#bez steppe-echo

[raymuratadraws]

New D&D party, who dis? @skullhaver @snarky-bee @stylographic-blue-rhapsody @greyvvardenfell

[greyvvardenfell]

OC asks meme for Bez <3 1, 4, 43, 51

asks from here!

1. How would they define love if asked?

"Well, I don't know. I think other people might think I have a better idea of some things than I really do, what with the marriages and all. I keep sayin' it's about the big party to celebrate the two of us and the life we're going to build, or already have. A little showing off, saying that we have someone who trusts us enough to fall asleep beside. Someone we can cook with, who won't mind washing our undergarments, maybe someone who'll let you sing along with 'em even if you're not very good. See, I don't think everyone understands marriage that way, so they don't wanna do it over and over. But I think that's what love is, and sometimes it lasts and sometimes it doesn't, but either way, why not enjoy it while it's there?"

4. How much weight do they give to others' opinions of them?

Depends on the person! If it's just some rando, or someone she doesn't regard very highly, who cares. If they have visible Power, she'll respond to that. She has a pretty solid sense of self, though, with a couple of notable cracks in the armor providing easy access for mmmmmmm those who know about them :)

43. ray got there first :3

51. What does responsibility mean to them and do they embrace it or take it on reluctantly?

Accepting responsibility is repaying a leader's, and a peoples', trust in you. It's atonement for past mistakes and proof of future fidelity. It makes you a permanent Somebody in the community. Bez loves certain aspects of it and chafes under some of the accompanying restrictions.

[greyvvardenfell]

For Bez: 11, 22, 26, 43

asks from here!

11. One word they'd use to describe themselves, one you'd use to describe them and lastly a word that their closest/loved one would use to describe them.

strong / frozen / cuddly

22. What is their relationship with their body like?

surprisingly good, for an oc of mine! she loves her muscles and Broadness and the sun damage on her skin and her strong jaw. she doesn't spend a whole lot of time worrying about how she looks because she just presents so authentically. goals tbh

26. How do their family and their relationship with them influence their perspective and the way they navigate life?

[redacted comment i really wish i could make] she can't do anything without filtering it through a "what would my family think?" screen. she doesn't necessarily follow whatever the result of that assessment is, but she absolutely still does it. just because she's been no contact with her clan for [exact amount of time redacted, but multiple decades!] doesn't mean they're out of her psyche!

43: With whom or when do they feel most authentic and true to themselves?

acorn 🐴🥰

[greyvvardenfell]

31. How easily do they forgive themselves after making a mistake and how easily do they forgive others for oddity, gloom, and bez please 👀

oddity: a lot of her deal is trying out new things, bucking trends, and generally going against the grain, so for the most part, "mistakes" are a societal construct she doesn't vibe with, for herself or others 😌🙏 but Big Deals, like staying with eldorne for as long as she did, get shunted into a weird netherspace of "i don't want to call this thing a mistake, per se, because if i had to do things all over again I don't think I would change my decisions given what I know the eventual outcome will be, but it wasn't fun and i didn't like it and also fuck that guy in particular if my boyfriend was still killing people i'm just saying it might be fun to watch him get all his blood sucked out uwu" y'know?

gloom: there are no mistakes, just bloody little accidents 💖 same end point as oddity, but much less twisty overthinking to get there. whatever happens, happens. no use ruminating on what it "means" or who was "traumatized" or if it was "morally reprehensible" or whatever. especially post-ascension, astarion essentially becomes their conscience soooo...

bez: complicated! i love bez dearly but the more i rp her, the more obvious those INT/WIS dump stats are. her relationships to religion and morality are very tied to her identities as a half-orc and a hellrider, respectively, and i think without those, she would have a much simpler answer. as it stands, she's hard on herself and [redacted information not yet revealed at table] but she's also fickle and easily convinced by others, for the most part. so she forgives herself without trouble except when she doesn't and it's kind of a toss-up with anyone else.

[greyvvardenfell]

Fictober Day 1 // “Just take my hand.” // D&D: Descent Into Avernus (Bez Steppe-Echo) // Rating: G (no warnings)

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His horse carried its head too high, she noticed. Even accounting for the stallion’s crested neck, he didn’t need to hold the reins quite so tightly. But Bez cheered with all the rest as Huff Cooper circled the arena, close enough to the ring to admire the lines of sweat tracing down Huff’s arms and back, carving his muscular, bullfighter’s body from the fine coating of dust.

“I think he’s looking at you,” Tolly giggled, elbowing Bez in the ribs.

“Who?”

“Huff Cooper!”

She had been looking at his horse again. “So what? We’re probably the only half-orcs around here. Maybe he’s never seen one before.”

Tolly rolled her eyes and pointed to the next stand. “Not true. There’s at least four over in the middle there, and a caravan from Waterdeep with a whole family on their way to Proskur.”

“Well, what would he be staring at me for otherwise?” The bullfighter was moving again, along the other side of the arena. His mount had white socks in addition to its blaze, and a sleek black coat.

“Looking, not staring. And because you won the High Hellion Rodeo, Bez! I still don’t think you get how important that is.”

“I’m a Hellrider now. Oldest new recruit in fifty years, thank you.”

“And a citizen of Elturel, earned through your own merit and— oop!”

Huff Cooper had paused in front of them, only the guardrails breaking the open air. “You’re Bez Steppe-Echo, aren’t you?” His voice had a permanent rasp but still flowed warmly from his throat.

“Rider Bez Steppe-Echo, uh-huh.” 

He chuckled, cocking his head appraisingly. “A Rider indeed. We’ll have to trade stories one of these days.”

“Sure, Mr. Cooper.”

“Call me Huff.” He extended a calloused hand, visible eye blazing amber.

Bez hesitated, unsure how to go in for a handshake with Huff’s wrist held flat.

“Just take his hand,” Tolly whispered, more than content to witness such an exchange even if it meant being ignored.

She did. Huff kept his gaze locked with hers as he dropped a kiss to her fingers. “When you’re free, let me know.”

Bez watched him cross the open ring at a trot without a single glance at his horse.

[greyvvardenfell]

bez! general 3, 13, 58; couples 12, 23, 34

general asks from here!

3. If somebody told the character that they admire them what would they feel and how would they react to it?

she'd love it! how flattering! she would *try* to be humble and give credit to the gods etc. etc. but she is having a wonderful time getting attention. like a dog at a party.

13. Is there a moral line they would never cross?

no hurting kids, no hurting animals, no hurting civilians, no hurting raw recruits.

58. When it comes to hope do they view it as: impractical or necessary and why is that?

you need to have hope. you Need to have it! if you don't think things will get better, why bother?*

*some restrictions apply :)

couples asks from here!

12. How much independence do they prefer in a relationship—do they want to share their lives as much as possible with their partner, or do they prefer to mostly do their own thing and let their partner do their own thing?

her big lesson with maeve was that she needs to be able to do her own thing. she respects her independence and that of her partner, but wants to be able to talk about whatever happened in the time spent apart.

23. How comfortable are they talking about, and openly communicating during, sex?

surprisingly bad! i'm actually raising my eyebrows at her a little! once she's actually having sex with someone she's more communicative, but she's weirdly shy about asking for sex.

34. Under what circumstances would they feel protective?

battle is an easy one, but also in crowds, when her partner is tired, around her partner's family, and while traveling

[greyvvardenfell]

Fictober Day 12 // “It's a balance.” // D&D: Descent Into Avernus (Bez Steppe-Echo) // Rating: G (no warnings)

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Ubezarah brought the chestnut filly to a trot and guided her back towards the half-circle of elders. The horse was nameless still, part of the clan's communal herd, but spirited and strong. She would make a fine warhorse when her season came.

“Keep your weapon raised, foolish child,” War Leader Xel Wound-maker called, their voice pitched to carry far further than necessary. Their reprimands often reached the whole clan's ears, offered as proof of their value and Ubezarah's progress. “The lowland clans are known to strike on retreat.”

“Tempus values honor in combat,” Ubezarah said. The club she held made her arm tremble. 

“Tempus values victory. And victory requires diligence. Higher.”

“It hurts,” she protested, turning to follow the figure-eight pattern of every lesson.

“So does taking a saber to the chest. Higher!”

Ubezarah pouted, but obeyed. Her shoulder ached by the next pass. “Why can’t I have a saber, then?” she asked. “Or a spear, maybe?”

Chieftain Zok shifted on his horse. The other elders responded like dogs to their master, trained on his every word. Ubezarah’s filly caught the change in the older mounts and sidled anxiously, flashing the whites of her eyes. Ubezarah flipped the club under her arm to pat the young horse’s neck, cooing softly until she settled and stopped. Only then did she meet her grandfather’s stern gaze.

“Ours is a club-wielding clan, Ubezarah,” Chieftain Zok said, his voice deep and resonant. “I and the other elders bear falchions to shed blood in the way of the Lord of Battles: cuts straight and deep.”

“But why can’t we all do that?”

“It is a balance. We do not capture every horse on the steppe, nor do we send every able Orc to the Wrangling. You will learn of the power of bloodshed in due time.” Chieftain Zok’s massive dappled mare swished a fly from her flank. 

“Will I get a falchion?” Ubezarah looked purposefully at the notched blade hanging from his hip.

Herder Theska and Herbalist Ormuz exchanged glances. One raised an eyebrow; the other shook his head. 

Chieftain Zok, for the first time in her memory, smiled at Ubezarah. “We will see, yearling. You have much to learn with Xel first, though I see you already ride like a Steppe-Echo at, what, seven winters?”

Ubezarah blushed at the praise. “Thank you, Chieftain Zok.”