♜ WHICH CHESS PIECE ARE YOU? ♖

me [coming to terms with a truth about myself]: hm..................................................... unfortunate

When I cite that Nere is inordinately tall for a drow--let alone a drow male who are typically even smaller than their female counterparts--this is what I mean:

This is my human fighter--an adaption of Varian Wrynn from Warcraft--who is on the Type 4 body.

Nere was either built on the type 4 body type, or he's a specific build somewhere between 2 and 4's build. Either way, he is definitely at least 6' tall.

What's more, the reason I give him a background/prior class as a fighter has to do with his build but also his stats and feats.

His highest stats are CHA (18), INT (18), and STR (17) with DEX and CON both not much lower (15).

For a wizard, the highest stat should be INT.

For a sorcerer or a warlock, the highest stat ideally needs to be CHA followed by DEX and CON.

So why is his strength so high and why does he have both Extra Attack [normal for fighters] and Muscular which gives him advantage on ability checks and saving throws that use Athletics [ which includes resisting being shoved, staying fit, and performing physical stunts ].

My belief is that he was a fighter, though one who relied as much on his mind as on his body [ a tactician fighter ]. He wanted very much to be a wizard, though, and to learn magic and all the power that grants.

The Absolute gave him that as part of its draw, though rather than a wizard, it made him a Warlock.

❛ you have no power over me. ❜ // @starlyht { sol'rys }

Nere laughs, loud and sudden and sharp. It is neither a kind nor a happy sound, a fact that likely becomes as apparent with the disdainful expression as he regards the other male drow.

"You say that as though I should wish to make such a claim," Nere answers, shaking his head.

"What need have I for a sellsword when I am no doubt just as adept—if not more so—in battle? You far overestimate your importance."

"And yet! perhaps it is Baenre with whom you intended to speak, and wished only my critique on the delivery of such a proclamation. If that is the case, I would recommend having a blade at the ready. You might need it."

𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄; 𝒌𝒆𝒚𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔.

change  pronouns,  tenses  and  other  details  as  deemed  necessary. &  please  specify  muse  when  sending  to  a  mumu.

“To  die  will  be  an  awfully  big  adventure.”

“One  does  not  discover  new  lands  without  consenting  to  lose  sight  of  the  shore  for  a  very  long  time.”

“No  matter  my  origins,  there  is  worth  in  what  I  am.”

“Go  to  the  edge  of  the  cliff  and  jump  off.  Build  your  wings  on  the  way  down.”

“You  always  have  free  will  to  choose  your  path.”

“If  you  don't  take  risks,  you'll  have  a  wasted  soul.”

“Keep  reading.  It's  one  of  the  most  marvellous  adventures  that  anyone  can  have.”

“Adventure  is  not  outside  man;  it  is  within.”

“There's  only  one  place  I  want  to  go,  and  it's  to  all  the  places  I've  never  been.”

“I  love  to  sail  forbidden  seas,  and  land  on  barbarous  coasts.”

“Let  us  step  into  the  night  and  pursue  that  flighty  temptress,  adventure.”

“The  biggest  adventure  you  can  ever  take  is  to  live  the  life  of  your  dreams.”

“You  should  enjoy  the  little  detours  to  the  fullest.  Because  that's  where  you'll  find  the  things  more  important  than  what  you  want.”

“Until  you  step  into  the  unknown,  you  don’t  know  what  you’re  made  of.”

“Only  you  can  charter  the  course  of  your  destiny.”

“It’s  the  unknown  that  draws  people.”

“We  strive  for  harmony,  but  it  is  not  always  realized.”

“May  your  adventures  bring  you  closer  together,  even  as  they  take  you  far  away  from  home.”

“In  wisdom  gathered  over  time,  I  have  found  that  every  experience  is  a  form  of  exploration.”

“Fall  in  love  with  someone  who  tastes  like  adventure  but  looks  like  the  calm,  beautiful  morning  after  a  terrible  storm.”

“I'm  an  adventurer,  looking  for  treasure.”

❛ We must move on, we cannot linger. ❜ // @lcftyambiticns

"That may well be the most sensible statement you have made since first our paths crossed," he retorts, though there is not the prior sharpness to his tone [ perhaps owing to exhaustion and no small number of injuries ].

"One would think, having encountered undead guardians, magma mephits, an adamantine golem, more magma mephits, and a lava elemental should prove more than sufficient cause to depart. To remain in this accursed place any longer would almost undoubtedly welcome some further misfortune, the severity of which I do not care to learn."

♥ LOTR: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING SENTENCE STARTERS ↳ feel free to adjust sentences to make it fit your muse better!

❛ I wish none of this had happened. ❜

❛ All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. ❜

❛ You shall not pass! ❜

❛ Gentlemen, we do not stop ‘til nightfall. ❜

❛ Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. ❜

❛ What about second breakfast? ❜

❛ Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. ❜

❛ A wizard is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to. ❜

❛ Nobody tosses a Dwarf. ❜

❛ Not the beard! ❜

❛ One Ring to rule them all! ❜

❛ One does not simply walk into Mordor. ❜

❛ It is folly. ❜

❛ Do you remember when we first met? ❜

❛ I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone. ❜

❛ I choose a mortal life. ❜

❛ One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man! ❜

❛ Fly, you fools! ❜

❛ If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. ❜

❛ If I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been. ❜

❛ I know what it is you saw, for it is also in my mind. ❜

❛ It is what will come to pass, if you should fail. ❜

❛ All shall love me and despair! ❜

❛ I cannot do this alone. ❜

❛ I swore to protect you. ❜

❛ Can you protect me from yourself? ❜

❛ Anyways, you need people of intelligence on this sort of… mission… quest… thing. ❜

❛ Whatever you did, you’ve been officially labeled a disturber of the peace. ❜

❛ It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing. ❜

❛ That wound will never fully heal. He will carry it the rest of his life. ❜

❛ Cast it into the fire! Destroy it! ❜

❛ He turned from that path a long time ago. He has chosen exile. ❜

❛ I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. ❜

❛ I can avoid being seen if I wish, but to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift. ❜

❛ We must move on, we cannot linger. ❜

❛ We cannot get out. A shadow lurks in the dark. ❜

❛ I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox. ❜

❛ I have been dealt a wound beyond all healing, for I have looked the last… upon that which was fairest. ❜

❛ It’s a dangerous business, going out your door. ❜

❛ They have a cave troll. ❜

❛ I know what I must do. It’s just… I’m afraid to do it. ❜

❛ I ain’t been droppin’ no eaves sir, honest. I was just cutting the grass under the window there. ❜

❛ I don’t feel like parting with it. It’s mine, I found it. It came to me! ❜

❛ There’s no need to get angry. ❜

❛ Well, if I’m angry, it’s your fault. ❜

❛ What’s this? A Ranger, caught off his guard? ❜

❛ I suppose you think that was terribly clever. ❜

❛ This is no mine. It’s a tomb. ❜

❛ You are not yourself. ❜

❛ It came to me, my own, my love… my… preciousssss. ❜

❛ Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world. ❜

❛ Oh… That’s nice. Ash on my tomatoes! ❜

❛ Something draws near. I can feel it. ❜

❛ You cannot hide. I see you. There is no life in the void. Only death. ❜

❛ Who is she? This woman you sing of? ❜

❛ I spent all my life pretending I was off somewhere else. ❜

❛ Speak, friend, and enter. ❜

❛ Your love of the Halfings’ leaf has clearly slowed your mind. ❜

❛ What news of the outside world? Tell me everything. ❜

❛ I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, but you have elected the way of pain! ❜

❛ The world of Men will fall, and all will come to darkness. ❜

❛ That black rider was looking for something. Or someone. ❜

❛ Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity. ❜

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐘; 𝙺𝙴𝚈𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝚂𝙴𝙰𝚁𝙲𝙷 𝙵𝚁𝙾𝙼 '𝙶𝙾𝙾𝙳𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝚂'.

change  pronouns,  tenses  and  other  details  as  deemed  necessary. &  please  specify  muse  when  sending  to  a  mumu.

“It’s  said  the  white  warrior  will  be  able  to  manipulate  fire.”

“For  even  the  very  wise  cannot  see  all  ends.”

“In  order  to  create  light,  you  must  first  live  in  light.”

“On  the  quarter  moon  when  you  hear  the  third  owl's  call,  remember,  only  a  sacrifice  of  blood  may  save  you.”

“The words were: "what  you  dream,  what  you  darkly  desire,  find  it  by  trial  or  by  fire".”

“I  saw  Doom...  but  of  the  most  beautiful  kind.”

“In  a  rain  of  fire  and  from  the  ashes  of  destruction,  an  heir  shall  ascend.”

“One  to  be  a  murderer,  the  other  to  be  martyred,  one  to  be  a  monarch,  the  other  to  go  mad.”

“Wisdom's  daughter  walks  alone.”

“Prophecy  is  slippery,  dangerous,  open  to  fatal  misinterpretation.”

“Either  must  die  at  the  hand  of  the  other  for  neither  can  live  while  the  other  survives.”

“Until  something  is  prophesied,  it  cannot  be  built.”

“The  sky  will  fall,  a  star  will  rise.”

“Mother  of  many,  Mother  of  none,  a  Queen  will  fall  and  a  Warrior  will  come.”

“Run from it all you like, it's pointless. Your future is, and always will, be as it was written... from your first heartbeat to your last, neither you nor I can escape.”

“Beware  the  darkness  of  dragons,  beware  the  stalker  of  dreams,  beware  the  talons  of  power  and  fire,  beware  one  who  is  not  what  she  seems.”

Can’t properly explain it, but “I like this character”, “I like how this character is written” and “I care about this character” are 3 very different things which may or may not overlap.

Here is another diatribe intended for my roleplay blog:

This is a small essay that I originally typed on this post, but I didn't want to bog down the actual dash game post, so here we go, with the points numbered for easier reference.

♜ WHICH CHESS PIECE ARE YOU? ♖

White Rook

You are a White Rook. (1) As a piece that can move inwards and outwards, you're a master of self-reflection. (2) You know what needs to be done and when to do it. (3) You're a protector, and would willingly take someone's place in danger in a heartbeat because you know you can handle the pressure. (4) But even castle walls crumble. For all your chivalry and fortitude, everything must come to an end. Will you be there to see the final stages of the war? Or will you have already been discarded in the battle?

To clarify, I answered this one as though it was after being freed from the Absolute and that had been traveling with a good-inclined group of adventurers for the events of the game. And all of this would absolutely apply, though one wouldn't think so, at first, but that will be for another post. I had started explaining here and it turned into a mini-essay.

As a piece that can move inwards and outwards, you're a master of self-reflection. When not delusional due to the influence of the Absolute, Nere is his own worst critic. He remembers everything he has ever done wrong or 'failed' in his entire life. He is extremely harsh with himself and even perceived failings. His whole insistence on "Nere. Does Not. Fail." boils down to him nearly having a meltdown over Trauma [ Within my own personal storyline, this is also because the last thing he remembers his older brother saying to him before he never saw him again was, "I'm sorry that I failed you." ].

You know what needs to be done and when to do it. He is a very logical and strategic person. Though I had to mess up his INT stat a bit for the companion version so his main stats [ STR, DEX, CON ] could be right, he is also quite intelligent, and he has used it to great effect to remain alive. My version of Nere--based upon his canon stats and feats--was essentially a gladiator prior to escaping from that life only to wind up a fighter for another group. He was definitely a Battle Master fighter, always using his brain in conjunction with his impressive strength and build.

You're a protector, and would willingly take someone's place in danger in a heartbeat because you know you can handle the pressure. This part probably seems the most questionable at face value, but consider it like this: To have been treated as he was for the entirety of his life... only to then be treated well by people who have absolutely no obligation to him? Who, by all rights, could have simply killed him and walked away, never having to think of him again? All of that [misplaced/misled] devotion previously given to the matriarchs and the Weaver, didn't just vanish. Were he to find people worthy of it, he would absolutely risk his life if it saved theirs. While he absolutely hated his circumstances within the society of Lolth-sworn and thought that he could be so much More, he is absolutely geared towards wholehearted, soul-crushing devotion, as he was still devoted to 'the Weaver' before the Absolute stole him away, despite everything he had suffered. And when the Absolute does get him, he is just as devoted to this 'new deity'. "I have been entrusted with a sacred mission. I cannot fail," he says if you tell him that he can report his own failures, clearly both proud that he had been given such a mission and prideful that someone would say he failed. And then this conversation can occur if you kill all of the duergar before freeing Nere [ hint: killing the duergar first is also how you save both the gnomes--aside from the one that is now cutscene locked to die who wasn't originally--as well as Nere ]: Tav: I was abducted by mind flayers. That was when I began to hear the Absolute. Nere, "I don't understand... I've been following those... wretched beasts?" If you CAST DETECT THOUGHTS you can get: It cannot be. Have I betrayed Lolth for an imposter? Tav: Your faith in Lolth faltered. It is not too late to reclaim it. Nere, genuinely sounding so disappointed in himself, "Was I so weak as to betray the Weaver? ... I will take word to the Order of Soul Spiders. They must know of the Absolute threat." You can also choose to convince him to abandon the Absolute and RUN. That's what I choose and it has, thus far, kept him from getting zombie-fied later. Tav: You don't have to. Run - abandon the Absolute. "Perhaps you're right.. Perhaps I should. Dying for a cause is one thing, but for a mindflayer? For filth like that? ... No. I owe you a debt, it seems. You've saved me from worse than the duergar. Take this - a personal blessing. I pray we don't meet again."

He is very committed, up to and including being willing to "die for a cause". That is how Lolth-sworn drow--particularly the males--are taught to be, and it is hard-wired. It would be a very difficult thing to change.

Really, the only difference from Lolth to the Absolute to the player party, is whether or not the people he would lay down his life for in the player party are worthy of it, unlike those who were the focus of his earlier devotion.

I always forget what day it is and invariably find myself reminded to stay off the dash. 😂