The brightest sun 🌞

These horse boys are my friend's elf character Ignatz (Divine Soul Sorcerer) & my character Bataar (Path of Wild Magic Berserker).

About Wyll and his horns

Let's say I was writing a part of my Tav's story with Wyll directly connected to the dialogue he has during the tiefling party, and while struggling with this bit, I've realized there's quite a few misconceptions floating around. I felt compelled to add information to the table that might clear them, so here we go.

First, what exactly happens to Wyll when he disobeys Mizora in act one? Well, he doesn't get turned into a devil, he certainly doesn't get turned into a tiefling, he's not a half fiend, not a demon, none of that. Wyll stays human, but he has horns and red eyes (and other features we can't see on his model as of now).

(Everyone has their race listed, Wyll's remains "Human")

This is because when a warlock fails to uphold some part of their contract they can suffer a certain number of consequences, Wylls is “The character grows horns, a tail, or some other devilish features that can't be removed by any means short of divine intervention. As long as these marks persist the character detects as a fiend when subjected to Detect Evil and Good spells or similar magic.” ( from Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, page 214)

And I’ve come across some people that think it wasn’t so bad of a punishment, that he was being racist towards the tieflings, or just not being justified in being upset after having his body forcibly changed against his will. I think they are missunderstanding just how insidious Mizora’s actions were, and here I just want to give some context to maybe bring a better understanding to the situation. Your conclusions are up to you.

Gonna start by using a not exact analogy, but I think it’s going to make the explanation easier. Stick with me for a minute.

Remember Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean? He had a branded “P” on his arm that marked him as a pirate. A murderer, robber, criminal, etc. in the eyes of the society he was a part of. What did Jack do to earn the branding? (if you don’t know this I suggest you look up the “people aren’t cargo mate” scene) He refused to transport slaves and later freed them, and Beckett had him marked as punishment.

Then, in the first movie, he saves Elizabeth, a woman he didn’t know, from drowning. Right after however, when Norrington sees he has a branded “P”, he’s like “alright, off to jail with you, and then hanging”, no other option crosses his mind. Again, Jack doesn’t know Elizabeth, isn’t indicated to think he is going to be rewarded for helping her, he just sees a drowning person, sees that no one else is going to help, and chooses to save them. That is a pretty selfless/good aligned thing to do, for no other reason that he was the one able to do it, yet the branding in his arm overrides any good action he could ever do, marking him as a criminal for execution and no further thought.

In a way, that’s what Mizora did to Wyll; she forever visibly branded him as someone that has made deals with devils, and that in the world of DnD is a VERY BAD THING. Personally I really like the mod that gives him more devilish features, but at the same time I think there was something clever about choosing to leave him looking more human. He can’t be confused with a tiefling, he doesn’t have the ears, the claws, the tail, all those features that characterize them. He looks kind of uncanny, and that would be like a red flag for anyone in that world. (Beyond the already existing hate for tieflings that I’m not gonna tackle on here because it’s a complicated thing that deserves its own post). And Wyll wants to do good, he wants to help people, to be a positive force in the world so, so badly. This dude got abducted by a nautiloid, got tadpole’d, and the first thing he did right after that was come across the Tiefling refugees and be like “Oh you need help? No worries let me teach you self defense. Oh you being attacked by goblins? Let me blast them real quick”. His way of saying fuck you to all the awful things that have happened to him is being aggressively good and kind. Mizora knows this very well, wants to see him suffer for her amusement, wants to remind him he can't escape her claws, so her choice of punishment was to forever taint his future interactions with mistrust and suspicion. Some people can go real fast from “oh thank God they saved me” to “oh no, are they gonna rob me, are they trying to trick me, are they in cahoots with the ones that attacked me first?” just because of outward appearances. Especially in DnD world. And that deserves its own conversation, but we're focusing on Wyll here.

(Mizora, when I catch you Mizora)

“Well, maybe he shouldn’t have made a deal in the first plac- - “ He was seventeen, alone, preyed upon by Mizora and put in an impossible situation. Please PAY ATTENTION to the story you’re witnesing.

Anyway.

About the tieflings. I know it’s easy to think his words can be derisive towards them, but it’s less about the horns and more about his body being changed against his will. Imagine instead that he got half his face burned, or something that disfigured him. I think his feelings at the moment were closer to that, and yeah they are pretty insensitive words to say to someone with a similar condition (horns or disfiguration), but when feelings are fresh and raw like that it’s easy to say insensitive things. Not saying it was ok for him to say those things, but ther was no malice in his words. I’ve also seen some people share that they think Mizora wanted to change him more to make him unrecognizable to his original self, the Wyll Ravenguard kid, and I think there is some truth to that too. She wants to make sure that Wyll remembers that he belongs to her, there's no question to that.

(MIZORA, WHEN I CATCH YOU MIZORA)

Whether the Tieflings refugees would feel unsettled by Wyll or not? Yes. In a way, they would. From reasons aside from the ones I explained above, remember that these specific tieflings come from Elturel. If you didn’t pass the History check or don’t remember, Elturel is a city that was literally ripped from the land and dragged to Avernus, First layer of hell (it left a hole on the ground and everything) because their mayor made a deal with the Archdevil Zariel some decades back in the timeline. He sold the souls of all its citizens and the city itself.

This was probably one of the worst times of their lives. Some even got captured and forced to participate in the blood War, like Dammon as a mechanic. And after Elturel got returned to the surface, the tieflings lost their homes because they reminded the other citizens of the literal Hell they’d just gone through, and they kicked them out. And remember, they met and saw Wyll as a human, and then saw him with horns. It’s not unreasonable to think that by looking at him they would be reminded of all the events that led them to the awful situation they’re in. Because of someone that was making deals with devils, just like Wyll. Even if his situation is completely different. And Wyll knows that, that’s why he tells you the tieflings are unsettled by him and chooses to stay away during the party.

It was never just about the horns.

And I know Wyll calls himself a devil but I think it’s because it’s the closest thing he looks as; devils are a whole different race with their own intricacies, although humans can be turned into devils ONCE their souls go to Avernus and they start climbing the power hierarchy there (Mizora and Raphael are cambions/ half-devils btw, which is a different thing,  there are plenty of videos exploring those details more in depth).

Do I think Larian should have made some of this information clearer/easier to access? Maybe? but to be fair, it's a game focused and dedicated to a crowd that was already somewhat familiar with the source material, that blew up waay out of what they originally expected to reach. Hopefully they’ll add some clarifications like they did to other quests. 

Anyway these are my two cents to the conversation, have a nice day, and don't hesitate to add your two cents if you feel like it!

Hellish Landscape: Art in the Szarr Palace

The other day my friend and I were running through the Szarr palace on multi-player, and found this elaborate painting which neither of us had ever noticed before. It is in the cursed guest room where you can find the body of Victoria, on the wall directly to the right of the door as you walk through.

If you use Alt or hover your mouse over the painting, it reveals that it is titled Hellish Landscape. And that title could not be more accurate, because what it is depicting is the Descent into Avernus.

The winged figure at the top is none other than Zariel, recognizable by the flail she has in place of one hand. Behind her, that glowing circle is the Companion, the second sun that burned above Elturel for 50 years, before it turned into a portal that tore the city through into Avernus. Elturel itself can be seen below both the Companion and Zariel.

What is particularly interesting, in in-universe terms, is how quickly this painting was made, relative to Elturel's fall.

Another question it raises, based on the incredible detail of it all: who made this painting, what was their connection to Elturel or the Hells, and how did it come to be occupying a sole guest room in Szarr Palace?

Note: The lighting in Szarr palace is truly abysmal, so I took the painting to Sorcerous Sundries for a clearer reference. Here it is in its original position.

ETA: This painting can also be found in the secret vault behind the inert gem in the House of Hope.

Do you think Doni is nonverbal because he's autistic?

This is the second Doni ask I've received. Are you the same anon? I'm working on the other one, by the way. 😁

He certainly could be autistic, but personally I think he's traumatised. Zevlor and the other tieflings mention they're refugees and survivors from Elturel. Without going too in-depth, Elturel was a major city in the Western Heartlands of West Faerûn. Zariel, Archdutchess of Avernus, pulled the whole city into the hells, specifically into the River Styx. If Doni witnessed it while escaping, he would've seen something like this:

Terrifying. The city was sucked through a black hole, leaving nothing but a crater behind, and all the survivors were turned into devils to serve in the Blood War. This easily could have caused Doni's mustism, and if that is the case, I hope his voice recovers. It also explains why he put letters in rivers and addressed them to the Styx, hoping they would reach his father.

If anything, I'd argue he has hyperlexia, which is often (though not always) part of the autism spectrum. His writing is impeccable, especially in comparison to some of the other letters you can find. Mirkon's letter, for example, is typical for a boy his age; full of errors and small words. Though I personally think Doni's mutism is the result of trauma, he could very well be autistic, too.

Silly little idea that I wanted to draw out between all these soldiers

After the Return of Elturel (Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492).

Surviving four months in the Hells does take it out of you at the end of the day, rookies of the Night Raven Mercenary Group or not.

Ikaron: Do you think we'll stay in Baldur's Gate long?

Okta: Of course. It's a big city, lots of opportunity.

Ikaron: But Elturel...

Okta: Don't let that place cast a shadow on you head forever.

Ikaron: I guess things are already better. I've learned a lot.

Okta: There we go, boy. Now back to packing.

---✧⋆⋅☆⋅⋆✧---

Okta: Do you need help, Ikaron?

Ikaron: Nn-! No, I've got it!

Okta: Don't be breaking your back before we get to Baldur's Gate.

Ikaron: I won't. I'm not ten anymore.

Okta: Don't I know it. But there's two more boxes after this one.

Ikaron: Ugh.

---✧⋆⋅☆⋅⋆✧---

Okta: What do you think of opening a cart in Baldur's Gate?

Ikaron: A cart? Like on the street?

Okta: Exactly. Noble types won't want a tiefling cooking for them but common folk...

Ikaron: A cart sounds fine, but do I have to haul it around?

Okta: Until we make the coin for a proper ox, maybe.

BG3 text - Zevlor (8/?)

I have no excuses for this,,,, I was initially drawing them with their hair down then it became a tits out kind of moment,,,,

Bonus: my Durge’s own bird’s nest under her hood

waterdeep? what’s it so deep for?

Hate to see you leave. Love to watch you go.

The Infernal Blacksmith

April's pin up is Dammon of Elturel, our favourite blacksmith. In the Forge of the Nine, he sits on his anvil and thinks mischievous thoughts.

I loved painting the different materials on this one; the stone, the well-kept leather, the distressed metal and the wood were all so fun to render.

If you want to see the version where Dammon is getting naughty in broad daylight (TUT TUT!), check out my little art club :)

As a reminder, I pledged to donate April's Patreon money to the eSims for Gaza project. May's Patreon money will be sent to MermaidsUK, a support charity for trans youth.

Gods above, the things I'd do to this man...

how I'd drain him of all his life essence ...

he wouldn't survive our encounter 😔

It's the confused head tilt from all of them that really gets me.

I uh uh uhhhhhh tieflings having denning/nesting instincts. Zevlor wakes up really needing to den one day so he spends 4am to 9am making a den out of blankets and finding every blanket he can in the house to do it. Tav wakes up in the worlds most elaborate blanket fort, probably overheating under a warm bundle of blankets as Zevlor fusses with a wall.