Just A Friendly Illithid Bard

Icon and background by UnaArista Hello! I’m Dahlia! I’m a College of Valor bard, member of the Harpers, and hero of Baldur’s Gate. Ask me anything!

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Welcome to Dahlia’s Blog!

This is an ask/role play blog for my Tavflayer, Dahlia! Also a place for me to reblog the art of her from my main blog and share headcanons about her. Feel free to ask her anything, or start an RP!

A few things:

I am okay with dark themes, NSFW, blood/gore, etc. If you are sensitive to any topics, please let me know! (Note: I will talk about nsfw headcanons and answer nsfw questions but I do not RP smut.)

I’m open to crossovers! Your character doesn’t have to be from BG3/dnd; I’m cool with Dahlia interacting with characters of other franchises.

Feel free to message me to plan out roleplays/discuss what you’d like to happen

I ship Dahlia and the Emperor but am okay with multishipping. If you want to ship your muse with Dahlia, feel free to ask about it!

Don’t feel pressured to respond right away. This is all for fun, so don’t stress!

If you have any questions about what I’d be okay with, or possible topics you want to do, shoot me a message!

I think that’s all for now! Enjoy my silly drawings and ramblings! :D

Check out the it’s me! tag for art, and the headcanons tag for fun facts about Dahlia!

Dahlia on Toyhouse

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Arrival

@theastralplayground

Dahlia emerged into an unusual place, one that somewhat resembled the Astral Plane. An unusual pink campfire crackled in the center. She looked around curiously, seeing others in the camp. She wondered how they all had gotten here, what had drawn her here.

Black eyes calmly observed, the gold-colored metal of her prosthetics gleaming in the firelight. Perhaps she ought to be more cautious in this strange place, surrounded by people she didn’t know. Wasn’t the Emperor always telling her to be less reckless? Still, she didn’t feel afraid, only curious.

She approached the fire, trident on her back, bag of holding slung on her shoulder. In one hand, she carried the case holding her precious astral violin.

“Hello,” Dahlia said, telepathic voice warm. She hoped no one here would be afraid of her—though she knew the sight of an illithid was terrifying to most. “My name is Dahlia. I’m not sure how I got here. Or where here is.”

Dahlia paused, could feel so many surface thoughts and feelings even without actively reaching for the minds of those around her. It could be overwhelming at times, having so many minds brushing against her own. She often felt the need to retreat into herself, close her mind off.

Still, it was helpful to know if anyone here would be hostile toward her.

“I don’t mean any harm,” Dahlia added. “Hard as that may be to believe.”

Even at home, in Baldur’s Gate, where the people knew her as their hero, some still feared her. She felt the need to assure others that she wasn’t a threat. At least, not to those who weren’t her enemy.

[arcaneallmight]

Down and Dirty

[deusuprema]

arcaneallmight:

Send me one of the following to find out some juicy details about my muse…

👅-Would they rather give or receive oral sex? 👠-Do they watch pornography? If so, what kind? 💋-Do they use tongue when they kiss? 😈-Favorite sex position? 👎🏻-What is an absolute deal breaker in the bedroom? 🐶-Favorite pet name they like to be called? 👄-Do they swallow? 👙-Favorite outfit in the bedroom? 💦-Best place for their partner to cum on/in? 🌶-Most sensitive place on their body? 👑-Daddy kink, yes or no? 💍-Ever had an affair? 🏢-Most public place they’ve had sex, or would like to have sex? 🍒-When and how did they lose their virginity, if they have?

[corvitine]

Dahlia and tadpole Lyric! She likes to talk and sings to them, even if they might not understand. I just wanted a pic of Dahlia and her baby :’)

[sinfxlpleasxrememes]

Send in Kinks and My muse will rate them.

Definitely not | No | Not Really | Its Okay | Kinda | Yes | Fuck yes |There goes my pants |

Bonus: Giving | Receiving | Both

[divinerpresources]

Send me a Character and I'll tell you if my Muse would sleep with them

Not Enough Alcohol in the World || No || Maybe if I were wasted || Maybe || Eh…Sure || Yes || TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF NOW!

[corvitine]

I love designing new clothes for Dahlia, especially cute dresses! She’s adorable, I love her so much! ❤️

[corvitine]

Dahlia and her weird cat!

[corvitine]

Another drawing of my favorite girl!! It’s hard designing new clothes for her but also fun? I love herrr!

[corvitine]

It’s been a while since I’ve drawn my girl. I’ve been wanting to draw more but just haven’t really felt able to. I’m happy with this one though!

[corvitine]

It’s been a while since I’ve drawn tiefling Dahlia! Here she is! I’m pretty happy with how this turned out! :)

[corvitine]

Another Empahlia drawing, because these two have taken over my life. Under a cut bc it’s a bit more suggestive(?) than I usually draw and I want to be safe. It’s not at all explicit but slightly suggestive but I’m very proud of how this turned out!

[develop-your-oc]

How often does your OC read romantic literature?

[tunes-and-tentacles]

All. The. Time! Dahlia loves romance novels!! They’re her favorite!

[corvitine]

Another pic of Dahlia’s gith disguise (Zar’ra)! Now featuring her silver sword! It doesn’t have a name yet but I am planning for her to name it kra’tha var (victory star) at some point! This is related to my RP with the lovely @ardentkurashk!!

[corvitine]

Some Dahlia pics related to RPs I have with @tea-and-magic and @ardentkurashk! This is Dahlia after she’s captured and tortured by Tea’s Helios. She meets Ardent’s Ka’zalii after that and the two of them are besties!! Zalii covers Helios’s brand with cool lightning scars! The gith is Dahlia’s githyanki disguise to join the rebellion to fight against Vlaakith (because fuck Vlaakith)! These RPs have taken over my life I love them so much!!! 🥰

(The Helios RP is still ongoing so if anything else happens to my girl I will add to the drawing!)

[filaments-of-silver]

Continuation of (x) @tunes-and-tentacles

"I doubt you'll need to be fluent.. but inflections, exclamations, they will be useful. They're more common. And curses, obviously." he paused a moment, "I know you don't like exploring minds, but if you're uncertain about a translation, you are welcome to look for it in mine." He had a feeling she would stubbornly learn as much as possible via less psionic methods, but he wanted to present the option anyway. Better to seek an answer from his head than an unsuspecting ally. Ka'zalii gave her a look of understanding when she mentioned time. "You won't be in the centre of it all immediately. If you choose the amnesia idea, we can use that as an excuse to reintroduce you to the fight slowly. My ghustil can explain the exact symptoms you need to mimic." That was if she hadn't researched it beforehand. He foresaw an instance or two of having to remind her to slow down a bit. It would do no good to burn out before they left.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia, of course, did not like prying into others’ minds. But this was different. Ka’zalii was freely offering information from his mind. She knew he wouldn’t make such an offer lightly, and appreciated it.

“I’m not expecting to be fluent, but I’ll learn enough to hopefully be believable,” Dahlia said. “And…thank you. I appreciate the offer.”

Knowing that he was also willing to introduce her slowly made her feel a bit better. As much as she wanted to jump right in, rushing into things wasn’t a smart idea. It made sense to take things a bit slow. Not too slowly, hopefully. She was eager to help and join the fight.

She hesitated, then said, “I…can also learn directly from the memories from the gith I ate the other day. I haven’t looked through his memories much yet but it should help. Whenever I eat, I experience memories as if they’re my own.”

She wasn’t exactly comfortable talking about it but she wanted Ka’zalii to know she had a source of information in her mind to use. Dahlia wasn’t sure how much he knew about how illithid feeding worked.

[filaments-of-silver]

Dahlia seemed understandably hesitant to mention using the memories of her victims. To spare his discomfort or hers? Perhaps a bit of both. It would be much quicker than learning via reading or conversations with Ka'zalii, but not the most pleasant. "It would be the most efficient route.. but are you certain?" he gave her a look of concern, "With their ire against you, there will be unpleasant memories." He didn't know how selective an illithid could be with memories. Could they go directly to the one they needed? He recalled how unsettled she'd seemed after forcing herself onto the kith'rak's mind.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia nodded. “It’s something I’m still getting used to,” she admitted. “Absorbing other people’s memories, I mean. Whenever I eat a brain, I experience their minds. I know it makes sense to go through the memories I absorb, but a lot of the time I get overwhelmed and just sort of compartmentalize them in my mind. Emps keeps telling me that it’s better to have those memories be part of my mind.”

How much information and experience would she have if she allowed all of the memories to become part of her? She wasn’t sure. It somehow felt wrong, though the Emperor told her to think of it as keeping their memories alive. Perhaps it would be better but this was still one of the most difficult things about being an illithid to her. Eating people and taking their memories and thoughts.

“Even if it’s uncomfortable, it’s something I will consider,” she told Ka’zalii. “I shouldn’t give up on a good source of information that can help me just because it’ll make me uncomfortable.”

[filaments-of-silver]

The closest he came to reading another's mind was detecting their surface thoughts and intentions. He was as guarded with his mind as any githyanki would be. Dahlia was so far the only illithid he trusted to search his mind.

Dahlia's reluctance perhaps came from her sense of self, it would not be a problem for other illithid. Though it wasn't as if he'd discussed this with an illithid before now, his assumption could be wrong.

"True, discomfort is no reason to refuse an advantage." He said, "However, what you are undertaking is demanding enough, you should not try to learn everything at once."

His peers would certainly side eye him for showing concern so openly. He was simply encouraging patience. A warrior learning a new weapon was more likely to injure themselves if they were overwhelmed.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“I suppose you’re right,” said Dahlia. “I have a habit of rushing into things. I should probably be more patient.”

This was something the Emperor kept trying to teach her. Slow down, think things through, don’t rush recklessly into things. It was definitely something she struggled with.

“It’s just hard to be patient sometimes!” Dahlia added. “I just want to get things done, keep moving forward, you know?” She was sure Ka’zalii understood her on this.

[filaments-of-silver]

It did seem a little hypocritical of Ka'zalii, of all people, to recommend caution over impulse. He had to admit, sometimes it was a better approach to be patient. His commander had instilled in him a sense of patience, a very non githyanki reaction to something, but necessary in their line of work. "I do understand, I know it very well," he said with a nod, "Which is why we must keep each other patient." Rushing into a fight had almost cost them once already during their current mission. Ka'zalii had got so caught up in his bloodlust, in the synergy he and Dahlia shared in battle, it had made him careless. It served them both well to learn from it.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“I suppose it might be easier if we’re both holding each other to that,” said Dahlia with a laugh. “Although, I feel like we just enable each other’s recklessness!”

They really were quite similar in a lot of ways, which she liked. But she figured it could also be dangerous if they got too in over their heads.

“But I’ll hold you to it if you’ll do the same,” she said. “I’ll be as patient and careful as I can. I’ll have to be careful!” She couldn’t afford to make mistakes once she was among the githyanki. It wasn’t just her life on the line, but others who were helping her, too. That would help curb her reckless nature, she hoped.

[filaments-of-silver]

Ka'zalii couldn't help smiling at Dahlia's extremely correct observation. They were as bad as eachother, but at least with kin, it might be slightly easier to resist it.

"A vow to not be as impulsive and reckless." He said, amused, "Possible. But I think a small amount of recklessness is useful."

Their current activities, nevermind their wildly insane plan to smuggle an illithid into the rebellion, was much more than a small amount. The thrill of such an undertaking was difficult to ignore and he knew some of his allies would not be surprised at all.

"Perhaps we should use this last group as a test of our resolve," he suggested, "Slow and patient, rather than charging into battle."

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“True, at least that’s what I tell myself about my recklessness,” said Dahlia. Was it always helpful? No. But she had trouble not rushing into things, so she tried to tell herself that it was a good trait to have. Much to the Emperor’s exasperation.

She nodded at Ka’zalii’s suggestion. “Sure, let’s do that. We can be careful if we try, right?”

She was smiling, amused at the both of them. Were they really so stubbornly reckless that they needed to try this hard not to be? To hold each other to be careful? She hoped so, but part of her thought that being around each other just made them less careful.

[filaments-of-silver]

"Of course, as unexciting as careful is." He said with a not quite convincing nod.

Dahlia brought out a yankish attitude in him, something he rarely indulged now that he commanded. There was a certain demeanour required to issue orders to warriors and playful it certainly was not.

"Tell me, Dahlia, what should we expect in the upper city? Is it as uptight as the name implies? Are the Fist more attentive there? Should we expect to be questioned?"

They'd encountered no guard related trouble in the lower city, he wondered if that was due to a less vigilant unit of guards, or Dahlia's presence. Now she was disguised as githyanki, she was no longer recognisable.

As entertaining as it might be to unsettle a few citizens by simply existing, they did not need to be arrested either.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia grimaced a bit. “It certainly is more uptight,” she said. “The Upper City is where the nobles and wealthy citizens live. We’ll definitely stand out more there.” She shook her head. “It’s the Watch that has jurisdiction over the Upper City, and I’m sure they’ll be keeping a close eye on us at the very least.”

She wasn’t the biggest fan of the Upper City. Not only because she felt out of place but she felt it was far too uptight and regulated. Too many rules.

“Making any sort of disruption or public disturbance is not allowed,” she added. “They like to keep the Upper City peaceful. You aren’t even allowed to play music on the street!” She said this with quite an offended tone; in the Lower City, she loved playing music for crowds of people, who very much enjoyed it. “Imagine being so stuffy you won’t allow music!”

[filaments-of-silver]

"G'lyck.. we're most certainly going to have some problems then." He sighed, this would make things more complicated.

Although, it might be worth an instance of harassment or two if it revealed whether the Watch had seen other githyanki or not. Or it might just get them arrested on the spot. He was going to have to put on his politest facade for this.

Dahlia's mention of a ban on music of all things made him roll his eyes. If they considered music a disruption, they would be insufferable to speak with about any other disruptions.

"I can't wait to hate every second we spend there." He said, dryly.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“Hopefully not but I won’t be surprised if we do run into trouble,” Dahlia said. “This is why I don’t like going to the Upper City. But I’m hoping it won’t be too difficult to find that last group. I can’t imagine the people here are used to seeing githyanki around.”

Of course, that would mean the two of them would stand out. And she was sure that they’d be regarded with suspicion. Or outright disdain. She was really hoping they wouldn’t have to be in the Outer City for too long.

She pointed. “There’s the gate,” she said with a smile. “That one is Baldur’s Gate. It leads to the Upper City. It leads into the Wide, which is a market and public plaza.”

Dahlia wondered if Ka’zalii knew of Balduran, and what he’d say if he knew her partner had been the city’s founder before his ceremorphosis. The Emperor was amused by people talking about Balduran, and it had become a bit of an inside joke with them. Whenever she read or heard something about Balduran, she’d ask him about it, which usually led to a good laugh.

[filaments-of-silver]

The two of them being armed would likely pose a problem too, but he was not willing to leave his blade behind. Not when they didn't yet know how many foes to expect. Rude citizens were easy to ignore or scare into leaving them alone. Militia less so.

Dahlia pointed out the gate they needed to pass through, as grandiose as the others of the city. The marketplace would be their first destination, straight into the fray it was then.

"Tsk'va.. well, this will be an adequate test to gauge people's reactions. If we have to keep to the back streets, so be it."

Openly questioning the citizens in the uptight part of the city wasn't the best idea either.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia approached the gate, only to be stopped by the guards, which she had expected.

“What’s your business here?” one of them asked.

“It’s Harper business,” said Dahlia calmly. “I’m Dahlia Ainsworth, I’m investigating gith attacks in the city.”

He snorted. “You’re not Dahlia Ainsworth. It’s a mind flayer.”

“I’m a she,” she said, fighting down her anger at being referred to as an “it.” She hated being called it. She dropped her disguise, turning back into an illithid, holding out her Harper badge. “And I most certainly am Dahlia.”

The guard hesitated. “I haven’t heard of any gith attacks in the Upper City,” he said, rather sullenly.

“I have reliable information saying there are gith here. I intend to find them,” said Dahlia.

Another moment of hesitation, then, “Fine. Go on through. And don’t cause any trouble.” He was looking at Ka’zalii warily, and Dahlia sensed he wanted to ask about him, but decided not to. He waved them through the gate.

Dahlia shifted back into her githyanki disguise, grumbling as she walked through the gate.

[filaments-of-silver]

The guards to this part of the city were much more alert than those patrolling the lower city, unsurprising they protected the stuffy nobles more than the rest of their citizens. They approached the gate and a guard stepped forward to stop them. Ka'zalii decided to let Dahlia deal with them, though he had some choice names for them in his head. Which he of course brushed Dahlia's mind with. Finally, the guard relented and Ka'zalii held his stare as he passed, flashing him a grin of pointed teeth. The guard's reaction did not bode well for their journey through the rest of this area.. He heard Dahlia grumbling under her breath when she disguised again and chuckled. "A good start! We are going to be the most interesting creatures in the marketplace."

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“Maybe I should just be in my illithid form, if they’re going to keep questioning who I am,” Dahlia said grumpily. “We’re not going to make a lot of progress if we’re constantly getting stopped by the Watch.”

She wondered if there really were no gith attacks yet in the Upper City or if that guard just didn’t know what he was talking about. She figured these githyanki must be stealthy to be hiding out here; it was much more difficult to hide in the Upper City than the Lower City.

Dahlia smiled, then said, “Although…if they give us too much trouble I can always talk to the Grand Duke about it. That’ll get them to leave us alone!” She found the idea amusing.

[filaments-of-silver]

Ka'zalii glanced back over his shoulder to find the gate guards still watching them. Was their post so uneventful they were concerned about one githyanki? Accompanied by the hero of their city no less. Surely, Dahlia was owed more respect than that?

"Yes, perhaps speak to the Duke anyway and demand the guards be stripped of rank." He said only partially in jest, "Their first assignment should be to clean up the mess we left in the sewers."

He didn't relish the idea of going to an istik duke for assistance, but it would be foolish to not take advantage of Dahlia's vast network of connections. Hopefully they'd find their prey quickly. There couldn't be many places to hide a band of warriors if the Watch was vigilant.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia chuckled at Ka’zalii’s suggestion. “Maybe I will, if they won’t leave us be! I prefer to handle my problems myself, but if I have to talk to Ulder, I will.”

She was sure that she’d have his support; not just because she’s saved his life, and Baldur’s Gate, but because he would want these gith out of the city. And she was sure that he would trust her to do it.

Dahlia looked around at the open market that was the Wide. Vendors and merchants had their stalls set up and were doing business. Despite the people out and about, it seemed strangely quiet here, at least compared to the Lower City. They sure loved their peaceful atmosphere here, Dahlia thought. She did not like it here.

“I’ll keep my mind open,” said Dahlia. “In the meantime, shall we try talking to some people here? Or search on our own for now?”

She wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of talking to anyone here, and wasn’t optimistic they’d even know anything. But any clue would be helpful right about now.

[filaments-of-silver]

Ka'zalii stood with her to observe the marketplace. Vendors who no doubt saw and heard many things during the day. Citizens with little else to do to fill their days than spend coin and discuss idle gossip. Both could be decent sources of information, if one was willing to be patient.

He felt her discomfort with the idea of talking directly to people and shared in it. It was unlikely they'd be willing to talk to outsiders, and intimidating them into it would result in more unwanted attention from the Watch.

"We act as if we are browsing and see if just our presence evokes conversation," he decided, "There'll be someone here unable to resist their curiosity."

It might not yield anything, but it was a better route than asking direct questions. He was well aware of how blunt his tone was, and these upper city istik seemed more sensitive than most.

"If not, we play the part of the lost, ignorant outsiders they likely expect. We are searching for kin, but their directions were very confusing."

They had promised eachother to be less reckless about their choices, a bit of harmless deception surely fit that criteria.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

She headed towards the market, hoping they’d get some information. She did her best to ignore the wary looks they were getting, joining the crowds in front of the market stalls.

She stopped by a stall where a merchant was selling fabric. He eyed her warily but didn’t say anything; brushing lightly against his mind, she sensed fear. His gaze kept going to her trident, as though he expected her to threaten him with it.

“You don’t see many gith around here, do you?” Dahlia asked casually, pretending to examine a bolt of light blue satin.

“Uh…n-no. We don’t,” he said nervously.

She looked up at him. “Have you seen other gith recently? Besides us I mean.” She gestured to herself and Ka’zalii.

He shook his head. She could detect no deception from him, so she just nodded and moved on. He continued to watch them as they left his stall. She wondered if he was considering calling a guard over. She wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.

[filaments-of-silver]

Ka'zalii followed Dahlia, weaving around curious onlookers. Nervous eyes lingering on them, spying their weapons and hurriedly looking away. The vendor of the fabric stall they approached regarded them wide eyed. He stammered his answer to Dahlia's question and she appeared satisfied with his disappointing answer.

As they moved on, he spotted a stall that might hold genuine interest for him, if likely extremely overpriced. He split off from Dahlia, approaching the stall laden with cut gemstones and minerals.

The vendor regarded him with a look of disdain to thinly mask the tension in his body. Ka'zalii leaned into the facade of a fascinated tourist and pretended to examine the wares. The elf's annoyed expression melted away when he saw the gems adorning his armour, his hair and he suddenly wore the perfect smile.

"I can see you have taste." He said, her voice far too sweet.

"Of course, why else would I be in front of your exceptional wares?" Ka'zalii responded, matching his honeyed tone, gaze lingering on his.

The elf relaxed a little, surprised by his warm tone. He held the stare for a moment before catching herself and gestured to a number of choice gemstones, "An exotic creature like yourself must want something unusual hmm?"

"It's interesting that your eyes are the precise shade I'm searching for, crystal blue, clear and vibrant." He leaned forwards a little, pretending to be lost in them for a moment.

The performance seemed to work its magic and a flustered laugh escaped the man, followed by an awkward cough as he composed his expression.

"My, my, if only all of your kind were so.. polite." He sighed, dramatically, "Elbowing their way through the Wide, not a tenday ago.. Now, is this one to your liking?"

He held up a topaz, blue in colour, each facet smooth and polished to perfection, "I'd usually ask eighty for this.. but I'd accept seventy five."

Ka'zalii pretended to examine it, far more interested in the information the man had to offer. Their quarry had been here almost a tenday and had not appeared in the Wide again since. It was worth corroborating, one source was not definitive, but it was a start.

"Yes, this one," Ka'zalii counted the relevant coins into the elf's eagerly outstretched hand, a small price to pay for a lead and a good impression.

Only after recieving the coin did he relinquish the gem and Ka'zalii nodded to him before turning to leave.

The moment his back was to the stall, the mildly flirtatious facade of warmth dropped. Still, he looked rather pleased. It had been a while since he'd employed such tactics and it was good to know he still had the skill.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia continued through the market. The next two stalls she went to had no information, either. She approached another market stand, where a bronze dragonborn merchant was selling jewelry. She was showing necklaces to a couple of women at her stall.

Dahlia pretended to be browsing her wares, looking at the rings she had for sale. She noticed the merchant eyeing her and acted as though she didn’t notice.

“You have lovely pieces for sale,” Dahlia said warmly. “Do you craft them yourself?”

“No,” she said curtly. “My brother does.”

“He’s quite a skilled craftsman,” Dahlia said, ignoring her rude tone. She pointed at an engraved silver ring. “How much for this one?”

She figured making a purchase might soften her up a bit.

“Two hundred,” said the merchant.

Dahlia handed over the gold with a smile, taking the ring from the merchant. “Can I ask you something? You haven’t seen any of my kin here, have you?”

She snorted. “Several days ago, yes. They were scaring the customers,” she said resentfully. “I’m glad they haven’t been showing their faces since. Except you.”

“Do you have any idea where they might be now?” Dahlia asked in her sweetest voice.

“No,” the merchant said.

Once again, Dahlia reached out with her mind. The merchant was lying; she had heard of gith being seen around the High House of Wonders. Despite the woman’s bad attitude and lies, she smiled and thanked her, going on her way.

[filaments-of-silver]

Ka'zalii lingered by two more stalls to keep up the facade of browsing, one vendor was unwilling to speak to him at all and kept glancing over his shoulder. When Ka'zalii followed his gaze, he spotted the Watch lurking at the edge of the Wide, suspicious eyes fixed on him. He paused to scan the crowds for Dahlia and made his way towards her. Dahlia moved on from a stall, leaving the merchant glaring after her despite a purchase being made. Tsk'va, it was difficult keeping up a fake politeness with these people. They were drawing a minor amount of attention now, perhaps it was time to leave. "The upper city is softer than I imagined, a sharp glare would crumble them to dust," he said quietly to Dahlia, then added with some amusement, "I am an exotic creature, Dahlia. Isn't it useful to learn things about yourself?"

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Ka’zalii rejoined her as she left the merchant’s stall, annoyed at her attitude towards her, and that she had had to look into her mind to get answers. She nodded in agreement with his assessment on the Upper City, rolling her eyes.

“Gods, I hate it here,” she grumbled. “Calling someone exotic…ugh! Also, she,” Dahlia ventured to the jewelry merchant, “was not helpful.” Dropping her voice she said, “I had to check her thoughts to make sure she really didn’t know anything. Apparently, the gith were seen around the High House of Wonders.”

Dahlia was upset that she’d had to resort to mind reading but knew that she had to do what she must to get what they needed.

“Shall we head there now? I think the Watch might be considering stopping us,” she said.

She was aware of them watching the two of them but pretended she didn’t notice. She really hoped they weren’t going to try and arrest them.

[filaments-of-silver]

It was frustrating, if not surprising, to see that Dahlia had just as much trouble with the locals. At least she had the option to delve into their minds without being as obvious as casting a spell. "Tsk'va.. yes. The elven purveyor of gems responds well to istik indications of sexual interest." he said, rolling his eyes, "Our prey terrorised the market a number of days ago and have not been seen since." Dahlia was as unhappy in this part of the city as he was and they were attracting attention, despite being on their best behaviour. Intolerable. "Yes, we should move on and hope they do not follow." He wasn't opposed to knocking a few guards unconscious if they did attempt to pursue them. Hopefully they were as lazy and disinterested as the guards at the gate.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia couldn’t help but snicker at his comment about sexual interest. “I’m not surprised,” she said with a laugh. “A lot of people do respond well to being flirted with by someone pretty!” She couldn’t help but tease him about it.

She made her way out of the market, keeping an eye on the Watch as she did. She sensed their suspicion of them; at least one of them was considering following her and Ka’zalii. She really hoped they wouldn’t.

“It really annoys me how they treat people here,” said Dahlia. “They only respect you if they think you’re someone of importance. I guarantee you, if I was in my illithid form, they’d be quite happy to give me information!”

They’d be eager to earn her favor, to be speaking to the hero of their city. But since they just saw a gith, someone to be wary of, they were cold and hostile. She knew not all nobles were like that, but the ones she’d spoken to in the market sure were. She did not like it.

“It just goes to show, you can’t trust people who think music is a disturbance!” she said. “I wonder if they’d be more upset by me drawing my trident or my lute?”

[filaments-of-silver]

Ka'zalii sighed, he should have known Dahlia would tease him. That would teach him to think about his words before he provided her with an opportunity. "Pretty, Dahlia? I am exquisite." he said, matter of fact, the truest thing ever spoken. Dahlia was right, reputation was everything in any city. Tu'narath was a decent comparison from his alien point of view, the higher your rank, the more prostrating you earned. The difference between his time before and after his assignment of command was night and day. "True enough, I can't imagine a more dismal place. The market squares in Tu'narath would be grim without m'lar playing their music on psionic instruments. The drinking songs from taverns. There is no life without it." he sighed, "I'd suggest we test your theory, but I cannot sing."

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“Oh, my mistake! Of course you’re exquisite!” Dahlia said, only half joking. Ka’zalii really was very pretty, but she was not interested in him like that.

She was pleased he understood her thoughts on music, was glad that he, too, enjoyed it. She was very interested in hearing githyanki music. Perhaps she’d get the chance when she was with the rebellion. The thought of perhaps learning a new instrument or two was exciting.

Dahlia smiled mischievously, then sang:

“Rocky though the road might be, blinding be the sun,

Raise your swords and grab your wands, the battle will be won-“

A nearby guard snapped at her, “Stop that! You are making a disturbance!”

Dahlia stared at the guard, feigning ignorance. “A disturbance?”

She nodded, frowning at her. “Yes, music is not allowed on the streets. If you keep disturbing the peace, you will be escorted out of the Upper City.”

Dahlia shrugged. “That’s a strange rule, but very well. I’ll behave!”

She continued on her way, and couldn’t help but snort with amusement as they let the guard behind.

Dahlia loved to sing. She was very proud of her voice. Sure, she was also proud of her skill with instruments but she loved her singing voice very much.

“I really hope this won’t take too long! If I cannot play music I will go crazy!” she declared dramatically.

[filaments-of-silver]

Ka'zalii caught that mischievous glint in Dahlia's eye, that smile on her lips, he made no attempt to stop whatever she had in mind. She began to sing then, melodic, beautiful and almost soothing. It was unfortunate she managed only a brief part of her song. How interesting that the guards were so vigilant when it came to harmless 'disturbances'! He wanted to argue with the guard, to ascertain precisely why it was a disturbance, but he had a feeling that would get him arrested just as quickly as singing would. A light chuckle escaped him when Dahlia feigned ignorance and he fought the urge to watch the guard's reaction. "We might have to cause a 'disturbance' before we leave, I can't imagine it will take much effort on our part."

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“If they hate hearing music in public, I imagine they’ll hate the sounds of combat even more!” Dahlia agreed. “Honestly, it’s too quiet here! Maybe I’m just used to the noise level of the Lower City, but I don’t like it.”

She wondered what’d happen if they happened to fight the gith in the middle of the streets. She imagined the Watch wouldn’t care that they were trying to rid of the city of them; they’d probably just arrest them. Maybe if she turned back into an illithid she could prevent them from being arrested? She wasn’t sure just how much influence she’d have over the Watch. Hopefully enough to stop them getting into trouble. And if not, she would definitely talk to Ulder Ravenguard. She was sure he would back her up.

“These Upper City people can look down on the Lower City all they like but I prefer the Lower City,” Dahlia added. She smiled. “Honestly, I think a good disturbance is what this place needs!” She was only partially joking.

[filaments-of-silver]

"Bah, I think the glorious sound of combat would be an improvement on the uncomfortable, suppressed atmosphere." He said, confidently, "I refuse to believe these people truly enjoy this."

Even the vendors uttered their sales pitches at a lower volume, it was bizarre.

As they left the Wide, only the sounds of the odd carriage or news hawker reached them. The few nobles they passed avoided their gaze and hurried away, at least the Watch had decided against following them.

Perhaps if they'd had time to plan, they might have worn something fancier to sell their cover a little better. Somehow, Ka'zalii doubted it would have made much of a difference to the istik perception of them.

"So, this High House of Wonders, what is so wondrous about it and what would kin want with it?"

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“It’s a temple of Gond, the biggest temple in Baldur’s Gate,” Dahlia explained. “The temple is essentially a series of workshops. The priests there are inventors and craftsmen. Their skills been in higher demand than usual since the Netherbrain attack, since they’ve been helping rebuild. Really, they could be after anything there.”

Dahlia had only been to the High House once before, and she had been quite impressed by the Gondar priests’ work.

“Perhaps there’s an invention there that they want?” Dahlia suggested. “Or maybe they’re just looking anywhere that looks important to find me? I’m not sure. I suppose we could ask the Gondar priests. They might be able to tell us.”

If the priests didn’t want to talk, she could use her illithid form. She hoped they’d be more cooperative than the merchants.

[filaments-of-silver]

The Temple sounded very similar to the or'mlar of his own kin. A guild of artists, craftsmen, architects, though with much less god worship. It wasn't Ka'zalii's area of expertise at all, but it was always interesting to witness a skilled individual create something from base components. It wasn't too dissimilar from the way he used magic.

"I'd expect kin to simply march in and take if they sought an object. Or perhaps there are too few of them to do so?" He mused as they walked.

Either thought was possible. The largest temple in the city might receive visits from a hero, especially with it being so integral to the rebuilding efforts. Or, an invention that might help them track Dahlia, or neutralise her. A worrying thought occurred to him.

"Do the Temple's craftsmen work with psionic devices?"

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“It is the biggest temple in Baldur’s Gate. There are over a hundred priests and acolytes there. So they are going to be outnumbered. Though…I suppose there are also going to be plenty of them leaving the temple to work on rebuilding,” Dahlia said.

She sensed worry from Ka’zalii as he asked about psionic devices. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “They might, but I’m not sure. Is there something you’re concerned about the gith taking from the temple?”

Perhaps something they could use against Dahlia? Something more effective than a collar? She shuddered at the thought.

[filaments-of-silver]

A large temple was likely very well guarded and it was likely a building full of artificers would be a formidable fight anyway. If the gith were searching for something, they'd have to resort to methods with no bloodshed. Ka'zalii and Dahlia would be seen if they approached the Temple, though they wouldn't recognise Dahlia. It might work in their favour if they forced them out of hiding.

"Yes. If they seek a device to use against you, it would be a reasonable place to start." He said, frowning in thought, "I dislike the thought, but we must not ignore it."

It would be risky, but from what they'd witnessed so far, Vlaakith's dogs were becoming more desperate by the day. He began to doubt his earlier assessment of their quarry being careful.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

“I wonder what it could be,” Dahlia said. “Something worse than a collar? Maybe something that can disable my psionics from a distance?”

Or something worse. Dahlia wondered if the Gondar priests were developing something to use against illithids because of the attack on Baldur’s Gate. She knew that they were skilled enough to make something that would work very well against her kind.

“I wish I knew more about the High House,” Dahlia said. “I’ve only been there once before. Perhaps I should have gone there more often. I was originally going to ask one of the priests there to make my prosthetic legs, but I ended up with an artificer from Waterdeep.” She smiled. “This artificer happens to be an illithid! But I mostly employ it because the priests here have been so busy…”

She would have liked to have used artificers in Baldur’s Gate. Either she had to travel to Waterdeep or Sezessk had to come to Baldur’s Gate whenever she needed work done on her legs. But she also didn’t want to bother the priests when they had so much work to do already. Besides, Sez was well-known for its excellent prosthetics (though most people knew it in its human disguise, Cedric).

“Well, whatever the gith want, I want to make sure they don’t get it,” Dahlia said firmly. “I just hope they haven’t already beaten us to it.”

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Moved to Discord!

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia stopped looking around when she heard her captor speaking. He was talking to another gith, requesting an audience with his queen. She noted the way the other gith sneered at him and wondered about that.

Either that guy is an arsehole to everyone or my captor isn’t very popular with his kin, she thought. At least I know for sure he’s one of Vlaakith’s. But what does she want with me?

She wondered what this gith did with others of her kind he captured. Considering how sadistic he seemed, she was sure she didn’t really want to know. She hoped she wouldn’t find out.

Why am I so important to Vlaakith? Dahlia thought, frustrated. She strained to hear what her captor was saying in a whisper to the other gith but couldn’t make it out. Does she just want to kill me herself? There has to be another reason she wants me alive. I’m sure he’d have killed me if she wanted me dead. And would enjoy it too. She shuddered at the thought.

Dahlia tried moving her hands in their restraints, testing how much motion she had. She was far better with magic while channeling it through her music, but perhaps if she could move her hand enough, she might be able to cast a spell? She didn’t have much hope, but she tried, wriggling her hands as much as she could against the chains.

Should I try to run? Or stick around and hope to get information for the rebellion? she thought. She didn’t want to just sit around waiting for him to take her to Vlaakith, but she also wasn’t sure if she could even get away, especially chained, unarmed, and with psionics suppressed.

Dahlia was also starting to feel a little dizzy from the blood loss, silvery blood still dripping from her throbbing tentacles. She swayed a bit as a wave of light-headedness hit her, but forced herself to remain upright and awake. She tried again to move her hands, biting back a snarl of frustration when it didn’t work.

[rp-tea-and-magic]

The kith'rak expression went from bored to interested but doubtful in a matter of seconds. "Really ? And you managed to capture it ?" It was obvious he didn't trust Helios's words. Helios approached from her squirming form on the ground, his communication device still gripped in his hand so that the kith'rak could see for himself. The ghaik had managed to sit, upright and proud. Oh, how nice ! The proud ones were the funniest to break ! But this would have to wait, unfortunately, for he was on there on a (self appointed) mission. "I only see a ghaik," protested the kith'rak. "Bleeding pitifully. How would I know this is the one we were looking for and not just one of your usual toys ?" Helios snarled, barking at the ghaik : "Your identity, ghaik. Now."

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia fought the urge to flinch away from the gith as he approached. She held her head high, glaring at the two of them.

Looks like my captor isn’t respected by his kin, Dahlia thought. I wonder why that is?

“Your identity, ghaik. Now,” her captor snapped at her.

Dahlia stares at him, dumbfounded. How in the Hells does he expect me to talk without my psionics? Dahlia thought.

She just shook her head, bewildered.

[rp-tea-and-magic]

The ghaik refused. If the circumstances had been different, if Helios' career had not depended on whether he could convince this irritating kith'rak to obtain him an audience with the queen... If it wasn't for all of this, Helios would have been delighted ! Finally, after weeks and weeks of istiks and weaklings who didn't dare to fight back, finally, there was someone who, even in such a desperate situation, would refuse to bend. Someone he could -and would- tear apart slowly, tearing and marking its flesh until its mind was utterly broken. How many days, weeks, months before it started to beg for death ? How many years before it started doing anything Helios asked, no matter how abhorrent, humiliating or painful, in the hope that, finally satisfied, Helios would release it from this existence ? He had thought that no one could ever be as entertaining as its previous toy ; others slaves had all been so boring in comparison. But perhaps, he had not been expecting enough from the hero of Baldur's Gate - an illithid who must have believed itself above those of its kind. If only the circumstances had been different, he could have proceeded slowly and enjoyed each second of it. But the kith'rak patience was fraying, and he couldn't afford for him to hang up. Helios kicked the ghaik violently in the stomach. A brusque method that didn't suit his usual refinement, but the kith'rak wouldn't have the patience for something more elaborate. "Your identity, ghaik," he repeated, taking hold of the chain linked to the collar, and tugging with enough strength to bend the ghaik's neck painfully, keeping the rest of its body back with one boot still pressing on that tender stomach.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia bit back a cry of pain as the githyanki kicked her in her already bruised stomach. She was already tender in that area from having his knee slammed into her belly earlier.

“Your identity, ghaik,” he repeated, yanking on the chain attached to her collar, foot pressing on her stomach.

She grabbed at the chain, trying to pull away. The collar was biting painfully into her neck.

What does he expect from me?

Dahlia shook her head again, gesturing at the collar, squirming as she tried to get his foot off of her, or put some slack in the chain.

[rp-tea-and-magic]

The ghaik stayed silent, shaking its head with something akin to panic... Ah. Did it even know how to speak without its psionics ? Most were taught how to in these colonies of them, but one's teaching was sometimes incomplete. If this was the case... But before he could offer not-so-nicely a suggestion, the kith'rak had had been talking to spat : "I have better use of my time than this. Not everyone take pleasure in watching ghaiks squirm, vin'isk !" The connection was cut. "Tsk'va !" spat Helios as he tried to call back his only chance of an audience with the queen. But the kith'rak must not have been in the mood to be disturbed further, for he didn't pick up Helios' calls.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

It seemed that the gith was finally understanding that she couldn’t speak. She wondered vaguely if he knew something she didn’t, some way that illithids could speak without telepathy. It was possible—after all, she didn’t know everything about her own kind yet.

He opened his mouth to say something when the other gith he was speaking to seemed to reach the end of his patience and ended their conversation.

Her captor swore and attempted to call the other githyanki again.

Dahlia waited, still clutching the chain attached to her collar. Anxiety filled her as she watched him. She feared that he would take his frustration out on her, and judging by his reputation, he as very good at torturing illithids.

She dug her heels into the ground and pulled at her chain, trying desperately to get away from the gith.

[rp-tea-and-magic]

The kith'rak wouldn't take his calls anymore. Infuriated, he nearly crushed the device on his hand, but forced himself to relax the grip of his fingers. He would have to try again tomorrow - perhaps his interlocutor would be in a more patient mood then. He slipped the device back in his pocket and crouched on the floor, leaning toward the ghaik until their eyes aligned. "Now, you can be a good little ghaik and stuck a tentacle down your throat," he cooed in his most sickeningly sweet tone, a smile without warmth on his lips, "or I can use you as a test subject for the new torture methods I have been developing recently." He tilted his head, staring at the ghaik with excitement, for both possibilities would be pleasing for him - the second one, particularly, would allow him to let off some steam after the infuriating way he had been treated by the kith'rak. But it would be unfair to not even leave a chance for this pathetic creature to earn relative safety by cooperating. "So, what will it be...?"

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Dahlia flinched as the gith leaned in towards her, a cold smile on his face. She stared at him, confused, as he told her to stick one of her tentacles in her throat.

Stick a tentacle in my throat? she thought. Is that how I’m supposed to speak without my psionics?

She didn’t trust this gith, and didn’t like the idea of shoving one of her remaining tentacles down her throat. But she liked the thought of being tortured even less.

Hesitantly, somehow feeling humiliated, she slowly pushed a tentacle into her throat. She closed her eyes, fighting the urge to shudder at how uncomfortable she felt.

[tunes-and-tentacles]

Moved to Discord!