I've this awful habit to create a thing and be happy with it and never share the result. Let's see if I can reverse the trend!
Here's my improved moon lantern from BG3. The handle, spikes and key are from another creator, but I remade the rest to match the original design. I finally got myself an FDM printer, so this was the project to teach me both blender and fdm printing and post-processing. I'm pretty happy with it!
A/N: This is a commission for @valdieball for his character Keladin paired with Kar'niss. This will be multi-chaptered.
Characters: Original Drow Male (Keladin) x Kar'niss
Word Count: 3,273
Location: Moonrise Towers
Fandoms: Baldur's Gate 3, Dungeons and Dragons
Content Warnings: Arachnophobia, story contains driders and fantasy elements.
Summary: Awoken in the middle of the night by a terrible nightmare, Keladin finds himself in desperate need to be soothed. The drow opts to take his lyre and climb to the top of Moonrise towers in search for a private spot to play. He wouldn't be left alone for long, soon confronted by the towers guardian; the drider, Kar'niss.
[AO3 Mirror]
***
“Run!”
The cry rattled in Keladin’s skull, pulsing within his eardrums. He recognized the voice that belted the command; a soft, feminine tone that he’d nearly forgotten after all this time. His vision was consumed by darkness unending, surrounded on all sides by walls of pitch black, leaving him blind to his environs. He tried to follow the order given yet he found his legs declined to obey, locking the drow in place by way of self inflicted paralysis.
“Keladin, hurry!”
The voice echoed throughout his prison bouncing off of unseen walls. He felt as if he may suffocate under the pressure to flee but why did his body refuse to retreat? Keladin opened his mouth to speak yet nary a sound left him. To will even the faintest sound felt as if it took a monumental amount of energy to conjure. His heart drummed behind his rib cage, a deafening sound that increased his anxiety. He wanted to call out to her and to prevent what he already knew would come.
“Oh Gods...Keladin! Keep running, get out, they’re going to—“
Her words were cut off by a horrid scream. It surged with such force that the darkened room in which he stood shattered like glass. Chunks fell away from the walls, ceiling and floor like pieces of obsidian. This sent the drow into a straight free fall, tumbling endlessly into the darkness below.
“Vaelic!”
Keladin sat up like a shot in his bed. His two-toned eyes were wide and his body was slick with sweat. Vaelic’s name still burned on his lips while he sucked in frantic pulls of air. He lifted one of his hands only to notice a tremble on his fingers. He clamped his palm to his face then ran those darkened fingers through his pale, shoulder length hair. It was rare for him to dream during his trance state and even rarer for the past to haunt him like this. He was certain those days were long behind him especially now that the Absolute had taken him under their wing. What good did his prior life in the Underdark do for him now? One thing he knew for sure, he needed air and a way to calm his nerves. His hands were anything but steady yet that didn’t stop the drow from collecting the lyre propped up at the side of his bed. In times of need he knew the instrument was one thing he could always count on and he needed that comfort now more than ever.
The hour was late and thus he sought a secluded spot in which to play. Keladin knew better than to leave the grounds of Moonrise towers. The shadow curse was in full swing and even the melodic strumming of his lyre wouldn’t be enough to keep the beasts at bay. There was one spot he knew he could go but it wasn’t entirely unoccupied. Moonrise had a single drider occupant under its roof and to many he was unstable and frightening. Keladin was off-put by Lolth’s “abomination” when he first arrived. Driders were little more than reminders of Her cruelty as well as the failure of those drow who didn’t perform in an optimal way. Keladin often wondered if that would’ve been his fate had he not escaped the Underdark. The very thought made him shiver but he refused to let the idea linger. Instead he threw on a cloth shirt and began to make his way up the long, winding staircase which led to the top of a tower.
***
Perched atop the tallest stone battlement, a single drider stood alone. His long locks of white hair hung heavy on either side of his scarred face. Weighed down by dirt and grime the once illustrious strands had lost much of their bounce and brilliance. The drider, known as Kar’niss, seemed to be lost in thought. His clawed hands clasped a wooden shaft attached to a lantern whose radiant light fought back against the ever looming shadows.
“Yes, Majesty...we hear you,” Kar’niss mumbled. “To be close to you, it is all we’ve ever dreamed. We will shepherd your faithful, we will remain loyal, it is us who serves you without question.”
It appeared that the drider was talking to himself, or to one of the many voices occupying his fractured mind. None could ever tell and most didn’t care enough to discover the truth of the matter. Each word was accompanied by a growling thrill that vibrated in the depths of his chest, a constant reminder that he was forever changed. While he spent much of his time alone in this very spot to be close to his “Queen” he never considered himself unattended. He had his Majesty, what more could he possibly need?
Kar’niss’ train of thought was broken when his ears caught the creaking sound of the tower door swinging open. This was enough to cease communication with the Absolute and prompt him to swivel around in search of the culprit. Eight thin, pointed legs afforded him swift movement, able to turn on a coin with little trouble. Kar’niss caught sight of Keladin as he stepped out into the open. All seven eyes followed the drow with caution. He was aware that Keladin was a True Soul and perhaps that is what earned him respite from Kar’niss’ nagging.
The night air hung heavy, stagnant and still. Despite this Keladin wouldn’t be deterred. He had grown accustomed to the gloomy atmosphere that permeated throughout the landscape. The drow took a seat on top of one of the many crates scattered over the area with his instrument clutched close to his person. He inhaled a deep lungful of air and put his full concentration into playing. His nimble fingers plucked at each individual string with accuracy and care as if pulling the music from the core of his soul. The more he played the more he felt the pull of the melody start to take over. Keladin began to sway gently in time with the rhythm while keeping his eyes closed. Visions danced within his mind, aiding in pushing away the dark thoughts once housed there. Steadily, the anxiety would melt away, allowing his muscles to relax and keep his focus clear.
Kar’niss, close to the source as he was, turned his head to look in the direction of the musician. His pointed ears honed in on the tune and he found himself mesmerized by it. Not many in the tower played music and the few who did weren’t up to the drider’s lofty standards. This new arrival piqued his interest in a way few ever did and now he wanted to know more. As Keladin continued to strum in perfect harmony he’d find he was unaware of the stealthy approach coming his way. A skilled creature of ambush and surprise, the drider had little trouble inching his way closer to the drow, his long legs making nary a sound. Both clawed hands clasped the shaft of his moon lantern keeping it close to his chest while reddish-orange pearls locked onto the back of Keladin’s head. Kar’niss stopped when he was a few feet away from his quarry, close enough to listen but not close enough to be within striking distance. To say he had trust issues was an understatement.
Keladin may not have noticed the initial approach but he soon became privy to the many eyes on him yet this didn’t impede his strumming in the slightest. While he preferred to play alone there weren’t many places here where privacy was afforded and this wasn’t the first time he had to perform for an audience. While his initial instinct was to hold distrust for the drider, considering his history, he knew that no other in their ranks worshiped and adored the Absolute more than Kar’niss. Somehow, this was a comfort to him, to think he’d have an ally of equal measure in devout loyalty. Or at least he hoped Kar’niss would be his ally, only time would tell.
The tune wafted across the battlement and the bard lost himself to the engaging refrain. Kar’niss’ pedipalps twitched against his torso, reacting to the chorus as if they wished to dance but the drider refused to allow them the pleasure. Instead he leaned in just a little further, closing that distance between them inch by inch. His breath hitched in his throat as if he was prepared to say something but his internal doubts put a stop to that. Gradually the song began to die down, the movement of Keladin’s fingers easing up to pluck the final few notes, ending the beautiful ballad. For a moment complete silence was restored to the tower, only broken by the drow himself.
“Was it to your liking?” Keladin asked, his eyes still closed. The tone of his voice was calm and even lacking any sort of aggression toward the drider.
Kar’niss jerked his head back once addressed. He took a few cautious steps away from Keladin and his muscles tensed beneath the hardened chitin that covered his arms and torso.
“It was...better...than the silence that came before it,” Kar’niss said.
The drow shifted on the crate while a smirk crept across his lips. “I suppose that is as high a compliment as I could ask for.”
The drider’s legs shuffled nervously beneath him. “The hour is late. Why is the True Soul here?” Kar’niss asked.
His brows knit and he side eyed the drider. “Please, call me Keladin...if you don’t mind.” He feathered his fingertips over the strings on the lyre. “The title of True Soul doesn’t suit me.” He inhaled a faint breath before he turned to better face Kar’niss. “I couldn’t sleep so I decided to play for a little while. If I am disturbing you I can move elsewhere.”
Kar’niss tipped his chin up by a hair then shook his head. “We will not command your departure. The lyre makes better company than nattering goblins.”
Keladin chuckled and plucked a single string on the instrument. “True.” He paused while his two-toned eyes lifted to get a better look at him. This wasn’t their first encounter but it was the first while they were off duty, so to speak. “You’re Kar’niss, right?”
The question made Kar’niss blink with some confusion while his hands squeezed the wooden staff tighter. “That is our name, yes. We aren’t addressed as such often.”
“Mm, I’ve heard a few of the colorful nicknames some have chosen for you. I don’t understand the reason. We’re all here to serve the Absolute and do Her will. There is no sense in squabbling with one another if we are to fulfill our purpose,” Keladin said.
Kar’niss sucked in a sharp breath and took several quick steps toward Keladin. “Yes! We are Her Majesty’s faithful, Her guardians! She bestowed us with this gift.” Kar’niss held out the moon lantern, it’s glow strong enough to push back the perpetual darkness. It did well to illuminate his monstrous features including the many blackened ovals peppered over his forehead; Keladin’s face reflected on their glossy surface. “She entrusted it to us.” Kar’niss’ tone dripped with pride.
He smiled as he viewed the intricate lantern with some interest. Its brilliance shone over the navy hue of Keladin’s skin tone, accentuating the waxy material of his prosthetic blue eye on the right side of his face. The more he studied Kar’niss the more his body language told him what he wished to know. He could already discern that he wasn’t like the other driders back home. He held a higher level of intelligence but more importantly he had something other driders lacked—self preservation.
“It’s a beautiful lantern worthy of its guardian...,” he trailed off a moment to think, “Is this spot where you live? I don’t see you much inside the building.”
Kar’niss shrugged. “We go where our Queen tells us to go. We stay up here to be closer to Majesty, to better hear Her voice. We live no where and every where and we are happy for it.”
“I see,” Keladin said. “Then you and I are of the same mind. I only wish to serve. The Absolute is the first place I’ve found where men are treated equal to women. I couldn’t find salvation with the spider queen, I couldn’t find salvation with Eilistraee, but here…,” he trailed off and turned his sights over the stone wall, peering out into the distance as far as the shadows would allow, “...I am worthy.”
This statement struck Kar’niss in a way he hadn’t anticipated. Not only did these words come from a drow, but it was rare that any here shared the same level of passion for the Absolute as himself. For a moment he found himself speechless as he stared at Keladin, observing him with quiet contemplation and intrigue. His legs clicked against the stone floor while he ushered himself closer to the bard, keen to get a better look at him. Kar’niss lowered himself without warning and invaded Keladin’s space, their gazes meeting now that he was at eye level to the drow. Naturally, Keladin was startled by the sudden intrusion and leaned back out of instinct.
An intense moment was shared between them as the two stared at one another. Keladin hadn’t been this close to a drider before least of all under friendly circumstances. Horrifying as some of his features may have been, there was a part of the bard that found portions of Kar’niss to be fascinating; even if the circumstances of his transformation were no doubt tragic.
“Did—Did I say something wrong?” Keladin asked, his tone hushed.
Kar’niss pressed his lips into a thin line and lowered the lantern to grant them a reprieve from its blinding luminescence. “No.” He leaned back and chose not to elaborate on the sudden shift. “If True Soul—Keladin wishes to play here you may do so. Our Queen will be pleased to know you honor Her with your gifts.”
The drow tipped his head to the side and shifted the position of the lyre in his lap. Kar’niss was aggressive toward most others in the tower, keeping his distance and snarling at any who got in his way. So for him to willingly invite Keladin into a place he considered sacred was indeed an honor and a privilege.
“I will take that offer to heart. Thank you, Kar’niss,” Keladin said.
The drider nodded and turned his head to look away from him as if a sudden surge of shyness had overcome him. It was clear that he wasn’t the most adept at social situations. When Kar’niss turned away Keladin noticed something had become tangled in Kar’niss’ hair.
“Ah, hold still a moment. You have something stuck in your hair,” Keladin said as he slid off of the crate and stood upright, placing the lyre aside.
“What?” Kar’niss reached up and touched over his locks carefully. “I do not feel it.”
“Lower your body and I can get it out, won’t take a moment.”
Kar’niss seemed hesitant, skeptical even. Drow were known to slit the throat of driders for fun, their hatred of his kind strong and everlasting. But since they had bonded over their mutual love and respect for the Absolute it did earn the bard a speck of trust; at least enough to make Kar’niss comply. The drider took a few steps closer to Keladin while pedipalps wiggled beneath his belly button, then lowered himself into the range of the drow’s reach. Keladin used his skilled fingers to gently tug at the strands and dislodge the unknown object within. It took some finesse on his part as he didn’t want to damage the drider’s hair or cause him discomfort which could disrupt their budding road to friendship. Kar’niss hissed through his teeth with minor discomfort as he wasn’t accustomed to having anyone this close.
Soon Keladin pulled the foreign mass from his wavy locks and examined it. It turned out to be a few dead leaves likely blown in on the intermittent winds. While he’d finished the task he didn’t alert the drider immediately. Rather he took the time to study Kar’niss’ features up close while he could, admiring his strong features and pale complexion. His fingertips reached out to caress the hardened chitin following his jawline. It had a rough, uneven texture and yet it was somehow pleasant to the touch. Kar’niss didn’t seem to feel the touches or if he did he wasn’t interested in commenting on the matter. Keladin started to grow concerned as he felt the growing urge to explore further. Curiosity killed cats but it could strike down a drow just as easily.
“Did you get it?” Kar’niss asked.
The broken silence made the bard jolt and he jerked his hand back with some mild embarrassment to follow. “A-Ah yes. It was just a few rogue leaves.” He held up the evidence for Kar’niss to see.
“Hmph,” Kar’niss snorted. He used his gnarled digits to scoop up the leaves from Keladin’s palm. He curled his fingers and crushed them to dust then shook out his hand, letting the remaining particles catch the breeze. “A waste of time, but we thank you all the same.”
“Of course.”
Keladin felt a little awkward for letting himself get carried away. His purpose was to serve the Absolute and he couldn’t allow himself to get distracted by feelings. The past taught him one valuable lesson; feelings were a good way to get you killed.
“Mm, I should return to my quarters. It would do well to get what rest I can before the morning roll call.” Keladin picked up his lyre and smiled up at the drider. “I’m glad you enjoyed the music. Perhaps...I can play for you again soon,” he paused, “for the Absolute, I mean.”
Kar’niss rolled his shoulders as he lifted the lantern, a metallic squeaking audible as it swayed side to side. “Very well. Do as you will, Keladin. We will be here, bathing in Her Majesty’s light.”
“For the Absolute,” Keladin saluted and turned to head back to the tower door.
“For the Absolute,” Kar’niss repeated as he watched the bard leave.
It was a strange encounter, at least as far as the drider was concerned. He returned to his perch at the edge of the tower, overlooking the area as a faithful guardian should. Without warning he felt a peculiar tingling sensation crawling over his jawline precisely where Keladin had touched. Kar’niss reached up and ran his claw tips over the area, perplexed by the sensation. It was warm, it was inviting, but he couldn’t understand its origin. He craned his head to look up, the faintest glow of the moon barely breaking through the shadows suffocating the sky.
“You sent him to me, Majesty?” Kar’niss whispered. “Thank you, my Queen. We will treasure your second gift to us. We are worthy, he is worthy.”
Kar’niss stayed perched in place and resumed muttering to himself but this time with a bit more purpose in his speech. Keladin returned to his quarters and flopped into bed, staring up at the ceiling while his forearm rested across his hairline. He didn’t know how to feel about the exchange between himself and Kar’niss but he knew he couldn’t stop thinking about him. A second performance would need to be sooner rather than later if he ever hoped to sate his curiosity about this eccentric drider.
After everything he’d endured, after all he’d seen, he deserved a little something for himself.
