featuring Mayhew, my gnome Tav who was a hit with the tiefling kids (perhaps because they don't have to look up to him heheheh)
I learned this run that the kids will SPRINT ACROSS THE GROVE to admire your bird familiar if you summon it there, which was cuter than words could describe
I decided to make adult designs and "where are they now" stories for all the child tieflings who are confirmed to survive to Act 3.
Unbeknownst to her, Arabella was a latent sorcerer with a natural connection to the Weave. Her powers likely would've manifested at puberty, but touching the idol of Silvanus imbued her with wild druid magic, multiclassing her prematurely. This caused an internal struggle between the two powers, which threatened to rip her and anyone around her apart. Fortunately, with Withers' guidance, she set out to follow the Weave and found balance in her new, strange abilities. For years she traveled Faerûn alone, honing her skills and making peace with her past. Eventually, she became known as the "Wondering Storm", so attuned to nature some would mistake her for Silvanus' Chosen. Those who crossed her, however, would swear she was Jergal's Chosen; able to end a life with a single stare. Though not unkind, Arabella became feared by many for her stoic personality, mysterious presence, and peculiar command of the Weave. It seemed that wherever she was needed, she would inexplicably be.
Though Raphael went silent, Mol continued to enjoy, and perhaps abuse, the gifts from her patron. With the Absolute defeated, she quickly clawed her way up the ranks of the Guild, eventually becoming a pseudo ward to Nine-Fingers Keene. For years she would sharpen her skills, mentored by Keene and her most trusted associates, until she challenged the notorious crime lord to a duel for leadership. Much to her surprise, Keene lost, and was therefore forced to relinquish command to the young tiefling. Seeing the move as a betrayal, however, the Guild's loyalty was split, causing the criminal powerhouse to fracture. This led to a dark time for the Guild, with many in Baldur's Gate referring to it as the "Outlaw Civil War". Much blood was shed during this conflict, but eventually Mol turned the tides in her favour, running Keene and those still loyal to her out of the city. She would go on to rebuild the Guild in her image, successfully and more fearsome than ever; though, when she approached her old colleagues with an invitation to join, they all declined.
Once he managed to enter the city, Mattis tried to find his companions from the Grove, but he ultimately turned his sights to conning rich families with "panaceas from the hells". For a while, he flourished under this racket, until his scheme was exposed by jealous competition. This led to him being violently assaulted by angry customers, nearly ending his life—he only survived by rolling into a rapid canal. After being saved by a kind, impoverished couple who fished him out of the water, he spent nearly three months confined to a bed. His recovery was slow and agonizing, but hardly discouraging. Instead of succumbing to his misery, he took the time to plot his revenge. With the couple's help, he learned the laws of the land and revived his strength. Then, when able, he cut his hair, disguised his face, spied on the man who wronged him, and subsequently tricked him into signing his business over to the couple. Together, they turned the questionable business into something respectable. Mostly. Mattis' silver tongue finally became an asset, rather than a survival tactic, though he was never above a good swindle.
Ide and Umi took up arms during the Absolute's attack on the city, each of them basking in the action. Realising that Umi had developed an insatiable bloodlust, and itching for more battles herself, Ide suggested they enlist into the army. Though technically too young, the new General—appointed by High Duke Ravengard after the fall of the Absolute—accepted them as apprentices until they came of age.
Though their time with the Flaming Fist was imperative to their training and survival, they found the rules and hypocrisy of the troop disheartening, and even more so when the General died. Eventually they deserted, leaving Baldur's Gate entirely and starting a small band of vigilantes. To some, they were a menace. To others, they became heroes of the Sword Coast. No matter the case, Ide and Umi were inseparable, never seen apart.
Inspired by his saviours, Mirkon continued to write stories about his time in the Grove and his rescue from the harpies. He never found his parents, but he refused to live in the slum's orphanage. Life was hard for the young tiefling, often forcing him to grovel for food and coin. On the worst days, he found comfort turning his stories into songs, which he slowly morphed into a semi-profitable street act. This eventually caught the attention of Alfira, who one day happened to be passing by. Recognising his talent, and overjoyed to be reunited, she took him in and taught him how to play the violin. Together, they created a lucrative show that expanded well beyond the Elfsong Tavern, which aided Alfira in opening her dream college. She and Lakrissa would soon adopt Mirkon, and he would later become one of the most beloved and celebrated instructors at the college.
Though working as a hawker for the Baldur's Mouth kept Silfy fed and relatively sheltered, she grew listless. Dealing with rude and racist customers hardened her enough to snap back, resulting in her termination. With nowhere to go, she found herself wandering into Ramazith's Tower, where she implored Rolan for a job. Feeling for her plight, Rolan put her to work stocking shelves and filling orders. It wasn't exciting work, but she was safe and satisfied, until one day a customer's tome exploded, causing a flurry of rainbow flames that whirled into the shape of a unicorn. This event, though frightening, would inspire Silfy to start reading the books in the shop, with the help of Tolna and Rolan. To everyone's surprise, she proved to have an impressive aptitude for magic, and she soon found herself enthralled. Within just a few years, Silfy would be accepted into Blackstaff Academy, where she would excel in her studies and catch the eye of the great Vajra Safahr. She would offer Silfy a position in the school, as well as a mentorship, but Silfy would politely decline, graduate, and return to Bauldr's Gate. Her true home.
Silfy is a tiefling child in Act One. She assists her brother Mattis in his scams for Mol's gang of tiefling refugee children through pickpocketing passersby.
"the thing with silfy is she’s SO bad at it. like mattis is doing his coin flip spiel, mol is running operations, and silfy is out here going “uhhh… can i have your money please?” with tears in her eyes. and if you’re nice to her she softens instantly, like she’s been waiting for literally one adult to not yell. it’s such a small interaction but it makes the tiefling kids feel real, because yeah, of course they’re doing petty theft, of course they’re trying to be “street,” they’re displaced and hungry and everyone keeps telling them they’re a problem."
vs.
Lord Enver Gortash, often just referred to as Gortash, is the Chosen of Bane, and one of the leaders of the enigmatic Cult of the Absolute. He serves as one of the main antagonists. Despite his humble beginnings, Gortash quickly rose through the ranks of society in Baldur's Gate with unbridled ambition and great cunning. Now, an influential figure and poised to become the Archduke of the city, he seeks to consolidate his power and become the ruler of the city and beyond, through whatever means are necessary.
"when you’re juggling Orin’s chaos on one side and Gortash’s “order” on the other, it’s such a good Act 3 pressure cooker because he’s basically saying “you can end this fast, if you stop caring about ethics for five minutes.”"
"The Durge/Gortash history is SO juicy because it’s not “random villain offers alliance,” it’s “we already did this once.” He talks to you like you’re the only person in the room who understands the blueprint, and it’s awful and intimate in the creepiest way."
"gortash is fascinating to me because he’s clearly got the mind of a scientist, like not “wizard genius,” but actual experiment-brain, the kind of guy who looks at a city and sees systems, inputs, outputs, pressure points, and then goes “cool, i can optimize that.”"
"the Durge connection makes him even better because you get this sense that Durge was the one person he treated like an equal on the drawing board intellectually. He talks like “you remember how we planned this,” like there were late nights, drafts, contingency plans, the whole gross little think-tank vibe.
and it’s so telling that when he sees Durge again he doesn’t go “how dare you,” he goes “this changes the variables,” and immediately starts trying to slot you back into the design.
also i’m sorry but any villain who can look at the world ending and still pitch you a merger deal is automatically compelling. He’s smart in the most dangerous way: not just clever, but structured. he makes evil feel efficient, which is scarier than theatrics.
anyway. i love to hate him. and i love that he hates Orin’s chaos because it’s bad for the plan. same, king. same."
"finding gortash’s parents selling camp shoes like normal civilians while you’re holding the knowledge they SOLD HIM and that he was FORCED INTO SLAVERY in the HOUSE OF HOPE OF ALL PLACES is actually insane."
Tieflings, thieflings and teethlings.
Those are pieces from ~2020 when bg3 was in early access so some of the characters don't look like they are now. (the kids...)
(I thought Silfy was a boy, oops, sorry :))
So much time passed what else to say...
1) I imagined like Zevlor heroically leads his people through hell and there's like full action with the demons and devils fighting or something and like some of the tieflings got caught and imprisoned and then Zevlor saves them and like again they flee through literal battlefield cause in that damn place there's not a corner of land where it wouldn't be dangerous...
2) Well, here's everything obvious)
3) Alfira in the moment of performing her song. In that scene near the end or somewhere in the middle the camera does such a move, when it focuses on the big tree in the druid's grove and I remembered that. In my brain that tree must represent some symbolism like... The tree is the life itself or something. Hope, peaceful eternity and stuff (and now my brain is dead, sorry)
Coming December 13 in the Baldur's Gate Love & Marriage zine! Check them out: @lovemarriagebg3!
“Team, meet Yenna,” Silfy said to the thieflings gathered at the Rivington refugee camp. “She needs our help.”
Yenna squeezed her cat, Grub, and said, “There’s a refugee couple, really nice, and they have a dog named Biscotti, and Mar’hyah—the mean lady who runs the courier post—stole him!”
“We’re gonna steal him back.”
“Us?” Ide said. “Haven’t stolen anything in a while.”
“That’s alright. I got it all planned out: a smuggling ring. I got this scroll, and we’ll use disguises. Ide does the fur, Mirkon will dye them, and Umi—”
“I don’t wanna,” Umi said. “Not with you in charge. Mol’s supposed to be in charge.”
“Mol’s busy.”
“What about Mattis?”
“Not really leadership material,” Mattis said. “C’mon, Silfy’s been doing this as long as me. She’s a sneak, best pick we got, and her plan is pretty good. Silfy, tell 'em. Tell them plan A.”
Silfy grinned. “We’re gonna have a grown-up do it!”
hey, casual reminder for people posting HCs, stories, etc. about the tiefling kiddos from Baldur's Gate 3. Although the pair don't particularly resemble each other strongly (each likely takes strongly after one parent), Mattis and Silfy are siblings. (The only reason they're split up in Act 3 is because Silfy somehow landed a job selling papers so she's allowed into the city to do the job)
Just like anything that addresses Rolan or Lia or Cal is likely to need to touch on the other two, it's the same with these two. It's why Mattis is so nice to you if you go easy on her. Just something to keep in mind if you do creative w the tiefling kids
