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It was a steel helmet, plain and functional but adorned with a broken plume of some bird or another, dyed crimson red. |
"Something doesn’t seem right." Shadowheart murmured to herself as they drew closer to the druid. |
"Wyll," Halsin called to the monster hunter once they were close enough for voices not to carry. "I found this along the western fork of the road. I believe..." |
"Father’s helm." Wyll breathed out, taking possession of the helmet. "Did you see anything else?" |
"This," The druid offered a torn letter to the monster hunter. "a few bodies, one drow, one human, wearing sigils of The Absolute. And, sadly, a few githyanki youth. Signs of a struggle - " |
"No!" Shadowheart cried out, turning to the western road and readying her mace. |
A noxious stench flowed down the road, followed by five slavering ghasts. The undead creatures were mindless, mottled dead flesh pulled tight over decaying musculature, eyes like coals burning deep in sunken faces. They wore whatever torn fabric managed to hang on to their bodies after death. Worse were their mouths, o... |
Behind the ghasts charge, two seven-foot-tall skull-faced creatures stood, their dark armor blending in with the quickly-falling night, making their bleached bone-white heads appear to hover in the shadows. |
Shadowheart called out to her dark goddess, causing two ghasts to turn around and run back to the west. The towering skull-faced creatures turned the ghasts back again. "I can’t turn them!" Shadowheart gasped. |
Tav fell to the ground, retching uncontrollably, whatever magic she had been prepared to cast sparkled ineffectively, dissipating into the air. Astarion, choosing not to breathe, stood over her, knocking an arrow to his shortbow. |
"I’ve smelled worse in the hells." Karlach said with a shrug before leaping impossibly far into the center of the ghast group to lay about with her massive axe. Limbs fell to the ground like autumn leaves, but the ghasts did not stop. Lae’zel joined her, finally cutting the head off a ghast, its body slumped to the ear... |
Halsin, dropping the helmet, shape-changed into a very large spider, skittering on eight legs into battle with the ghasts. The giant spider did more to prevent the ghasts from approaching the rest of the group than actually fighting them. Behind Halsin, Gale fell to the ground vomiting for all he was worth. He would be... |
Tav looked up, almost recovered and hoping to assist her friends, only to see a giant spider and be overcome with shock. "No..." She whispered, scuttling backwards on all fours in shock. |
"Tav, it’s Halsin, not a spider." Astarion assured her, sending an acid arrow over Karlach’s shoulder into the eye of a ghast behind her. It, too, fell to the ground. |
"It’s Halsin." Tav repeated, assuring herself as she got to her feet and reached inward to find her magic. Before she could cast anything, a fresh waft of stench sent her back to the ground, retching uncontrolably. |
"The Shepherds!" Shadowheart cried out, trying to pass around the ghast fight. "Aim for the Shepherds!" |
"The what?" Wyll asked, finally in control of his body again. |
Another ghast fell to Karlach, cleaved in two. |
A sickly green flash of magic and the ghasts reformed. Limbs and heads re-attached themselves; five ghasts were in the fight once more. |
"The Death Shepherds!" Shadowheart explained while bashing a newly-risen ghast’s face. "The skull-things in the back. They’ll raise the ghasts unless we stop them." |
Wyll reached into the neck of his shirt to grasp at a golden necklace he wore. Pale blue light swirled around Wyll, then he vanished. The same moment, blue light appeared behind the Death Shepherds, spinning and reforming into the demonic Monster Hunter; Wyll’s necklace was enchanted with Misty Step. Wyll quickly cast ... |
Behind the lines, Tav struggled with her pack while fighting the waves of nausea forced upon her by the ghasts stench. She finally wrenched a leather satchel from the pack, waving it towards Astarion as more ghasts fell to Karlach and Lae’zel then were raised by the Shepherds to rejoin the fight. |
"Smoke... powder..." She coughed out around heaves. |
Karlach and Wyll were still close to the Shepherds and would probably take fire damage, but they were both demonic creatures. Halsin and Shadowheart could fix them up anyway. Astarion dropped his bow to snatch the satchel from Tav’s hand and heave it over the battle. The satchel broke on the ground at the feet of the D... |
Karlach laughed wildly from the center of the flames, lopping off burning limbs left and right. |
The Shepherds crumbled to the ground, shattered and scorched. Lae’zel made quick work of the two ghasts that hadn’t been caught in the smokepowder. Without the Death Shepherds to summon them back, the ghasts that went down under her sword stayed down. |
Then it was over. The quiet sounds of peace returned to the road, punctuated only by the harsh sounds of Gale and Tav still helpless before the stench of the ghasts. |
"We will press on." Lae’zel stated. |
"Come on, friend." Karlach said, quickly hauling Gale up by his belt and onto Halsin’s massive eight-legged form. She turned to approach Tav, stopping when Astarion didn’t move from his protective stand before the sick drow. |
"Absolutely not." He hissed. "No spider rides." No Halsin rides, either. Astarion wasn’t about to drape Tav’s sick body over any wild shape the druid might take. The drow was his. |
"... alright." Karlach agreed, palms open in a sign of peace, "You got her then, Fangs?" |
Astarion scooped Tav into his arms, ignoring her groaned protests. He flashed a pointed smile at the giant flaming Tiefling. |
As the group pressed on, seeking a safe place to camp for the night, Wyll opened the letter Halsin had given him and softly read aloud as he walked beside Shadowheart. |
Duke Ravengard is to be delivered - unharmed, or mostly so - immediately. |
Moonrise Towers cannot until its destiny until the Duke has been delivered. |
Those who succeed will be rewarded. Those who fail will face first |
my wrath, then Gortash’s, then mine again. |
- General Ketheric Thorm |
"Hells," Wyll cursed, loudly. "They’ve taken Father to Moonrise Towers." |
Not long after, the party found a plateau large enough to set up camp and made a hasty job of it as full darkness fell. Wyll, Karlach and Shadowheart discussed Moonrise Towers as they prepared the evening meal together, Karlach in charge of starting the campfire and little else. They were agreed, after healing at the c... |
Lae’zel was firm that she would remain at the creche or seek to return to her own creche. Gale was undecided, cagey about his own secrets. |
Tav volunteered herself and Astarion for the Moonrise Towers side journey, before moving onward to Baldur’s Gate, but didn’t explain that they needed everyone’s help in the Gate to defeat a Vampire Lord. That was the sort of conversation that could be had later. One step at a time. Healing, then Wyll’s Father and the c... |
Tav and Astarion held each other tightly that night, but made sure to wake extra early to watch the run rise, knowing it could be his last. Not facing down the inevitable end of ceremorphosis would be a joy, but losing the sun would be a blow almost hard enough to make Astarion want to keep the tadpole. |
Watching the sun rise over the valley with Tav, warm and slightly bloodless, in his arms was an absolute miracle. One he might even thank Lathander for, when they get to the monastery later that morning. Perhaps his prayers were finally being answered, if answered in the strangest way possible. |
Freedom. Friendship. Love . How had he ended up with such miracles? Not a month ago, he was a slave. Less than a slave, his body a puppet to the whims of a madman. He still didn’t quite know what to do with himself; his instincts still screamed at him to seduce, to manipulate and lie into whatever would see him safe i... |
"It’s time to go, Astarion." Tav murmured in his arms as the rest of the camp came awake around them. |
Time to get up and be healed at the hands of the Githyanki. Time to end this little adventure, the biggest cause she had for sticking around when she had every reason to seek the life she deserved rather than seek torment and darkness with him. Time to send himself back to the shadows, forcing their journey to take Hal... |
He dropped a kiss to the top of Tav’s head, then hugged her close. He knew he didn’t deserve her, didn’t deserve this peace. He would keep it all the same. Keep her as long as he could. |
"Time to go, love." He agreed. |
Waking up within the palace continues to surprise you. Being the lover of a lord was something your younger self would be shocked to learn. You and Astarion have been living in the palace coming up on 3 years now. Even though you have been living there for a long time there are still some rooms that haven’t been renova... |
There was still one room left to finish, Cazador’s old office. Your goal with this was to make it as different as possible. Even if it didn’t match the rest of the palace, you wanted it to be an escape for the both of you on days that you didn’t want to venture into the city. You decided to make it into a library, with... |
Astarion had managed to give you the ability to be in sunlight so you wanted one wall to be entirely windows that overlooked the city. It was your decision to leave the windows with only sheer white curtains in order to let in as much light as possible. It gave you the illusion that everyone below could look in on your... |
There was only one request from Astarion for the library. There is to be a stuffed goose that he had named Goosetarion. You loved the soft chuckle he made every time he mentioned it, so you had it placed atop the fireplace where he could see it every time he entered the library. You had multiple custom made seating to ... |
The final step was to bring in all the books, scrolls and decorative items you had collected along your travels. The skeleton staff were hard at work to finish stocking the shelves before Astarion came back from his errands. They were hard workers but not the most organized when you wanted everything to be perfect for ... |
You heard a distinct triple knock come from the door at the entrance of the library. This knock was a special way for you and Astarion to check in with each other or make the other aware you were there. You two started using it back when you still had tadpoles in your heads. It would be used for something as simple as ... |
"Just a second!" You shouted as you put down the pile of books that were a gift from the Nettie for rescuing Halsin all those years ago. You made your way to the door, since the library wasn’t fully completed you ran across the room to stop Astarion from getting a sneak peak. You cracked the door open enough to slide y... |
"Darling, you know I don’t like to be kept waiting." |
Astarion planted a gentle kiss on your forehead before lifting your chin so you were now eye to eye. You never tire of looking at his face, his gorgeous jaw line, the way his eyes studied every part of your face and his smile lines mesmerised you daily. His ruby eyes shimmered in the close by candle light. Where others... |
"I’m sorry love, I lost track of time trying to finish up the library for you, but I’m all yours now." |
"My sweet, you are always mine. Now and forever" His lips met yours and he planted a deep kiss. Just as you were reaching your arms around him, he broke the kiss, leaving you wanting more. |
Teasing you had come to be his favourite pastime ever since that night at the tiefling party. You didn’t mind one bit, you would chase Astarion to the ends of faerun if it meant getting any slight touch or attention from him. |
"Follow" He said as he turned around to walk towards their bedchambers. You followed a couple paces behind watching his silver locks bounce as he moved, catching wiffs of bergamot, rosemary and brandy. Ever since Astarion made you a vampire your sense of smell heightened to levels you never knew existed, it came with i... |
One of the first things the two of you had renovated was the chamberlains suite and office into a massive master suite for the two of you. Including a closet full of lavish clothing Astarion purchased specifically for you, as well as magic armour and weapons at the ready. Though you were more versed in magic as a druid... |
Your bed was adorned with the most beautiful black and gold bedding. The deep oak wood posts were adorned with living ivy you had conjured to create a whimsical canopy over your bed. You both may have been part of the undead and the skeleton servants you were insistent on having lavish plants within your home to bring ... |
There was a massive marble bath off to the side, it was placed so that it could be viewed from your shared bed. When he wasn’t joining you in the bath, Astarion loved to watch as you bathed yourself after a long night of fun knowing he was the reason you were in that state. |
You sat yourself at the edge of bed patiently waiting for what Astarion had in store for you tonight, watching closely as he closed the door behind him. He turned back around and closed the space between you in only two steps, cupping your face with both his hands ensuring that you were about to hear every word he was ... |
"Darling, I want to play a game." |
You knew what he meant when he "wanted to play a game’. He would dress you in a lavish and quite revealing outfit and send you off into one of the local taverns. As a multitude of people tried to flirt with you Astarion would watch from across the bar waiting for some sorry soul to try and take you home with them. Asta... |
The thought of one of these nights filled your core with a heat you were all too familiar with since Astarion ascended. The way this man could make you feel things no one has ever been able to, you melted into putty every time for him to mould into whatever pleasure he desired of you and you as the willing participant ... |
Running a finger along your shoulder, bringing his finger into your view "Tav, my sweet, you are covered in dust from all those old books. I’d normally like to see you covered in a mess of my doing, but I fear we don’t have time for that right now." |
"Yes Astarion, I apologize for my mess. The servants weren’t organizing to your standards and I had to take over." |
"No matter my pet, undress and bathe, we have a long night ahead of us." A smile never leaving his face. |
You nod in agreement and turn to derobe of your day clothes. You didn’t realize how much of a mess you made of yourself till you felt the dust fall from your top as you brought it over your head. You make yourself completely naked before making your way across to the bath. |
You felt his stare follow your every move as you made your way to the bath that was already filled with steaming water, assuming Astarion asked the servants to ready it for you. You bent forward to feel the water with your fingers before jumping in. In a swift movement you felt a hard smack across your ass followed by ... |
"You know I can never resist myself when you put yourself on display like that." You felt as he moved to press against your back. His icy hands found their way around your waist as he placed kisses along shoulder nuzzling his face into your neck breathing you in regardless of all the dust. You felt as his fangs gilded ... |
His hands drifted lower moving slowly over your stomach, you felt as his nimble fingers made their way closer to your folds. Leaning your head back into his chest you let out a low moan as he started to make little circles around your clit. Just as your breathing started to pick up you felt his hands leave you just as ... |
"Will you be joining me?" Your core hoping the answer would be yes. |
"No my dear, I still have some work to get done before we go out tonight. Take your time my sweet, I want you to look your best for me." He lingers looking deep into your eyes giving a look full of lust. "Gods you’re beautiful." He whispers under his breath, then planting a long kiss on your forehead before leaving the... |
Standing alone and naked, you thought to yourself... This is going to be a long night. |
You worked yourself into the warm bath, starting to relax from the warmth the water provided. You could feel your core being as sexually frustrated as your mind felt. You completely submerged yourself under the water to feel the warmth enveloping you, hoping to distract yourself. Alas the comfort of the warm water coul... |
Thinking about the night ahead you knew there may be a chance you wouldn’t find release until the end of your little "game’ tonight. |
You felt a surge of rebellion flow through you as your head came up out of the water. Sitting in a relaxed position in the bath you decided to move your hands slowly down your body. One hand played with your nipple while the other made its way down to your folds. Moving your fingers in delicate circles around your clit... |
You started to think about the last time Astarion took you here in this bath. You straddled over his lap, him holding your hips moving them in a rhythm that would take both of you over. You buried your head into his neck, groans escaping with every thrust Astarion made. Gliding your tongue along his ear to the tip, you... |
"Of course my sweet" |
In a sudden moment you dig your fangs into his neck, drinking down his blood. A sharp hiss escapes his lips as his thrust begins to pick up speed. His blood tasted like a smooth red wine. |
His name was threatening to leave your lips despite him not even being with you in the room. You can feel your peak coming, your heart racing ever quicker. |
In an instance the feeling stops as you feel a hand wrapped around your throat and another bringing your busy hand upwards to stop you from going over the edge. |
"Seems my lovely pet is misbehaving. Whatever should we do to fix this." |
You open your eyes to meet the hungry gaze of Astarion hovering over you with a sinister look in his eyes. You were simultaneously filled with fear and delight at the racing thoughts of what he was going to do to you. You desperately met his gaze as you tried to speak."Ple-Please Astarion, I was almost there." You coul... |
"You seem to think that I care. I am the one who makes you feel that pleasure, it upsets me that you would do this without me here, even to watch." |
Before you can protest Astaion has lifted you out of the bath only to place you standing right next to your bed and wrapped a towel around your shoulders. One of his hands caressed your face while the other started to trace circles up and down your arm, sending shivers down your spine. |
"I will forget this little rebellion if you agree to listen to me for the rest of the night... Nod." You nod in agreement "Good, now my sweet, I am sending in the maid to help you get ready and to make sure there are always eyes on you. Now be a good pet and get ready for me." |
He leaves you without even a kiss naked in your room with only a towel covering your decency. You sat for a moment thinking about your night ahead. |
It was rare you would tell Astarion no, but he did listen when you would protest if it was for pain or comfort, but you didn’t feel the need to cancel the plans tonight despite you not knowing what Astarion had planned. He cared for you no matter the case. You settled in your body and made your way to the vanity to get... |
"Madam, are you ready for me?" You heard the sweet sound of your favourite maid Alvina creak the door open slightly to ensure she wasn’t intruding on anything nefarious. |
"Yes Alvina! Lord Astarion said you were on your way to help me – what in the nine hells is that?!" |
"The outfit the master has picked for you tonight, dare I say I think it is the most revealing one to date." |
"You would be correct about that." You felt a pit in your stomach. This night was definitely going to be different from other times you had done your fun little game. |
You sit at your vanity with Alvina brushing out your long hair, preparing to style it for the night. |
On top of being your maid, Alvina was your only friend in the palace besides Astarion. She was hired soon after you and Astarion took over the palace. After only a couple months of her working there you found that you got along very well and after she had walked in on you and Astarion more than 5 times doing whatever d... |
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