Bg3 Durge Oc - Blog Posts

Okay so I've posted about my main Tav, now to post about my main Durge who I've done 2 playthroughs with the same character and will probably do more, and any time I post about my Durgetash stories/AUs she's the Durge in question unless I state otherwise. Due to being Durge I don't have much for her backstory since.. it's kinda right there, but I currently have two AUs for her and a third I'm working on. Without further ado, here's her "canon" storyline (in which I do say fuck actual canon 🫶)

Yurena

The one difference to the canon Durge backstory is that she did love Gortash, truly and while knowing her god - her father - disapproved. She never meant to fall for Gortash, but after meeting a few times and having written several letters back and forth, it was hard not to. The two of them began having visits outside of work, getting to know each other better than they knew themselves. Yurena admired Gortash for his brain above all else, for his ability to invent and plan and even his artistic side - something she eventually began to pick up on. They grew to trust each other completely, to genuinely want to rule together - Yurena would comment on how Gortash's death could be so beautiful but she preferred him alive, and Gortash was more than willing to share his bed throne with her

But then Orin came along, and everything fell apart. Yurena woke up on a mind flayer ship, having no memories yet her emotions remembered something. So she made her way along the Sword Coast, traveling alongside Astarion, Shadowheart, and Wyll. While at camp at one point, majority of the companions (Wyll, Karlach, Gale, Shadowheart) convinced Yurena to help the grove (Astarion didn't want to, Lae'zel was focused on the crèche and didn't care). After helping the tieflings, while at the party, Astarion approached Yurena. The two ended up talking, during which Yurena said she believed she'd had a lover before and she wanted to figure out who it was

Fast forward to the party chasing Ketheric into the illithid colony, watching as the Chosen Three talk, and Yurena can't stop staring at Gortash. Can't shake the feeling that she knew him, that he was important. She doesn't say anything about it until they're in Baldur's Gate, and she's standing face to face with someone unafraid to call her "nearest and dearest". At this point Yurena has to explain to Gortash her amnesia, and has to pretend like she can't see behind the unbothered mask of his, like the light in his eyes doesn't seem to dim as he hears that. Still he offers to work together, to rule together, and Yurena accepts the offer more than willingly. There's just one person left in the way; Orin. Yurena is able to deal with her easily, only to be greeted by her father. Yet when Bhaal says she will be his Slayer, that she must kill every living thing, Yurena can't imagine it. There are some people she's too fond of to kill, and she rejects her fate

After this there are two main routes Yurena's story can take. The first one and the one I talk about a bit more often follows canon for a bit longer, until the Netherbrain is defeated. After the story is said and done, Yurena has nowhere to go and stays in her Lower City camp with Withers. She finds as much about her past as possible, including countless letters between herself and Gortash. Knowing he's an important piece of her past, knowing she had once loved him, she works on convincing Withers to bring him back - saying that if he were to come back he'd have no reason to worship Bane anymore, that the two of them could live out their lives as nobodies. Just travelers, seeing the sights of Faerûn, maybe even doing some good. And it works, Gortash is brought back free of his Chosen title. He's hesitant at first, since he wasn't exactly consulted about this, but sees his second chance with Yurena and decides to accept it. This post ending AU is the two of them learning to live free of the influence of Bhaal or Bane, finding out who they can be when they can be anyone, and loving themselves and each other.

The second and actually original storyline begins with Yurena convincing Bhaal that total global murder isn't the way to go, as it means in the future there can be no murder. She remains his Chosen and the leader of the Bhaalists. After this things continue essentially the same until it diverts from canon during the Netherbrain encounter - Gortash tries to interrupt, but Yurena doesn't let him take the Netherstones, telling him she's made progress and will finish this. Once the Netherbrain is destroyed, Yurena ensures Gortash is able to remain the Archduke. She becomes known as his blade, a guard that is never more than a few feet away from him. The companions all go their separate ways, and Yurena stays living with Gortash in Baldur's Gate. They rule the city together, and though it's nothing like the grand plan they once had, they're alive and together - and plotting new plans to rule the whole of Faerûn, but more cautious now

When it comes to the companions, Yurena struggled connecting with most of them. Astarion was the only one she really got along with, sometimes Shadowheart could be included, but that was about it. Lae'zel thought her needlessly violent, Wyll and Karlach saw there was a barely contained evil that Yurena seemed all too ready to accept, and Gale really did try to be friendly but even he was put off by Yurena at times. Yurena mostly traveled with Astarion, Shadowheart and Wyll, and in her universe(s) Wyll was the one encouraging Shadowheart to be better while Yurena and Astarion made each other worse in many ways. In the universe where Yurena is killed by her father then revived, none of the companions hear from her after the celebration at the end of everything - it's after that reunion that Gortash is brought back and the two slip away. In the other universe, where Yurena and Gortash rule Baldur's Gate, well to be honest I'm still writing this one and haven't decided yet lol. We'll see where the story takes itself!

Currently writing a sort of continuation Durgetash AU where my Durge character (Yurena, because she's my main Durge character so why not) convinces Withers to bring Gortash back after everything that happens, and the two of them (now both having been given new life) are free from their gods and decide to simply travel Faerûn. In it I lean into them putting old skills to new use, and that leads to Gortash inventing a camera for Yurena. This is essentially how him showing her it goes

Gortash: I made this, you can look through this lens and then click this button and it will take a picture of whatever you see through the lens. I'm working on a device that connects to it to see all the pictures you take but for now you can see them on this too Yurena: *staring at him through the camera* This is so sweet of you, what made you do this? Gortash: Well a while back you said something about wanting to capture a moment forever, and I wanted to make that happen for you. Plus I always have admired that creative spark of yours, now you can make the beauty you see last forever. Anyway I started thinking about what I could- Yurena: *click* Gortash: ...what was that Yurena: You said I can make anything beautiful last forever Gortash: My dear, I'm honored, may I see the picture Yurena: Sure Gortash: *staring at the picture of him mid sentence, not at all posed for a picture*

And that is how Yurena gets Gortash to be speechless for a solid minute because he can't decide if he hates the picture because of how unflattering it is or if he loves it because he knows she's seeing the beauty of his mind at work and it's such a wonderful feeling to be loved

I should post about Yurena soon like I did for Echo