[why is she teacher coded to him she is 49 in elf years. she is like mid-to-late 20s in human years. on the other hand i see it because everyone assumes he's like 12 and he probably would be failing calculus.]
Crazy strong? Honestly, I actually have no idea what a lot of people can do now that some of their magic has returned.
Shadowheart and her companions (Gale, Astarion and Karlach, so it's nice and easy) descend into the pool and arrive iin another realm entirely, a void of dark shadows, clouds, rocks from some ruin in swirling nothingness, dark purple lightning occasionally lighting up the otherwise murky sky. The Shadowfell, the realm of Lady Shar.
“See my actions, Lady Shar,” Shadowheart prays, speaking out loud now. It seems almost like something she’s doing to calm her nerves, focus her thoughts. “Hear my words of faith. Blessed Nightsinger, witness my adoration. I have emptied my heart of falsehoods. I have vanquished your foes. Lady Shar’s will shall be done, as sure as night shall fall.”
In the platform down below, in the center of it, is a woman. A circle of light surrounds her, and you know that is her prison as much as the chains she is held by. She is a beautiful woman, tall and strong, with pale skin with cracks of gold flecked through it and white hair. But captivity has not been kind to her. She is in rags, dirty, wounded and broken.
More images again on other walls. This woman, called the “Nightsong,” has been kept prisoner here for a century by a necromancer who has sapped the strength and power she was born with for that long to transfer it to the man who rules Moonrise Towers, Ketheric Thorne. But the necromancer is dead now. No one is holding her anymore, except for the spell he cast which has not dissipated.
(Video of this part is here to 2:44, though some stuff is different with dialogue choices and this being an origin playthrough)
“I have felt you come, Sharran” she says, her voice hoarse. “The first in a century.” She looks at Shadowheart directly, expression on her face defiant despite how weak she is. “You, who have come to seek the praise of your wicked goddess. You, who have come to drive a dagger through my heart. Go on, show it to me. Your sword, your knife.” She lunges at you, and she’s held back by her prison.
My spear, child. Shar’s voice also echoes, something only Shadowheart can hear. Pierce her heart with it and become my sword hand, my Dark Justiciar.
“Not a dagger,” Shadowheart spits back, defiant. “A spear. My Lady Shar’s spear.”
“Well, well, well,” she says. “A spear empowered by your goddess to kill the child of a God?” Her voice is furious, dripping with contempt. “But there is much your mistress does not tell you. My death will come at a terrible price, one you will not grasp until it is too late.”
Shadowheart is not alone in this memory. Her companions have stayed silent, maybe surprised by what Shadowheart is doing, but they are looking as though they’re planning to interfere. At least Gale and Karlach are probably not willing to see her murder a woman in cold blood who is currently in chains.
“Her fate is mine to seal alone,” Shadowheart snaps at them.
“The fate you seal is your own,” the woman says. Her voice has lost some of its temper, trying to persuade now. “To be a Dark Justiciar is to turn your heart from everything but loss. You will know no love, no joy, only servitude. Until, of course, your mistress inevitably discards you.”
Shadowheart is still fierce, looking at the woman like she plans to kill her, but if you know her well, if you’re familiar enough to pick up on smaller changes, there’s hesitation, too. What she’s being told is breaking through to her in some way, she’s just resisting it.
“Do you know what I am, little assassin?” the woman, anger back in her voice. “I am Dame Aylin. Out of this hellish realm, I carry my sword for my mother, Selûne. The very sight of me would disgust you if you were a true Sharran. But perhaps you are something more.”
And then Shar’s voice. Shadowheart, do not listen. She seeks to distract, to confuse, to prolong her unholy existence and deny you your destiny. Shut out her words.
There’s another hallway through the house of mirrors that opens at these two conflicting messages. A path through the mirrors, dark, but lit by moonlight; Shadowheart looks down that way, but does not move to travel there. The mirrors in that direction reflect something much older than she is, an ancient war between the goddess of darkness and her sister, the moon goddess. The battles fought in that war, the pieces used, the way one goddess might seek to gain the upper hand against another.
But Shadowheart is focused on Dame Aylin, who is watching her as though she suddenly recognizes her. “Yes, I know you,” she says, as though she’s seen something suddenly. “A lost child, frightened by wolves in the dark.”
Another hallway through the house of mirrors opens in the other direction. And there’s a sense of terror about what lies down that direction. It’s too dark to see that way, but there’s a sound of snarling, howling. There’s pain in that direction. There might be more that way than only pain, but the way is too dark and there’s no way to tell.
Aylin is still speaking. “Much has been promised to you, hasn’t it?” she asks. “But what has been taken from you? What do you know of your own heart, your own life?”
Shadowheart looks down that direction, almost as though she intends to travel that way. There’s a part of her that wants to, wants to see it, and there’s a part of her that’s very, very afraid. She changes her mind, turns away from it. Gathers her resolve.
“Whatever you think you know of me won’t matter,” she says, but she’s faltering a little. “Once I become who I’m meant to be.”
“If you lay your hand on me in friendship, free me,” Aylin says, “I will lay another path before you. But you must decide whether to walk it.”
Enough. Close your heart to her craven words. Strike! Shar’s voice, brokering no more argument, no more hesitation.
“There she is again, isn’t she?” she says, looking directly back at Shadowheart. “Why does she fear truth more than I fear death?”
Reflections on the other mirrors - memories, only half formed, of fear, of duty, of the need to obey. Of kneeling on a stone floor, body growing weak, reciting prayers until they’re right. Of pain. Of growing strong enough to endure it, and the pride in that. Of being told lies and learning to always believe them anyway.
She flings it over the edge, into the abyss, getting it away from her before her resolve can falter.
There's nothing, no negative reaction. just Aylin's obvious joy, her awareness that she's going to be freed of this prison. She smiles at Shadowheart with pride.
"Your path is not yet set. Your future is not yet fixed. Lay a hand on me in friendship, not-quite-Sharran, and I will fight the battle that has awaited me for a century. And then, oh then, will we have much to discuss."
Shadowheart does as she's asked, without speaking, still somewhat in shock. It really does only take the hand of friendship from shadowheart to free her. The reason why is complicated, and something shadowheart herself does not know. But there's an image on one of the mirrors, an ancient battle between two goddesses, and in this gesture, a victory for one of them over the other.
Aylin rises, her power restored to her, recovering from her wounds and degradation, until she floats above you, a bright glowing angel with a span of feathered wings in resplendent silver armor. But she doesn't stay; she flies from the shadowfell and leaves shadowheart and the others here. there's another battle that is waiting for her.
And in the aftermath of this, despite nothing happening, despite complete silence and no feeling of shar's presence, Shadowheart is very, very afraid.
"We must leave," she tells her friends, but there's a sense, as well, that you must escape from this memory now.]
[ this is so insanely beyond what his home setting is like that it still takes some time to process, though it helps that he's seen shadowfell and spoken to her about this before. it has the same energy as their previous encounter, the sort of anxious want to be free of the place, though whether that's shadowheart's influence or inherent to shadowfell is beyond him.
either way, he watches this actual angel fly off before the scene relaxes. ]
Woah. [ woah. he looks at shadowheart. ] ...Why'd you end up picking her?
[ his emotions are clearly relieved that she did, but also curious. ]
[yeah, it's definitely the tail end of the memory he partially saw before.
anyway, for all that she said about uncertainty, dame aylin is just. a cool person. brave and confident under incredibly awful circumstances. reaching a hand out to her to save her own life, certainly, but without any kind of obvious manipulation or guile. she is just a literal angel.]
What she said about Lady Shar fearing the truth more than she feared death rang true to me. I was always told if I was truly faithful, I would accept that Shar's secrecy was part of my faith, that there would be knowledge I was not allowed and that I would be content with that.
But I started to wonder if all of the secrets were really about faith, or if it was just a way to control me. If I didn't know my own past, my own self, if I didn't know the circumstances of how I came to serve Lady Shar, I couldn't contradict anything I was told or disagree with any orders I was given.
Though I also... don't think my companions would have let me kill her and walk away. [at least gale and karlach were pretty clear about being uneasy with what shar was asking of her.] Or if they had witnessed it and let it happen, I would have lost them nonetheless. And I valued them more than Shar at that point, too.
[ religious indoctrination. he rubs his neck, making a face. ]
She did sound like an ass. [ he is only eloquent when writing song lyrics ] ...They didn't have to stop you in the end. It's good you did it on your own.
[ even if they influenced her decision by existing and being there. it seems important that she made a terrifying choice of her own volition, given... everything. ]
[uhhh well. the emotion is a sort of discomfort, uncertainty how to answer it.]
I think I've talked myself into feeling good about it. But when I first did it, and when I first came here, I was only afraid. And I worry a little that I have only changed in my attitude because I have been away from the source of that fear for some time.
[ he doesn't have any grandiose life advice, just his clumsy personal experience. ]
I'm not good at this stuff. But—she controlled your whole life, didn't she? Maybe it's been getting better because you're seeing what else is out there. And that it's more than just... her. I mean, I'd have trouble being all brave and hopeful if I didn't know for sure that something better was out there, waiting for me.
[ he was only an upstart for a very long time because he knew life could be sweeter than what he already had. ]
[ it is fun to be stuck with a bunch of sinners in heaven unfortunately. also help 11th hour memshare!! ruins the sweet moment with this (cw for medical torture and implied SA but you won't see anything unless you are watching literally every frame) up through 4min. i'm sorry this is a whole video and too heavy for an endgame friday but i wanted to keep with the continuations of last thread. ]
[man!!!!!!! till, your world sucks so bad. she can't exactly understand precisely what is happening in the competition, especially since the memshare presumably doesn't have the other boy's perspective in it, but she can at least see that even if it at first appeared that the other boy would try to kill him, he wound up sacrificing himself, instead.]
[ sorry i didn't write fic for a two week and everyone gets incomprehensible four minute videos out of context instead. however, that is the gist of it, yes. he looks a little pale and rattled, sweeping a hand through his hair to tug on its roots. ]
...Yeah, it's a competition. So they kill whoever the audience likes less. I guess he knew they wouldn't approve of trying to attack me, so he just set up that—that entire fucking scene. [ Ivan, you... moron. ] He's a twisted guy. Sorry.
[you would be insane if you wrote these out anyway, how often are you from a canon where your character's important moments happen in a 4 minute music video with montages. i understood it, i just didn't want her to leap too far.
anyway, she will put an arm on his shoulder because that seemed really rough to see. even if he's not sure how to feel about it, it would be awful to watch him die like that and know it was for his sake.]
Don't be sorry. That must have been really horrible. You grew up together?
[ you're so right and i'll never write a fic again. he startles a little, out of it, but will touch her hand after. ]
Y-Yeah. We were at the same school. [ the feelings here are complicated, but not wholly negative. his not-love life is a disaster. ] I still don't know what he was thinking, but... It's not like I was even trying to win at that point.
[ he had totally given up on the competition that round for other reasons. grouchily, to dodge The Feelings, ] Some people just do whatever they want and never explain anything.
[she gets it. feelings are hard. sometimes a boy just makes out with you and then kills himself in front of you to change the trajectory of your life even though you were busy being het and you just have to find a way to deal with that.]
That's true. Would it have been better if he had explained?
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Crazy strong? Honestly, I actually have no idea what a lot of people can do now that some of their magic has returned.
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Yeah, she just carted me around everywhere like I was nothing.
[ he's a normie though so everyone seems soooo impressive ]
I dunno what good it does, but with everything being on the fritz still [ looks at all the locations and effects ] seems nice to have powers.
[ only a little jealous ]
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either way, he watches this actual angel fly off before the scene relaxes. ]
Woah. [ woah. he looks at shadowheart. ] ...Why'd you end up picking her?
[ his emotions are clearly relieved that she did, but also curious. ]
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anyway, for all that she said about uncertainty, dame aylin is just. a cool person. brave and confident under incredibly awful circumstances. reaching a hand out to her to save her own life, certainly, but without any kind of obvious manipulation or guile. she is just a literal angel.]
What she said about Lady Shar fearing the truth more than she feared death rang true to me. I was always told if I was truly faithful, I would accept that Shar's secrecy was part of my faith, that there would be knowledge I was not allowed and that I would be content with that.
But I started to wonder if all of the secrets were really about faith, or if it was just a way to control me. If I didn't know my own past, my own self, if I didn't know the circumstances of how I came to serve Lady Shar, I couldn't contradict anything I was told or disagree with any orders I was given.
Though I also... don't think my companions would have let me kill her and walk away. [at least gale and karlach were pretty clear about being uneasy with what shar was asking of her.] Or if they had witnessed it and let it happen, I would have lost them nonetheless. And I valued them more than Shar at that point, too.
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She did sound like an ass. [ he is only eloquent when writing song lyrics ] ...They didn't have to stop you in the end. It's good you did it on your own.
[ even if they influenced her decision by existing and being there. it seems important that she made a terrifying choice of her own volition, given... everything. ]
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[actually, the answer is you have to roll a super high persuasion check or she goes aggro and you have to kill her.]
I suppose if I'm going to abandon Lady Shar, it ought at least to be by choice.
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Yeah. Bet that pissed her off.
[ which, again, scary. also hopefully satisfying. but he loves making authority angry. ]
Do you feel good about it?
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I think I've talked myself into feeling good about it. But when I first did it, and when I first came here, I was only afraid. And I worry a little that I have only changed in my attitude because I have been away from the source of that fear for some time.
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...That's probably part of it, but...
[ he doesn't have any grandiose life advice, just his clumsy personal experience. ]
I'm not good at this stuff. But—she controlled your whole life, didn't she? Maybe it's been getting better because you're seeing what else is out there. And that it's more than just... her. I mean, I'd have trouble being all brave and hopeful if I didn't know for sure that something better was out there, waiting for me.
[ he was only an upstart for a very long time because he knew life could be sweeter than what he already had. ]
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[a bit of warmth back at him.]
I do want to hope that there's something better out there. I've seen more of what it would be like now.
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Yeah. Even this place is pretty fun, despite all the shit that's happened.
[ he likes it even if it's objectively the worst part of heaven ]
Hope it makes things easier for you, when you get back. [ and isn't just... trauma. ]
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[but it is fun, between all of the awful trauma. anyway i want a memshare too, nu, if you want (it is 11:30 pm on a friday). no content warnings.]
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...Why? He knew they'd kill him?
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...Yeah, it's a competition. So they kill whoever the audience likes less. I guess he knew they wouldn't approve of trying to attack me, so he just set up that—that entire fucking scene. [ Ivan, you... moron. ] He's a twisted guy. Sorry.
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anyway, she will put an arm on his shoulder because that seemed really rough to see. even if he's not sure how to feel about it, it would be awful to watch him die like that and know it was for his sake.]
Don't be sorry. That must have been really horrible. You grew up together?
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Y-Yeah. We were at the same school. [ the feelings here are complicated, but not wholly negative. his not-love life is a disaster. ] I still don't know what he was thinking, but... It's not like I was even trying to win at that point.
[ he had totally given up on the competition that round for other reasons. grouchily, to dodge The Feelings, ] Some people just do whatever they want and never explain anything.
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That's true. Would it have been better if he had explained?