For the Dark Urge ask game!
1, 12 and 20 for estryd with her memory intact(I want to know her story 👀)
Also 21 if you already have any songs for her
What circumstances led to your Dark Urge becoming their Class/Subclass?
Mechanically speaking, Estryd is a warlock/war domain cleric. Her magic comes from her father. When Estryd was a child, on the run after killing her foster parents, Bhaal spoke to her in dreams and offered her the power to protect herself in exchange for her having a place in the world. He did not explain who he was or that he was her real father. Estryd was about 12 at the time and just wanted to go back to having a real home. This dream visitor was the only person who had showed care toward her in a long time. She agreed and gained her powers. I’m mixing the lore here for how warlock and cleric powers work, but in the beginning it was less about devotion and more about making a deal. It wasn’t until later that she realized “having a place in the world” meant being the harbinger of the apocalypse, or that Bhaal didn’t need her consent to force her to live out her destiny.
The more cleric-y abilities happened after she gave up escaping and started devoting herself to her destiny and started taking part in temple duties regularly. She loses both warlock & cleric powers permanently at the start of Act 3 when Bhaal gets fed up with her rebellion.
How does your Dark Urge feel about being a bhaalspawn?
After many years thinking of it as a curse she could cure, Estryd is now at peace with being a bhaalspawn. It is part of her identity. At one point she has an argument with Gale about how she can no more stop being a bhaalspawn then he can stop being a human. She will always want to kill, it’s in her nature. When Bhaal rips everything of himself out of her it feels like she has a hole in her soul she can’t fill. She mourns the loss. But there’s a strange irony that her younger, hopeful self, the creature she struggled the most to kill, got what she wanted in the end.
Is your Dark Urge open about their Urge or do they try to hide it? Why?
Estryd is careful about who she tells and when she tells them. She has learned over the years that most people will not accept The Urge. In the past, people have either tried to kill her over it, or save her from it. Estryd doesn’t want to have to deal with either of those things if she can help it. She secretly, and successfully, hides Alfira’s body. It isn’t until act 2, when the Urge commands her to kill Isobel and her relationship with Gale blossoms, that she finally confides in her new friends. And only because it might get in the way of the party’s needs.
What are 2-3 songs that your Dark Urge would relate to?
Oh gosh, this is a mix of songs I think she’d relate to & songs that just make me think of her:
“I Can’t Decide” by Scissor Sisters (makes me think of Estryd’s relationship to both Orin and Gortash)
“Cutting Stone” by The Decemberists
“The Wanting Comes in Waves” by The Decemberists (makes me think of the dynamic between Estryd and Bhaal, it's always about bartering. Great Durge song in general tbh)
