretty regularly referred to as Rat Boy in the comments.

Grenna

"The rest of the world is big, and loud, and scary. And some of the people you meet... well, most of them are fine, I think. Most of them are really just fine."

Race: Forest Gnome Class: Wild Magic Sorcerer Place of Origin: Yartar Companion Quest Name: The Flower of Yartar

An alchemist who came to possess powerful but unstable magical abilities after a traumatic encounter in the underdark. She left a seemingly idyllic community for the hardship of a coastal city to separate from a family that became overprotective after this incident, but still struggles to see herself as truly capable, and still fears to explore the full extent of the power she was granted.

Jack-Be-Quick

"Now THERE'S a story..."

Race: Lightfoot Halfling Class: Bard (College of Lore) Place of Origin: Baldur’s Gate Companion Quest Name: All For A Song

A bard who seems to be living the dream, apart from a years-long creative slump that has been steadily sucking the fun out of the whole enterprise. More cynical than is initially apparent.

Keep-The-Laws

“COME ON THEN!”

Ten years ago, Laws was involved in a robbery gone wrong that destroyed the life he was trying to build. He was abducted just as the key to finally setting things right seemed within reach, and he’s determined to reach it, even if he has to fight every for step from here to Baldur’s Gate.

Race: Tiefling Class: Storm Sorcerer [later Paladin] Place of Origin: Unnamed Hamlet Companion Quest Name: Blood and Thunder

Yggridel

“I’m glad they exist. Even the horrors. Even the mindflayers. The world would be poorer if they didn’t.”

Race: Gold Dwarf Class: 10 Cleric (Oghma, knowledge domain), 2 Wizard (Dvination) Background: Sage Place of Origin: Candlekeep Companion Quest Name: The Pilgrim From Candlekeep

A dwarven cleric of knowledge with some worrying mad scientist tendencies. Cursed to put their hands on everything, Dell is here to pull levers, solve puzzles, lick spiders, and perform other ill-advised experiments in the name of advancing arcana.

Pronounced Ee-Grid-Dell. Or just Dell, if you don't have much time.

[Return to Comic]

[hostatthegateextras]

15) What is something about your OC can make you laugh? 

16) What is something about your OC can make you cry? 

I wanna know about dear Ratboy! My friend Belaufuin!

15) What is something about your OC can make you laugh?

The silly Chihuahua faces he makes sometimes. He'll encounter completely normal things that to him are new and huge and scary and just be in the background looking at Shadowheart like "O_O is this okay?!" like a rescue dog that's never been exposed to anything.

16) What is something about your OC can make you cry?

The fact that he is headed for a good ending ultimately. His history is made to grind him down the the lowest point possible by the time he starts Act One, a point where it seems like the only thing left for him to do is lay down and die, and he just. Does not.

[hostatthegateextras]

Pride Calendar Thing: Orange/Healing

The drow formerly known as Ratboy. Belaufein/Balafay, some flavor of part time transfem, now knows that's a thing you can be. Man, this character is UNRECOGNIZABLE a couple years post epilogue. Branching out w/gender presentation, put some weight on, hair chop grew out, plants watered etc. Tattoo over the neck scars. Loved and supported.

"Fell asleep sitting up" seems to still be a recurring pose, but it's "cat lounging in the sun" flavor now instead of "exhausted knock out wherever you sat down" flavor lol

I love Zav'dos' little chicken legs sticking out in different directions. I was going to put her on the shoulder but then I found a reference of a rat doing that and it had to go in lol

[hostatthegateextras]

what up I started this comic a year ago and haven't drawn either of these characters in like eight months

that's it that's the character arc

like damn you make him just a tiny bit less cartoony and he really looks like hell

plus one with the cheeks filled in bc I made myself sad

I'm supposed to be doing like nine other things right now

[hostatthegateextras]

Belaufein starts out not speaking any surface common, and it follows that he can't read it either.

What he won't admit to unless its pried out of him is that he's functionally illiterate in drowic as well. In theory his sister was supposed to teach him all the basics once they were both old enough, but she just kinda... didn't.

I can't place all the blame for that at her feet. She was in the same shitty situation as him, not equipped for the job, too young for the responsibility, and getting no help.

Handing the elf equivalent of a teenager who spends most of her time worrying about survival total responsibility for a kid who has maybe a touch of dyslexia is setting them both up to fail.

Calling him "too stupid to bother with" was uncalled for tho. That moment of frustration really stuck.