BG3 Backstory Bash by Kelandrin
Introducing Volyrr - a.k.a, my Dark Urge!
Thank you to @charmedcleric and @auspex-author for this tag!! I'm a bit late to it because I wanted to do it for my durge character Volyrr (he/they) but my computer deleted all my screenshots of him & his save file off my memory stick (laptop went for repairs) because it hates him. 😔 Now that I've healed from that annoyance and have restarted his save file... on with the tag! I tag @thisisagift-youknow, @savriea, and @thegoblinwitchqueen ~ no pressure!
AN: I have ideas to eventually write a prequel Durgetash fanfic using Volyrr. If you think that's something you might be interested in, (it won't be for a while) you might not want to read the following as there will be heavy spoilers!
Baby:
Birth/Parents:
Volyrr's father is Bhaal who, of course, poofed him into the world. He was created to be a Lolth-sworn drow to put fear into the heart of his enemies, however, before he could be found by Drow in the Underdark, he was discovered by a Myconid colony who took him in and raised him as their own.
First word / tantrum / walk / sickness:
He communicated with Myconid's through telepathy, so his technical first word wasn't actually until he was six, when he said 'thank you' in common to a travelling merchant who'd gifted him an apple from the surface.
Childhood:
Friends:
Volyrr had friendships within the Myconid colony and was wary of any outsiders. He never met another child throughout his whole childhood as Myconid's are created, not born, and children don't tend to explore the Underdark. Because of this, his main friendships outside of family came from animals of the Underdark - especially the rothe.
Siblings:
He did not have siblings in a typical manner - the whole Myconid colony were his caregivers without any distinctive roles.
Getting into trouble:
He rarely got into trouble as there wasn't much potential to; he was well disciplined by the colony and taught that peace was the ultimate way of life.
Birthday:
The concept of 'birthday' was foreign to him during his childhood. Later in life, he decided to just tell people it was the same day as Winter Solstice because it was easy to remember.
Games / Learning something new:
Because of his unique upbringing, he developed druidic powers (Circles of Spores, for obvious reasons) very early. His favourite game was to transform into a rothe and race against his animal friends. He was a very athletic kid.
Trauma:
He was a happy child, content living the Myconid way of life because he didn't know there was any other alternative. He, of course, experienced deaths within the colony - but was taught that death was a beautiful inevitability. He didn't fear it.
Teenager:
Rebellion / Running away:
I moved this label to the top of this section as it's important for clarifying the rest. When he started puberty (age 20) he also started developing the Dark Urges™ from papa Bhaal. It wasn't long until he was cast out of his colony as they revered peace even above family and could sense his urges through their telepathic bond. The urges became worse after leaving the colony and lead him to the surface, where he spent the majority of his time in wild form, hunting down prey to satisfy his urges.
Reckless behaviour:
Volyrr was reckless in murdering adventurers, not knowing the laws of the land. He was caught in the act many times but his druidic magic was powerful and witnesses didn't stand a chance. He only got seriously hurt a handful of times and was able to escape and heal himself with medicine proficiency.
First love:
After some decades of living mostly in wild form, Volyrr had learnt a lot about surface society by watching passing adventurers and had picked up a good amount of common - though was a selective-mute who rarely spoke. He travelled to Baldur's Gate and there met a fellow run-away - Enver Gortash, who was of the same proportional age (late-teen). Volyrr's quiet disposition and Enver's chatty, outgoing personality made for a compatible dynamic, and so they became fast friends. Volyrr quickly developed a crush on Enver; the first person to ever bother getting to know him as people were always put off by his drow birth and mutism.
Peer pressure:
Some years later, Gortash was recruited by the cult of Bane and pressured Volyrr into joining him. After doing so, Volyrr started receiving direct communication from his father in the form of Sceleritas Fel and decided to join the cult of Bhaal instead. This caused a rift in his and Enver's relationship and they fell out as a result.
Taking responsibility:
Volyrr was never forced to take responsibility for his crimes as there were never any surviving witnesses to them and he was encouraged by the cult of Bhaal to continue his murdering ways.
Adulthood:
Aging:
Again, I moved this to the top just for consistency's sake! Volyrr ages as a normal drow - reaching adolescence at age 20 and adulthood at 80. At the start of Baldur's Gate 3, he is in his mid-nineties.
Their "first time":
His first time was with Enver after they reunited over a decade after falling out, now both the chosen of their gods. It had happened spontaneously after they'd gotten drunk celebrating having stolen the Crown of Karsus.
Serious relationships:
After his first time with Enver, the two started acting more as a couple than just friends/partners in crime. The two never labelled their relationship and weren't exclusive, but Enver was his first love and first relationship.
After losing his memories during the events of Baldur's Gate 3, he entered into a serious relationship with Astarion and later Halsin as a polycule. When he re-met Enver in Baldur's Gate, he had no recollection of the relationship they once had and was convinced by Halsin to kill him rather than partner with him; ending the archduke's reign of terror.
Work:
Before BG3, he was the chosen of Bhaal and ran the cult of Bhaal. After the events of BG3, he returns to the Underdark with Astarion and the other vampire spawn, helping to source food for them.
Finding your place:
When Volyrr had woken up on the Nautiloid, the only memories he had were of his childhood before the urges began - this meant that he had advanced knowledge of the Underdark and still largely considered it his home. This is one of the reasons he chose to join Astarion in the Underdark rather than stay with Halsin on the surface - the other reason being that he knew Astarion would need him more. Halsin didn’t join the two, not able to leave nature behind, and so they departed amicably as friends.
Starting a family/ Found family:
Volyrr had travelled only with Astarion and Halsin, loving them both with his whole heart. After moving to the Underdark with Astarion, he considered the vampire spawn to be his new family, thinking it reminiscent of the Myconid colony he grew up in... also, he adopts a Bulette as his pet, names it Meatball, and uses it to ride around like a horse. 🫡
Thanks for reading this essay of a character background!😆 I hope it all makes sense and has minimal typos because I just proper smashed it out. I just love my guy so much and I hope that you do too now.🥺❤️ It'll be fun to eventually write fanfic for him. I might do another one of these posts for Tavlyn after finishing LMTTD, but I with hold off for now because spoilers. 😉 xo