Rinwell Is A Thing

Sleepy durgetash sketch I've done, because evil has to sleep too 😚

Golden hour 🍂

I'm DMing a DnD campaign for first-timers so I had to go through some stuff again, and the 2014 player's handbook description of druids made me think about halstarion

I love me some "I'll go against duty for you". I can't help it !

My biggest red flag is i love Enver Gortash and i think i can fix him.

I got a party banter between Bellara and Taash about how the Lords of Fortune steal elven artifacts. And then Taash clarifies later that they have a Dalish expert on the team so they can check to make sure the Lords don't sell something culturally important and instead return it to the elves.

Like. I get it. You want the Lords to be fun swashbuckler Disney pirates and Robin Hoods instead of actual pirates who steal and plunder. Because we're only now in Western society realizing that stealing from indigenous groups is, uh, bad. But like. Writing really uninteresting factions for your "dark" fantasy (tho lbr Dragon Age hasn't been dark fantasy since DA2) isn't gonna solve real-world neo-colonialism, ya know? The Lords not stealing priceless elven artifacts and returning them to the elves doesn't signal to me that the Lords are total rascally good guys, it signals to me that BioWare itself is trying really hard to seem morally conscious. "See? We know stealing from other cultures is bad!!!"

And man. Not to be a "political correctness has poisoned media" grifter on main (tbh it's less political correctness itself and more the commodification of real-world activism) but I couldn't help but imagine how this convo would've played out in earlier games, potentially even Inquisition.

You could've so EASILY made this interesting while giving the Lords and Taash and Bellara a lot more depth, while also making it clear that stealing from indigenous groups is wrong.

Just have the Lords, yeah, actually sell those artifacts. But also establish that the Lords take in and help elves from all walks of life. That they free slaves, or collaborate with alienages. Then you could have Taash defend the practice by saying to Bellara that little orphaned elf kids being sold as slaves probably don't give a flying fuck about some artifacts they're never gonna see, but the money from selling those artifacts goes to buying them food. And have Bellara fire back that preserving elven culture is also part of its survival, and that there are Dalish clans that would be willing to pay for them or offer something in return. Or have her say that the Lords are doing charity for the sake of recruitment rather than actual altruism. And then Taash responds that those high and mighty Dalish elves don't do shit to help abandoned city elves, just because those aren't part of their correct elven subculture, and they care more about reclaiming old glory than helping the people that exist here and now.

Then you could have side missions or at least codex entries that describe maybe some Lord recruit being conflicted about what they're doing. Maybe a few of them are collaborating to hijack a deal or steal back an artifact. Have implications that some high-ranking Lords are, in fact, using those artifacts for their own gain, despite claiming otherwise. Have some Lords genuinely trying to help, and believing that gold and trinkets don't matter as much as people's lives, so they sell them in exchange for safety for refugees or slaves or some other helpless group.

But no. Instead it's "hey do you steal from my people?" "nah lmao we have a cultural advisor don't even worry about it" "oh wow so cool and woke of you!" And then that's it. No need for any further discussion. No conflict and no complexity. No bad actors and moral quandaries.

Weh.

gort sketch from the other day i drew while trying to figure out how to draw his face. that is all

Get to know my OCs: modern vibes: who would they be in a modern setting?

Sentry Ojeda:

Edgelord goth core art kid. Always has a sketchbook and pens, noise canceling headphones covered in edgy stickers, horror and band merch, hand-distressed clothing and big hair, kinda unintentionally smug and gate keepy about how obscure his favorite music and horror movies are, if you invite him to your tabletop game, he is edgy mcedgelord. Big fan of Jhonen Vazquez.

Wysp Silksong:

Indie musician, cat dad, cool guy working at the record store who always plays at coffee house open mic nights and pines after the guy he likes that he just can't confess to. Mostly keeps to himself and unironically posts how much better he likes his cats than people.

Kroger of Creche K'liir:

Super serious medical student. Over achiever in highschool, dangerously close to burnout, survives on triple shots of espresso and protein bars, this will all be worth it when he's a doctor. Family is everything and he is overworking himself trying to keep his family happy this whole time. Goes to the gym to stay in shape but also secretly likes to be around all the work out bros.

Jaina Thalassia:

Beach and books girlie. Surfing, reading on the beach, collecting shells, special interest is marine biology and nautical history, equally a crystals and goddess energy girl. Disability advocate as well because of her illness, good with kids and clowns on people who hate on kids online. Theatre kid

Jackal Silk:

The guy you cross the street to avoid, probably spent too much time on 4chan and reddit, toxic masculinity and cringe tough guy shit, trolls people constantly, tough guy copy pasta energy.

Octavia of Creche K'liir:

Plushie collector, monsterfucker, long info deep dives and getting caught up watching hours long video essays online, kinda a 'well actually'person, always taking notes, shitty student but full of obscure facts and information, infodumping.

Jackal would absolutely be the

Tough guy copypasta dude.

Also:

Sentry: "Someone will die."

Wysp: "Of fun!"

Lol 100%

Not a question! Just share your Tav/Durge’s name and picture!

My Tav, Whisper Honeyguide. They are a necromancer, ambitious and cunning, having started out as a charlatan and really living up to that - the only people they wouldn't scam the daylights out of are other tieflings. Needless to say, the refugees got lucky. Resident lesbian (enby but the energies are there) with Shadowheart.

My Durge, Kriivah. They are a beautiful Oathbreaker Paladin, and while they have resisted the urge on some, uh, important points in time due to mostly pragmatic reasons, they are still really eager to bathe in blood. Astarion can fix them, surely (he is for sure trying his best... with some caveats).

I have not finished the game, playing these two side by side to compare how the story changes based on whether you are the Durge or not, and I will develop them in depth once I have finished the story. Kriivah has not even made it to Baldur's Gate yet.

I adore these posts!

Tav: Gustav of Winterwood

Durge: Vardana of Winterwood

As inconsistent as the story sounds, a kelemvorite group took the Bhaalspawn when a baby, so these two were raised together as siblings. Then Durge was taken back by the cult when young and they met each other again at Nautiloid years later. Tav used Durge's amnesia to bring his sister back to the right way. Yes, he is a manipulative fanatic, but he has good intentions :)

Sentry Ojeda, Kroger of Creche K'liir, Octavia of Creche K'liir, Jackal Silk, and Jaina Thalassia.

Sentry is my canon Durge, a trans masc artist and copper dreadful enthusiast who is deeply in love with Enver Gortash and at one point very close with his little sister Orin until Sarevok turned her against him. Devoted to his adoptive mother, a paladin of the church of Ilmater, eventually defies Bhaal due to her influence.

Kroger is a highly anxious but incredibly skilled and professional Ghustil I'm training and war priest of Vlaakith who grew up with Lae'zel and usually accompanies her on missions as dedicated healer. He learns of Vlaakith's lies and has a crisis of faith, afterwhich he, having befriended Isobel and Shadowheart, becomes a Selunite.

Octavia is a researcher who studies istik and their cultures to bring more knowledge to her people's great libraries, Lae'zel would often accompany her as a body guard on her excursions. She immediately falls for Gale who is full of knowledge and also asks her questions.

Jackal is a Bhaalspawn from the time of troubles, but isn't favored by his father. His purpose is to serve Sentry and Orin and follow their orders, which he resents. He was a fourth son of House Vandree and only kept because Bhaal was his father. He was married off to a matriarch of House Oblodra who found him handsome and after years of abuse, he ultimately made her his first murder, a late bloomer.

Jaina Thalassia is the Chosen of Umberlee, Daughter of a paladin and a priestess of the goddess and raised on an island of tiefling Pirates. She came to Baldur's Gate to learn and to eventually teach as well as perform a year of service to Allandra Grey, but she suffers from a terminal illness and was only getting sicker until the tadpole halted her disease. She is in love with Wyll and Karlach.

Grab your tiefling 1

Reblogging because of reasons :3. How many years should I have these two dumbs in my head???

I love Rolan

Durge gives Gortash homework before they roleplay

Scel-free version on Bluesky!

Got something on your hind? I mean mind.

A quick Bloodweave render to keep me going while I'm sick as a dog.

Background generously provided by @bhaalbaaby