#strighym queue

[noamuth]

How tall are they, and how do they feel about their height?

Dalamus is 5'11.

Compared to canon drow heights, this is significantly taller than average, especially for male drow. BG3, for whatever reason, made drow have typical humanoid/elven height, and by that standard, he is a little tall but not exceptionally.

I keep most human/elven-bodied versions of him at 5'11 for simplicity's sake.

Dalamus has no complaints about his height. It can be useful.

[noamuth]

Are they afraid of blood?

Not in the slightest.

He has been practicing ritual bloodletting at least once a month for almost his entire life. Blood is an important part of Lolth worship, and he is eager to spill it if it means he will get guidance or favor. (He does not realize he has never been important enough to get either).

Menzoberranzan itself is a bloody city. No one cares to investigate murders. Houses go to war often enough to be viewed casually, and it is a slaughter. The Braeryn is subject to Hunts, when nobles sweep through the streets and indiscriminately kill those caught outside at the time, just for fun and "trophies".

[noamuth]

Do they have a favorite holiday?

True holidays are few and far between in Menzoberranzan, most of them having to do with either trade or academic accomplishments.

Dalamus was fond of The Open Days, a week in which visitors to Menzoberranzan could move about the city freely, even into places normally forbidden to non-drow. Obviously, they still had to adhere to the rules of the city. The Noble Houses took this opportunity to put on displays of power and skill to awe or even intimidate visitors, showing their might and prowess.

For Dalamus, The Open Days were one of the best trade weeks of the entire year.

On the Surface, he finds there are significantly more holidays and festivals, many of which celebrate togetherness in some form or another. It is foreign to him, and he is sheepish to participate while he still feels like an impostor, but he grows fond of several of them once he has people to celebrate with (and do not see him as an intruding outsider).

In particular, the Feast of the Moon and Highharvesttide are pleasant holidays to spend with family and other loved ones, celebrating with plentiful food and good stories. And Liar's Night is good fun, allowing him to indulge his mischievous side.

[noamuth]

Do they have a nice singing voice?

He would, if he had any training. Alas, no training.

Dalamus can be found occasionally humming, though. Sometimes humming a Hymn of Lolth.

If he does sing, it is quietly and to himself, not meant for other ears. He sounds decent at low volume, at least.

Not that he sounds terrible at a normal singing volume, just untrained.

[noamuth]

Are they scared of anything in nature--bugs, snakes, lightning, being on the water, etc?

Dalamus is afraid of wide, open spaces. After living literally underground for two centuries in a cavern, being in a place where there are no walls or ceilings makes him extremely uncomfortable. He knows it is illogical, but he feels like he will float up into the sky. He feels exposed and vulnerable, even panicked or dizzy at times, requiring something to lean against or hold onto in order to ground himself. It is part of why he prefers to keep his piwafwi hood drawn when it is on--it blocks a bit of the sky unless he deliberately looks up.

In a similar vein, Dalamus is afraid of the ocean. The creatures possibly hiding in it are one thing, but the main source of his unease is the vastness of it, and especially the way it blends into the sky at the horizon line to make it seem even more wide and open. The first time he sees it, he actually feels nauseous. He would not do well on a boat or ship; he would get seasick, and the fact that he is just floating rather than standing on the ground is disconcerting.

Thunder and lightning make him nervous for the first few years on the Surface, and he does not like to be outside during a storm if it can be avoided.

Birds creep him out. He is unsure why. Possibly the twitchy movements, the sounds they make (similar to a draghazar), or the fact that they are just everywhere flying above all the time.

Magic can arguably count as part of nature. He is afraid of magic, but specifically the sorts that alter the mind and/or body. Things like creating water, electricity, fire, force, etc, are all fine and straightforward enough. Things like Enchantment magic which charms others, Necrotic magic which weakens, and Healing magic which alters the body, are all frightening concepts to him. He has been subjected to all three at different points and does not like the way any of them feel. Not to mention, he already has a difficult time trusting people, and altering his mind/body is something that requires a LOT of trust. "Trust me, I'm a healer" does NOT fly with him.

[noamuth]

What position do they like to sleep in?

Dalamus mostly sleeps on his back. It is the easiest position to defend from or get up from in an emergency. It also protects his now injured back.

That said, if the ground is particularly uneven and he cannot flatten it out or make it comfortable for his back to lay on, he may lay on his side and hope such does not also aggravate his injury.

When with a partner, he grows to enjoy the pressure of them on top of him, or sleeping with one of them holding the other. Preferably with minimal clothing for maximal skin contact.

[noamuth]

Baths or showers?

Baths all the way.

In Menzoberranzan, there are public bath houses. These bath houses are among some of the safest places to be, as weapons are very strictly forbidden, and a spell around the area prevents other magic from being cast within the perimeter. The nobility had access to their own massage parlors and bath houses of even finer quality.

He misses those bath houses. The hot water, the steam, the relative safety. Nudity is not scandalous to him, bodies are bodies. He likes being able to submerge in the relaxing warmth and let the steam clear his thoughts.

He misses them even moreso now that he is traveling and having to bathe in cold rivers more often than not. His back would much prefer the heat.

Showers are good for a quick clean but he much prefers baths.

[noamuth]

Do they talk to themselves?

Dalamus would say that he does not talk to himself. He is lying.

Though rare, Dalamus talks to himself quietly in Drowic. Usually just complaints under his breath, or perhaps mockingly repeating what someone said to him. If having trouble concentrating, he may talk himself through the process.

More likely, he can be found talking to Alantha in Drowic, or simply talking at her.