Lylith Embersong, the Songsmith

A watercolor painting of my bard from Baldur's Gate 3

Lylith Embersong was a tiefling child born into a traveling troupe. Her mother (a tiefling) taught her fighting and her father (a human) taught her music. Many years prior, the troupe leader had reneged on a contract with Raphael. The troupe leader hid for years while on the run, but Korilla tracked him down. Lylith is playing in the troupe leader’s tent (he was like a grandfather to her) but when Korilla shows up, he sends Lylith away. Lylith eavesdrops outside the tent, but can barely hear the conversation. Korilla warns the troupe leader that surrendering means only some will perish, but trying to escape again will result in the entire troupe’s death. The troupe leader surrenders. 

Raphael sends imps to destroy the troupe. Lylith is one of the few escapees, but her parents die in the attack, while saving her. The knowledge “This is what happens when you mess with the hells” burns into the brains of the survivors. Lylith is unaware of Raphael’s role in destroying the troupe and murdering her family. Her only clues are that a devil, the troupe leader, and the threatening dwarf woman are connected to the attack. All Lylith has left of her parents are the red earrings she had stolen from her mother’s jewelry box (red scintilla), her father’s violin, and the clothes on her back.

Most of the survivors from the troupe settle in Baldur’s Gate, including Lylith Embersong. She survives by busking on street corners, playing her father’s violin for coin. Times are rough and money is hard to come by. (It's easy to imagine that if she had been unlucky she might’ve crossed paths with Astarion in those rough days.) Thankfully as she grows older, her skills gain her enough recognition that she’s hired to work patriar functions. Lylith’s skill in discerning people’s intentions sharpens working the cutthroat world of nobility.

Lylith is filled with trepidation when she meets Raphael in Act 1, but she dismisses those feelings as her past, haunting her. Her sense of paranoia heightens when she sees Korilla at the tiefling party. Before Lylith can interrogate her, Korilla vanishes. Her feelings intensify, in Act 2, when she meets Yurgir and Lyrthindor and learns about their contracts. Finally, in Act 3, Lylith meets Korilla at Sharess’s Caress. Lylith wants to grab Korilla by the arms and question her, but knows that playing things cool will get her more information. Korilla drops the name of her employer, ‘Raphael’. 

If Korilla works for Raphael, then it was Raphael who killed her family and the troupe. Mind reeling, she goes upstairs and sees the argument between Voss and Raphael. When Lylith speaks to Raphael, she realizes he’s playing her. Either Raphael doesn’t know he was the cause of her parents’ deaths (unlikely that he wouldn’t know the souls affected by that attack), or he is playing dumb on purpose because he thinks she doesn’t know. (Can you imagine how gleeful Raphael would be? To cause a soul’s misery in early life. To be the cause for its burning desire for vengeance? And then to bind that soul in a legal contract? Do you really think he’d ever let her go?)

Raphael offers her the contract. Lylith is upset that Raphael would try to use her after what he did to her family, so she refuses him, but keeps her realization quiet. She is waiting for the perfect moment to strike. In his arrogance, Raphael slips up and grants her the path towards vengeance. He tells Lylith the location of the Orphic hammer. With this knowledge, she concocts a plan. She plans to break into his house for two reasons: to steal the Orphic Hammer and to lure Raphael back to kill him in the Hells (permanent death for Devils). It is a hard fought battle, but Lylith Embersong prevails. She slays Raphael. She’s a tiefling, a child of the hells too, and no one messes with a child of the hells.

Astarion: I think he likes us. Tav: I like him, too. But I'd never say it to his smarmy face. Raphael has a crush on Tav and tries real hard to act cool about it.

pple weren't kidding abt that disney villain ass music oh my god

my favorite bg3 npcs

House of Hope

"Raphael writing silly poetry" Request came by @volotramp I've been wanting to draw them together for a long time. Such a cute trio <3

Part 2 of Raphael's cooking adventures the morning after

Find part 1 here

All I'm saying is I think she has days where she regrets saying yes to a warlock pact with a theater kid

It occurs to me that maybe one of the reasons I didn't necessarily percieve Raphael as my enemy was because I unlocked that one scene where he saves you when the Goblin priestess imprisons you in selunes temple in act 1 right on my first playthrough. It made a pretty big impression on me and made him seem less hostile. I think it was this scene that really made me look forward to our next meeting.

Being rescued from the clutches of the enemy is a popular romance fiction trope for a reason, and it probably activated something in my brain.

It's too bad he doesn't bring it up later to tease Tav because that seems like something he would do.

Male Poll

NPC SMOOCHING POLL UPDATE:

I forgot that everyone isn’t bi so I’m separating the poll I did before into men and women for better range (sorry to any of your enby hcs). I consulted the notes and tallied the characters people asked for who to add. (Leaving out Alfira, Dammon, and Aylin because I know they will sweep the competition)(some people mentioned I should take out the emperor and Mizora because you can smooch them in the game, which is fair, but they have a low enough fan base that I’m gonna keep them in) (I’m also putting in Jaheira and Minsc who arnt NPCs but arnt romancable)(also people weren’t sure what smooching means so I’m gonna clarify in a romantic/sexual way, not like a comfort kiss)(if you are ace I guess you can do comfort kiss)

Part 2 of my Raphael notes and observations from combing over the House of Hope, be warned these may be spoiler-ish:

There's a copy of the DnD-verse K*ma S*tra in his boudoir, I cant remember what its called tho its like quarta serto or something.

There is an eternal debtor that worships Raphael's used chamberpot. There's an action to 'use' it but tbh I was not interested in trying it out.

There is a voyeur eternal debtor that Raphael instructed to always stand outside the boudoir and watch what goes on inside but never to join. She seems pretty into it.

Most of the plaques, scrolls, books etc suggest he has a strong sense of justice and a love of rules and laws which makes sense.

As a child, Gortash was sold by his parents to Raphael to pay a debt and he was kept in the prison and regularly beaten until he escaped.

Signs letters and instructions with 'R'

Has a 100 chapter book he's written of what is essentially fanfiction-esque imaginings he has of different in which he is coronated Archdevil Supreme, one of which is of course the scenario in which you give him the crown. The book describes some different chapters as being written as though they are historical fact, others as imagined futures.

One book describes how he himself created the Orphic Hammer to be able to break any infernally created chains.

Korilla has transcribed two scrolls of conversations Raphael has had with Hope. The first of which he askes Hope to sing him a nursery rhyme. The example he gives her when Hope is confused is a suggestive rhyme.

"Little Miss Teffle, sat on her kettle, steam blowing between her lips. Along came her oven, in need of some loving, and soon she had scalded hips."

Hope sings for him a nursery rhyme from her childhood and when the song ends Raphael sighs contentedly. He's so pleased he offers her the opportunity to be master of her own fate as a reward. She calls him "Sweet Raphael" and then tells him to eat shit. He responds with what sounds like genuine shock/disappointment "But..." and Korilla describes him as looking at Hope with immense "longing and hate", then implies she'll be punished.

In the 2nd transcription Raphael torments Hope with a jar filled with nightmares. Before doing so he says "Serve me then! Damn your pride and serve me with your whole heart!" She still says no, and he is disappointed and calls her naughty.

Oh also, he calls Hope by the pet name Sweetling, describes her as "my tenacious petal clinging to the flower despite winter, nature, and all common sense", and he also calls her 'dear one'

If you talk to Korilla she says Hope is Raphael's 'favourite toy', Raphael offered Hope "the world, but she didnt want it. He sweetened the deal; she said no. No matter how many times he upped the ante, she just laughed in his face. He didn't like that."

Korilla goes on to say "Eventually, he took her by force. Trapped her and swore he wouldn't let her go 'til she gave him what he wanted."

Countdown to Baldur's Gate 3: Day 6

This encounter with Korilla Hearthflame only happens if you've never met Raphael prior to the Goblin stronghold; Personally I've never experienced the bug for myself, but seeing her wonky exit in someone else's game was hilarious!

It's confirmed... Raphael won't shut up about the MC.

When he said "I've grown quite fond of you, you know, in my way" in Act II... He wasn't lying.

That one line from Raphael's Second Diary will never cease to get me 🥺 LIKE MIGHT I ADD- these are his private thoughts, separate from his manipulation attempts and so he, with his full chest, admits so much in his second diary, like when he says "never have I been so attracted to mortals as I am to those infested by the tadpole." AHH, (my delusions are so real, trust)

BUT WHEN HE SAYS "They gestured to the melting hooks, suddenly glanced my way, and in their face I saw they had the best of me." look, I get the subtext behind all these quotes, but a girl can just ignore all that media literacy and take it for face value, OK? 💅 but also reading into it, he does admire Tav to a certain extent, and I have to wonder, why? Tav isn't an origin character and Tav's actions and character basically changes with every playthrough (Same with Durge, as they can change too) So I have to wonder if it's because Tav is controlled by the player, since, Raphael does end up breaking the fourth wall in his epilogue speech, so perhaps that's what he sees.

Another way to look at it is, either way, no matter what the playthrough, he sees something in Tav, something that makes them stand out much brighter than their companions (For some reason???)

To further that statement, what is the best of Raphael? I mean, if its an evil playthrough, that would be obvious, but if you're playing a good playthrough, what then? perhaps what he sees is someone he can finally use to get the crown, that's also very likely. Still though that's a very to the point (IMO) not as interesting of a reading since it's literally just his end goal for us, BUT STILL A VALID ONE, because, it is true, that's what he wants from us the most.

Also his third diary where he just straight up admits that he's being so honest with us so he can manipulate us, love that for him, "I am master here. A prince of bargains cloaked like scarlet satin. All that hidden under sublimely obvious truths that cannot be discounted." Which also makes me wonder, is Raphael actually an honest person? I mean, Korilla thinks he's at least decent, but honest? outside of helping us, if we look at Yurgir, he really fucked him over lol. Obviously, Raphael isn't what he seems, even if he's honest with us, to what extent? he says it himself, he's honest about "...sublimely obvious truths..." but what about when he says he's grown quite fond of us in his own way, HMMMM?

I wish this man got a proper story arc in the game, outside of the whole deal for the hammer and House of Hope, that's all plot related for the hammer, but a storyline about Raphael as a character? I mean yea, maybe that would whisk away some of his mystery, his intrigue, but I'm sorry- you cant just end it with him fucking himself (poorly) and trying to break Hope (making her a metaphorical symbol of hope anyway, I think....) AND LEAVE IT THERE?!?!? at the same time, I do like the ambiguity of his character, you could think of him as a cruel bastard after seeing what he's done in the House Of Hope to his debtors and Hope herself or perhaps just a Pathetic lil guy who's shit in bed lol, or maybe even soft, if you go off Korillas words and what he does for us in game he can come across as quite nice, especially after we've interacted with Mizora who's is the only other Cambion example we can go off of.

I also just think it's interesting that he sees anything in Tav/Durge at all. Ofc he says he sees the best of him (Always gotta relate back to himself lol) but that especially a mortal is what he could see himself, the best of himself, but then again he does see potential and ambition as admirable (?) or just something he appreciates, you can see that with Mol and Gortash to some extent anyway, But what ambitions does Tav have outside of just trying to survive? Like, the obvious answer is he wants us to give him the crown and we're the underdog in the story but then why does he refer to Tav so differently then? I fear this has turned into another rant again, lol.

Just a final thought here, but, if he did ever get a story arc, similar to the companions, would they give you multiple directions to take his character? i mean with Shadowheart for example, you could help her break from shar or have her fully convert into shars chosen, but even then, if you free her from shar theres the point of saving her family or freeing her from Shars (curse?) there's multiple ways for her story to end. Though, Raphael isnt a companion, so would he have something similar to idk a minor companion like Halsin or Minthara, who don't really have that much of a diversion (I think) in their endings, they don't really have the option, only really if the player decides to be evil or not, they kinda just follow them either way, it doesn't really impact their own stories. Obviously, I would prefer something with nuance but also, HE ISN'T A COMPANION 😭 and pressingly some of the companions need more work done than he does atm lol. Maybe that's me just projecting lol, once again, me wanting to have my cake and eat it too, anyway, that's me done... for now lol

Raphael + MTG Cards

(With exception of Raphael, Master of the House and Korilla, the cards are based on preexisting ones. If you're curious I included them below)

Raphael, Fiendish Savior is his official card

Raphael's Final Act = Kardur's Vicious Return

Infernal Contract = Demonic Pact

Doomed, Detected, and Caught = Blazing Hope

I'm a longtime MTG fan and felt like playing again after finishing BG3! I made these for fun. If you play MTG Arena too, feel free to reach out!

Rapheal and his employee :D