Bardic Inclinations

We interrupt this parallel timelines broadcast for a brief survey of modded Act 1 gear, in the vein of my previous coverage of Cannor's act-by-act kit progression. I mentioned in that post how I like the idea of using modded armors but I still prefer the pretense of changing into better gear as the game progresses. I also said that I refuse to continue the age-old D&D ritual humiliation of terrible gear at Level 1, but that doesn't mean Act 1 gear needs to look pristine.

Indeed it maybe should appear to be a bit scuzzy, and that (in addition to the bevy of slightly-overpowered options) is why I tend to use Bandit Armors as my go-to for initial gear. It's great for making any character of any class, but especially my beloved experts (bards, rogues, rangers) look like cut-rate cutpurses who are getting by with whatever gear they can manage.

And so Cannor wears "bandit padded" armor, Zaf "collarless rogue" armor, Ruy "heavy Milanese cuirass" (from the pseudo-Milanese mod), and Alfira a somewhat-anonymous-looking "Absolutist gambeson" (which thankfully doesn't come with the identifying skull pendant).

As for any snobby aliens deigning to slum in the wilderness of Toril, they might find the pseudo-Milanese (Rikka- and Kaldani-approved) scale hauberk to be a useful way to appropriate local culture.

Day 3 (22, Eleasis)

Our Days Are Numbered: Events of Chapter 3, The Wrong Note. Re-entered the crypt and bested the remaining bandits. Skeletons were a tougher fight but they were defeated too so Withers' tomb opened and he went to camp. Our heroes looted the trapped room then went back into the grove tunnel and took out the goblins there. Reclassed Laezel to Dex-based and Shadowheart to Life Domain. Looted the grove library (saw dead drow, took note of "M"). Talked down Arka, taunted Sazza. Skirted Moonhaven, but didn't enter. Cannor and Shadowheart agreed they should truly connect. Camped near the harpy beach. At night, Cannor drank wine with Shads and she kissed him.

Day 2 (21, Eleasis)

Our Days Are Numbered: Events of Chapter 2, The Best Practice (AO3 link): Cannor/Farago/Shadowheart explored the cliffs and crypt briefly, scaring off some bandits and killing one other. Recruited Lae’zel, skirmished with goblins, entered the Grove, hit L3, and geared up. Healed Pandirna. Helped Alfira finish her song. Freed Arabella. Camped in the Hollow. At night, Shadowheart’s thoughts betrayed her attraction to Cannor.

Singer Versus Sailor: Cannor and Zaf (who are tadpoled) persuade Ruy (who is not, but sympathizes) to let any crypt discoveries wait until they find a healer. They arrive at the Grove gate, skirmish with goblins (RIP Remira) and enter the Grove. They rescue Nadira from the bugbear assassin, pacifiy Aradin, gear up with Arron, and split up to gain information. Ruy confers with Zevlor and then bets with Lakrissa. Cannor gears up more with Dammon. Zafraia persuades Rolan to leave, scoffs away Shadowheart, and then confronts druids.

Cannor and Ruy make it in time to prevent a conflict, then they split up again when inside: Cannor to Alfira (for making eyes, talking, jamming, consoling), Ruy to Volo and the beach below, Zafraia to Kagha (where she frees Arabella but doesn’t find Nettie). Zaf doubled back and met Ruy at Arka vs. Sazza (she was indifferent, so the goblin died). Re-teamed with Cannor, went back outside the grove and looted the abandoned Harper refuge, then returned inside via the secret tunnel (clearing gobs en route) and camped. At night, Alfira arrived and Cannor recruited her.

A journal of two separate playthroughs by Cannor the whispers bard, for one in-game day at a time. The goal is to iron out original plot points that fit in his BG3 story which I can use for a possible future story in Nua, my homebrew world (a substantially different setting). Some of those points might derive from my fic "Our Days Are Numbered" (which I hope this will help me continue writing) and some might derive from various "Singer x Sailor" playthroughs Cannor shares with my beloved swashbuckler rogue Zafraia.

This project will repeat and/or link to older posts, as well as last a long time—most of my playthroughs last at least 35 in-game days—so for those of you who've seen this stuff before and would rather not, mute the tag #ltb parallel timelines and be free of my OCs. At least in this instance. However ideally I won't do more than 1-2 per day, and each post will be fairly short. One other thing before I start: handy backstory reference for both Tavs is at Lore Galore: Cannor & Zafraia Pre-BG3. All right, let's go!

Day 1 (20, Eleasis)

Our Days Are Numbered: Events of Chapter 1, The Clown Suit (AO3 link): Cannor Coth is an over-the-hill, out-of-work envoy and erstwhile spy enduring his seventh year of exile from Baldur's Gate, his adopted home city. The most interesting thing that's happened to Cannor in years just took place: he was snapped up by the mind flayer nautiloid outside Luskan while doing his penance for losing a bet the night before. Coincidentally, the ship had also captured an old friend of his whom he hasn't seen in years, an elf soldier and scout named Farago. They both exited their pods at the same time and reunited. With help from Shadowheart and Lae’zel, they escaped the Nautiloid and woke up in the wilderness. They promptly re-recruit Shadowheart (hitting L2) and camp early.

Fair warning: the near future of LTB will be still hung up on resolving a sort of universal timeline for Cannor's BG3 adventures. Singer x Sailor remains stalled in an unwieldy/OC-heavy pre-Foundry demolition corner of Act 3, and Cannor’s earlier narrative just got disrupted by a brief Alfira fling (which I still want to try and make work a la his brief Shadowheart fling in my fic).

So I think I’m gonna have to restart Cannor/Zafraia yet again to solidify their half of his two timelines (the other being his fic timeline). If folks are sick of these two by now, well…I'm not and never will be; refining their in-game storylines is one of my favorite hobbies right now. So mute or whatever as you see fit.

Ultimately I’ll have to detail both paths as hinted previously; one Cannor/Farago (as documented to date in "Our Days Are Numbered") which now works with my current mod scheme, and one Cannor/Zafraia (as documented in Singer x Sailor and previous Cannor/Zaf runs). There will be many similar plot points (and probably a third Tav involved in the latter as well) but likely different endings.

And I'm discovering that both timelines are brutal to resolve even through only four in-game days (the time it takes them to accidentally tip the Grove into chaos), so restarting feels like my only real recourse here. I like to tell myself "this is all in service of the fic" (for the first run) and "for the fantasy atlas" (the second run) but it's probably because I can't let these characters go in favor of several others.

Quick question for those of my moots or followers who have "birthdays" for original characters: how did you determine that date?

Asking because I've done some archaeology and have found various Cannor milestones from "thinking about it" (emails from when my brother first invited me to his first 5e homebrew project in August 2019) through Cannor's actual first 5e session (evidence above, from February 2020).

After reviewing my meager scientific data results, it appears that among the viewing public, LTB’s bard on bard action is preferred in the platonic state rather than the romantic state and, well, I can accept that I suppose. It's certainly a distraction from other playthroughs, even other ongoing Cannor playthroughs, and since headcanonically it doesn't last I should maybe explore it later and not now.

But know this: before playing BG3 I did not prefer tieflings. At all. I disallowed them as a playable species (among many others) in my homebrew game and didn't make allowances for them in-universe (no other planes of existence = no hells, etc.). I had lots of "reasons" and some of those were even valid, but none of them matter right now and anyway I'm figuring out a way to include them. That's all down to Alfira, Lakrissa, Rikka, Arka, Cerys, Elegis, and Kaldani. Tiefling rangers and their bard (which tbh now seems like a fun run of its own). Laugh at the goofy-old-man aspect of it all you want, but that doesn't make it false.

It could be worse; I could have subjected you all to the blow-by-blow of how Cannor x Alfira survives the massacre and raid (because with mods of course she can and does). But all of this is just dancing around resolving a sort of universal timeline for Cannor's BG3 adventures. Which is really two timelines, depending on which rogue (Farago for the fic or Zafraia because she rules) gets roped into being his co-wormbrain. His own solo timeline is a long-lost artifact at this point, but maybe that's worth unearthing as well.

As a corollary, or maybe even a counterpoint, to recent Cannor x Alfira propaganda, I think my favorite shots of them so far are not the flirty ones or makeout ones or any of that (though those are fun, and the closeups of her are pretty hot).

No, I think my faves are the ones where they're just jamming together. All business. Just two musical brains figuring out each others' songs. Look, I know this is Tumblr, I'm proshippy about anything, and hornyposting is what we do here, but sometimes that really does get in the way.

A very slapdash Cannor-Alfira meet-cute using mostly dialogue from in-game options and a little of my own invention, letterboxed because I can't be arsed to do a proper 16x9 for iMovie I guess. A (literally) quickie VP/slideshow seemed like the most efficient way to present this.

If you're thinking to yourself "well that escalated quickly," then I very much agree with you—but I don't really care anymore if stuff like this feels "earned" or not, at least in the context of this site and/or fanfic-like things, because it doesn't have to. But at one point in another timeline they did have a bet to see who can learn the others' song faster.

Furthermore, if it did need anything to feel "earned" I have go-to's. In my experience people make irrational and impulsive decisions when grieving. Also in my experience, other people can and do inadvertently enable that behavior by trying to "be kind" and/or "do the right thing." Cannor has been that guy before and he will be again.

"Hang on LTB," you say. "Isn't Cannor's BG3 romance Minthara?" Yes, yes she is, and very much so. They're my blog banner of course. Maybe I'll get into more about how this could fit in to that plot in another post.

Anyway, "The Weeping Dawn" city-version instrumental is obviously by Borisov Slavov. The "Mark My Words" instrumental is by me and part of my self-recorded/released collection of Cannor's songs.

Oh and since the slideshow goes fast, a text version is below the cut.