#durge!lore

[durgetavoc]

The name. To put a name to a face is to hold power, according to Gortash. Ironically, despite Dark Urge being a close ally, he never managed to learn her name. Dark Urge is intensely secretive, living through nicknames and titles. Gortash had to make do with those.

But in his writings, he never calls her Dark Urge.

"Dear," "dearest," "the Bhaalspawn," "High Primistress," "Bhaal’s leader," and so on.

But never The Dark Urge. Because he respects her. He respects that the nickname, the one that makes Baldurians tremble, should not be linked to any letters or documents that could ever trace back to her. Even in their coded correspondence, he never uses it, despite them having designed the cipher together.

Did he ever learn his ally’s true name?

Of course. After years of patience, when their alliance had become something more official. It happened in an entirely unexpected moment because, by then, Gortash had stopped thinking about it. He had proposed an oath to strengthen their partnership further. She would swear as The Dark Urge, and that would be that.

Then, he heard her:

"I, __, swear that[...]"

She gave her name with so much confidence. Without hesitation. Taking their alliance with the utmost seriousness.

Gortash felt a bit foolish in that moment, caught entirely off guard. He looked at her and thought, “This—oh, this—is the kind of ally I’ve always hoped for. She is promising.”

And without even realizing it, already fascinated by her and her prowess, Gortash admires Dark Urge.

[durgetavoc]

Durgepast Calendar

Hellloooo! It’s December 1st, and I’m excited to introduce… the Durgepast Calendar!

What’s it all about? Well, once a day, I’ll post a question + an answer about Durge’s past (pre-tadpole only!). These are questions I gathered a looong time ago from various ask games (unfortunately, I can’t remember where they all came from :( ) along with some I came up with myself! And today’s lore is… Day 1 - Does she miss her adoptive family? She has never admitted it, but yes, she does miss her adoptive family. Her parents were kind, loving, and warm people who did everything they could to ensure she didn’t lack anything, despite their poverty. Their kindness left a deep impression on her. Dark Urge considers herself lucky that a few memories of them remain intact, even though the Urge that devours and influences her often overshadows everything else.

[durgetavoc]

Durgetash facts (pre-tadpole)

-Their relationship was a slowburn chaotic mess, especially since Durge acted cold and distant at the beginning.

-For the anniversary of their partnership, Gortash gave Durge a ring adorned with a verdelite, claiming it would grant power and was meant to honor their alliance. However, it also carried the symbolism of a "promise." It took Durge several months to respond to the gesture, eventually gifting him a ring set with a ruby.

-"It's THE Dark Urge, not Dark Urge."

-Durge loves gnolls. Gortash? Not so much—and he doesn’t hesitate to make that known.

-In fact, it was Durge who came up with the idea to train worgs alongside Gortash, later gifting them to him so they could serve as "guard dogs" for Flymm Cargo.

-Their first real kiss happened at Moonrise Towers, when they finally acted on their feelings—just before Orin betrayed Durge, leading to her amnesia.

-Durge often visits him after midnight through the window to avoid disturbing his Banite rituals.

-“Watch out, you’re messing up the floor.”

-In some way, Gortash represents a symbol of “freedom” for Durge.

-Gortash prepared a room in his old house just for her, in case she ever wanted to retreat to a more comfortable place. It’s probably where most of her belongings are, unlike the temple.

-Threatening as a form of flirting? +100 approval.

-The trip to Mephistar was a very significant (and unsettling) emotional moment for Durge—not to mention the brief visit to the House of Hope.

-Gortash crafted Stillmaker for her so she’d have a dagger to match his crossbow.

-He taught her how to play the piano. Sometimes, they play together on the same piano, with Durge deliberately hitting wrong notes just to mess with him.

-Sometimes, they just like to try to poison each other—for fun. Well, mostly Durge, since Gortash quickly realized she’s immune.

-Incidentally, she’s partly to blame for him losing a good number of his henchmen. While he finds it amusing, he occasionally scolds her, explaining how hard it is to find competent people under his rule. If she destroys everything, it’s a problem…

-Durge HATES high-society gatherings among the Patriars but follows Gortash anyway, even though improvising as a noble isn’t her strong suit.

-Gortash keeps a journal where he’s drawn sketches of Dark Urge —including notes about her scales and the vibes—for a project that will never be completed, as she disappeared. He wanted to create an outfit for her.

-Despite her darker nature, Durge occasionally has moments of pure tenderness… times when she feels like an ordinary young woman. These are moments she cherishes deeply and wishes could last longer.

[durgetavoc]

(Here’s a silly little drawing where Dark Urge decides to act like a spoiled brat who doesn’t listen to Sceleritas, smh.)

My Durge is very responsible when it comes to temple affairs, whether it’s managing resources or finances. However, she often finds it boring and lonely—not that she doesn’t enjoy solitude, quite the opposite, but it still annoys her to have to handle everyone’s accounts. She already has several mouths to feed, and on top of that, she has to manage their money? And the temple is always in a sorry state! Plus, Orin keeps nagging her with “But Bloodkin, you don’t know how to manage things, you’re neglecting our poor temple!” So Durge occasionally reaches a breaking point and thinks, “Screw this, you figure it out yourselves.”

…And then Gortash comes along. When she started getting along better with him and noticed he was used to talking and handling paperwork, she thought, “Hmm, what if I subtly asked him for help in a way that doesn’t make it look like I need him?” (Pride, you know how it is.) Of course, at that moment, Gortash is sometimes like a happy puppy whenever his dearest and nearest ally comes to him like this. But Gortash isn’t stupid—something Durge tends to forget since they’re both quite cunning—but he still plays along. Suddenly, everything feels easier. Gortash gives good advice (and occasionally suggests some morally questionable ideas, but who is she to refuse if it means easy money?), and working as a team has become a lot more fun.

Until one day, Gortash says to her, “See? It’s not so hard to ask for help, my dear.”

Strangely enough, Durge IMMEDIATELY stopped going to him for help after that. What does he think? That she needs him? Nuh-uh.

[durgetavoc]

The Origins of My Dark Urge

It was on Eleint 16, in 1358 DR, during the Time of Troubles, that Bhaal was slain by Cyric, not far from Winding Water.

Drops of his blood came into contact with the river, but Bhaal had foreseen everything; he knew he would eventually die, which is why he had sired so many Bhaalspawn beforehand. However, at his death, something different happened - something he had prepared.

From his blood, a particular and pure Bhaalspawn was born. A Bhaalspawn made solely from his own gore. Almost divine, and yet not part of the pantheon despite their origins.

The Dark Urge was born, but not in a physical form at first. Think of it as a divine and purely magical essence, invisible to the eye, detectable only by animals or by those attuned to sensing such magic. In the early years, it was said that anyone who dared to approach and drink from the river would die and vanish without a trace.

Anchored to the river, the divine essence could not stray far from its birthplace - not that it had any consciousness yet. It simply was, observing the world around it, day and night. Only after gathering enough information and drawing from its Father's blood could the divine essence finally forge itself a corporeal vessel and take shape.

In 1450 DR, on the banks of the river, a half-drow draconic baby appeared. Bhaal's blood around her slowly transformed into a long red mantle with golden embroidery, wrapping her in a paternal embrace. Following this, a demonic butler came into existence nearby and seized the baby, tasked with finding her a family. Sceleritas Fel was created to serve Bhaal’s heiress, but first, she had to grow properly. She needed a family who would readily accept her.

He found his target in Baldur’s Gate, within the Upper City. The baby, wrapped in her mantle, was carefully placed on the doorstep of a noble manor.

Sceleritas Fel vanished instantly, leaving a human couple - worshippers of Selûne - to discover the abandoned infant under the full moon.

The couple, astonished, first checked their surroundings before thanking and praying to the Moonmaiden. They praised her for this blessed child, sent to them after many prayers, as the wife had been unable to conceive.

They swore to cherish this precious gift from their goddess.