Can you imagine being a Bhaalist in Baldur's Gate where the cult has been growing exponentially under this absolutely insane Bhaalspawn. Who is perhaps the best leader the cult has ever had. The temple looks great, the murder is going. You're two days shy of world domination and he just. Vanishes.
His second in command pops up in his place. You all hate her. She's loud, sloppy, and overly dramatic and for once you're praying someone ISN'T dead. The temple falls into disrepair. But the world domination is still going.
Roughly a year later the missing Bhaalspawn kicks down the cult door, and you finally think they're gonna fix everything.
This post has been living in my brain rent free and then it hit me in just the right headspace to turn into a vent thing and made me write poetry for the first time since eight grade anyway enjoy my ramblings under cut
because isn't it fucked up that Durge has no bodily autonomy? That he's nothing (using he/him because im looking at my Durge specifically) without Bhaal because not even his own body is his own but still a part of Bhaal?
And sure it is an honor to be Bhaal's Chosen, but is it really if you never got the chance to choose yourself? Strike, my Durge, was born a Bhaalspawn and grew up in the cult since he was eight. It's all he's ever known, he's worshiped for being a demi-god, he's powerful and on top, and in the end, literally everything he has is only because his Father lets him have it.
The Communion especially shows that, with Strike being still worshiped, but it hurts him, the Bhaalists rip his body apart, use it, consume it, and he needs to think of it as a blessing because how lucky is he, to be the soul that was loaned piece of a god to guard? He'd think of his own body like that.
And it hurts Bhaalists, too! It works both ways! His blood is poisonous and his flesh aches in their throats, but it's a blessing! God of Murder loves his son and his love hurts, and if you love him back, you must let yourself be hurt and know how lucky you are to be allowed to be hurt by Bhaal or his mortal flesh itself!
I'm just very into the whole 'no bodily autonomy' thing that we have going on with Durge, like his father not only can take control of his body via the Urge, but he has Sceleritas to guide him away from anything that could be not by Bhaal's books, Orin and Saverok to be a (although messed up as hell) family to him so he'll never look for another, and to some degree, Bhaal can control Durge's mind...
No wonder he'd run to Gortash in the end. The first one who sees more than a Bhaalspawn when he looks at Strike, more than Bhaal's scion, he sees a person and ngl it's totally Bhaal's fault that Strike ended up like that
I really wanted to do a piece with Orin because I don't draw her a lot. But I also wanted to work with the idea that if she sees you, so does Bhaal. But also I wanted to try and pull focus from her to Bhaal, visually. Which is why she's front and center as the subject but in shadow, so your eye hopefully moves away from her and onto the statues of Bhaal. Idk something something- "there is no Orin, only Bhaal."
I had a good time on this piece and I hope you'll take a look at all the other great pieces and fics the zine
🩸💀✊
A collaborative project featuring fanmade art and fiction to celebrate the Dead Three and their Chosen. Step inside for a range of pieces fe
I made some Bhaal-themed dividers. They aren't perfect, I couldn't make them transparent, and I think they're a bit blurry, but for all intents and purposes, they'll work fine.
