Fan-girl Ramblings: My [1st] Custom Tav, Hestra Lumeth
Being so absorbed in BG3 as of late, figured why not write nonsense about my Tav (inspired a bit by a Twitter post about voicing their background) and since I write some 'serious' fan-fic about this woman... why not do a lengthy post explaining her?
*Usual warning of spoilers and a lot of this is made up from my deranged mind.
Hestra's 'natural' name is actually Keryx, born to Archdevil Zelinor, a succubus, and Veestan Lumeth, a high elven nobleman from the 'secret' city of Ny'nahil [in a valley somewhere within the Greypeak Mountains].
The 'story' goes is that Veestan wanted to recapture his glory days as a troubadour and decided he would seduce and bargain with a devil; specifically a native to the Fourth Layer of the Nine Hells, Phlegethos. Whatever bargain was made resulted in Keryx's birth; an Infernal contract cosigned to flesh.
*Though born to a devil, Keryx was born as a Tiefling and not a Cambion (since her mother is the devil, not her father). She does not inherit any Succubus-related abilities though does 'attain' the traits of the Fierna Bloodline, giving her a natural suave charm and inverting a tiefling's natural 'aura' to unsettle others, instead appearing alluring to most who encounter her and remain within her proximity for an extended amount of time. After her 'reforging' in the Pit of Flame, she developed a couple of succubus traits, mainly the ability for her musk and bodily fluids to behave as aphrodisiacs.
As per the bargain, Keryx was taken to Faerun to be left in the care of Veestan until her thirteenth year, but he wanted nothing to do with his bastard devil and so abandoned her in favor of reliving his fame.
For his vanity and blatant disregard for his own child, Yorilnth banished Veestan fron Ny'nahil and stripped him of all his wealth and titles, bequeathing them to Keryx as his sole (and rightful) heir once of age to utilize her inheritance. In the interim, Yorilnth, reluctantly, became mother to an unwanted tiefling child.
Yorilnth is no ordinary high elf, but an Ancient Silver Dragon that has called Ny'nahil her lair for several centuries now. Though there is no monarchy, the residents of Ny'nahil and her clan refer to her as 'queen'. Keryx was raised, mostly, by Yorilnth and Alioth, the clan's egg keeper, and experienced a relatively lovely and 'normal' upbringing. Keryx grew especially close to Razsermerjur, Yorilnth's youngest child, and the two treated each other as siblings.
Upon the hour Keryx turned thirteen, a Bone Devil suddenly arrived in Ny'nahil and dragged her down to Phlegethos, nearly killing Razsamerjur as the dragon, valiantly, tried to protect their sister from her fate.
For the next twenty-ish years, Keryx was raised in the ways of her Infernal heritage. Every day was a test of survival as Baator was not a kind place to mortals, in any capacity.
Zelinor hated Keryx, being the living embodiment of a great embarrassment yet could not cause harm to her due to the contract she, literally, gave birth to. Yet, Keryx developed a very sharp wit and talent for duplicity and seduction despite the disadvantages of her breeding... skills Zelinor took advantage of to the point Keryx found herself serving as a Justiciar of the Diabolical Courts, when not being utilized as a whore.
To ensure the contract wasn't 'accidentally' broken, Zelinor assigned one of her Cornugons to guard Keryx, with the ulterior intention to test Keryx's ability to charm and seduce. This is how Keryx and Esilith became intimately involved with each other. Keryx seduced her guardian and the two became, madly, enamored with each other.
Through the course of their relationship, Keryx picked up the moniker and stage name 'The Infernal Siren'. With Esilith at her side, the pair wracked up quite the body count. Keryx was so 'in love' with the cornugon, she put herself through horrendous physical trials and torment, such as having her body modified to be the 'perfect' lover and even endured several days within the Pit of Flame (which ruined most of her body and burned away parts of her soul). However, their relationship quickly turned violent when, in a fit of jealous rage, Esilith stabbed Keryx through the heart after learning she was to be 'married' to a another devil.
With her heart rent in half, but alive, Keryx had the brilliant idea to have a variant of an Infernal Engine grafted to her heart; an iron music box that would serve as a spell foci for her infernal bardic work, which solely had relied on her singing voice. Over the course of a year, Keryx wrote a song & performance that came to be known as the 'Song of Ruin' but required the use of her 'music-box heart' to complete the ritual; driving entire armies and cities to ecstatic destruction by instigating orgies and various acts of debauchery until all that were subjected to the song perished, either from sheer exhaustion or violent madness.
The Song of Ruin attracted the interest and attention of the Lords of the Fourth; Archduke Belial and Archduchess Fierna. Keryx served them as, primarily, a saboteur on various fronts of the Blood War as well as other layers of Baator.
At some point, Keryx grew homesick for Faerun and tried to escape, unsuccessfully, several times before entering a contract with Archduchess Fierna to return to the Prime Material Plane... as long as she fulfilled her obligations to create cults and worshippers for Fierna so the Lady of the Fourth could increase her power.
Upon returning to Faerun, Keryx immediately returned to Ny'nahil. Yorilnth, Alioth, Razsamerjur... despite her long absence, Keryx was welcomed home and her family sought to heal what they could of the scars, both physical and mental, that the Nine Hells had left upon her. Keryx struggled to adjust to being a Faerunian, however... and Fierna made her pay for her insubordination.
Archduchess Fierna tormented Keryx with nightmares until the tiefling broke and she attempted to corrupt Ny'nahil. The ritual never finished, as she fled when she realized what she had wrought upon her home.
Adopting the name Hestra while on the road (and rarely ever revealing her surname), Hestra wandered the Sword Coast for a number of years (often carrying out her contractual obligations to Fierna) before starting to settle in Baldur's Gate. She becomes a 'silent partner' with Rizare (a Deeva prostitute turned business owner), wrote and sold plays to theatres around the city and occasionally turnrf sects of the Baldurian aristocracy or common folk to the worship of Fierna.
She further hides her identity by wearing a Ring of Disguise Self that makes her appear more 'normal'; Infernal eyes hidden behind green, tattoos and scarring all smooth flesh
Despite having a string of paramours from all walks of life (though she never physically engaged with anyone, resorting to charm spells to gaslight her 'lovers' into believing otherwise), Hestra staunchly refused to intimately commit to another.
Then the Absolute Crisis happened... Which is where my fan-fic writing tends to focus with this character (with a sprinkling of post-game or AU nonsense).
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Hestra was leaving Baldur's Gate, via the Black Dragon Gate, intending to take one of her plays on tour when Absolute Cultists nabbed her and imprisoned her on the Emperor's Nautiloid.
The adventure wasn't all bad, despite being infected by illithid.
Made new friends, saved Faerun and fell (very hard) in love with Lae'zel of Creche K'liir.
And the rest, as they say, is history. I drabbled very long about my Tav, hope you enjoyed. Maybe I'll do more... cause I have a few more Tavs and other OCs.
