Makaria

When Makaria awakens on board the Nautiloid covered in blood, it’s with no memory of anything but her own name and a vicious, sick twisting in her gut. Driven by the need for vengeance on whoever left her in such a state, she takes to exploring the Nautiloid. Here she gathers Val’ghast, Lae’zel, and Shadowheart, all four of them sharing a common goal - to find a cure for the tadpoles in their heads. Later, after the crash and after also recruiting Astarion (who fills her mind unbidden with thoughts of his pretty corpse) and Gale (who would have lost his hand had she not kept her fantasizing in check), the party comes across the Emerald Grove under attack by a band of goblins. Upon slaying the goblins, they learn of a healer named Halsin who could potentially provide a remedy to their shared condition.

The violent impulses that have plagued her since she woke up come in waves. Her initial reactions to Astarion and Gale are trivial compared to the daydreams of a future where she guides the goblins, tieflings, and druids into slaughtering one another, spilling blood until none remain. Still, nothing comes of her fantasizing until they come across a squirrel at the top of the grove. Losing all sense of self and control, she brutalizes the squirrel by kicking into a nearby tree, shattering its body on impact. When she comes to, having momentarily blacked out, she defensively claims it was coming right at her, and the matter is dropped until Astarion approaches her to comment on the “rabid, pained, [and] sick” state of her. While none of her companions are yet aware of the existence of her Urges, she confesses to having no memory before the Nautiloid, to which he voices his concerns (or what passed as “concern”) that something besides the tadpole must be affecting her. Head swimming and bile rising in the back of her throat, the party continues on their way.

With the Grove comes the tiefling refugees, who are being pushed out of the Grove by the druid leader Kagha, angry that the outsiders are “bringing trouble” to the Grove. The party agrees to clear out the nearby goblin camp, partly to help the refugees travel safely to Baldur’s Gate and partly (in Makaria’s case, as the refugees are the last thing on her mind) to track down Halsin, who was said to have gone missing inside said camp. Wyll joins the party on the condition that they help him hunt his quarry - a devil from Avernus.

Amidst the Grove exploration, they come across a bard named Alfira sitting alone and struggling to complete a song she’s working on. Makaria is rather dismissive of Alfira’s struggle, instead pushing her towards getting ready to fight instead, and Alfira’s claim that “violence doesn’t fix everything, you now. Music can help in ways a silly blade can’t,” firmly roots itself in Makaria’s brain. Val’ghast - the party’s bard - helps Alfira finish her song, and Makaria watches Alfira’s performance with a mix of contemplative fascination and stomach-churning disgust at the camaraderie on display.

On the road to the goblin camp, the party is ambushed by a devil named Raphael. Initially kidnapping them to his “House of Hope,” he soon lets them go after offering a cure for the tadpole in exchange for their souls. Then comes Karlach’s recruitment and the subsequent confrontation between her and Wyll - this results in Wyll’s pact with his patron Mizora being broken, as he spared Karlach’s life, and he takes on a devil’s appearance. Also, strangely, they come across a boar that seems to have been completely drained of blood. Astarion is rather skittish about it - with some pressure from Makaria, he reluctantly says that it’s the work of a vampire and that he’ll stay vigilant should one attempt to infiltrate their camp.

One inconspicuous night, Alfira arrives in camp asking to join the party, claiming she has been inspired by the team and wants to venture out into the world. She’s welcomed with mostly open arms. Later that same night, Makaria wakes to her hands soaked in blood and the mutilated corpse of Alfira before her. Deeply shaken and with no memory as to what happened outside of a flash of Alfira’s terror-stricken face imprinted in her mind, Makaria’s panic is interrupted by an equally horrified Val’ghast. After successfully managing to plead her case to Val’ghast, the half-drow helps Makaria dispose of Alfira’s body. The rest of the party is none the wiser and the duo keep this between themselves for the time being. As someone who very much does not like losing control of herself, this event is the main catalyst to Makaria wanting to fully resist the Urge.

Two nights later, haunted by fantasies of the moments before Alfira’s death and unable to sleep, Makaria goes for a midnight walk to clear her mind. On the outskirts of camp is where she meets Sceleritas Fel, who introduces himself as her “loyal and ever-adoring butler.” Struck speechless by this creature who apparently knows her from her forgotten past, she assumes this must be a nightmare. She’s had more than her fair share of them lately. Unfortunately, she’s very much awake - Sceleritas rewards her for mutilating Alfira with the Deathstalker Mantle, calling it “part of [her] dreadful inheritance.” Makaria insists that she’s disgusted with herself for killing Alfira, but Sceleritas simply reminds her to be true to herself before disappearing. The morning after, she tells the party of her occasional uncontrollable violent impulses.

Later, following an incident wherein the artifact protects them from the voice of the Absolute outside the goblin camp, Makaria is ambushed that night by Lae’zel during a sick spell. Lae’zel, concerned they’re all about to transform, threatens to kill them all. Makaria’s able to talk her down, claiming she’ll be fine in the morning, and shortly after passes out for the night. A tall Asmodeus tiefling paladin with dark hair appears to her in her dreams. There’s something strikingly familiar about the woman, but Makaria’s battered brain isn’t able to figure out what exactly is it. The dream visitor reveals that she’s the one protecting the party from becoming mind flayers and that Makaria would be wise to embrace the tadpole’s power rather than resist it if they’re to survive against the Absolute in the fight soon to come. Makaria wakes from the dream conflicted; if the visitor is to be believed, the tadpoles could be a powerful advantage - but is it worth the unknown consequences of allowing it to burrow further into her brain?

As if Alfira and Sceleritas Fel aren’t enough to keep her up at night, Makaria finds herself with even more trouble when she wakes abruptly from a fitful sleep to Astarion hovering above her, his teeth bared. Constantly on edge as she is, Makaria rolls to her feet ready to fight. Astarion pleads his case, that he wasn’t going to hurt her, that he just needed blood - and she realizes (far too late, honestly, but in her defense she’s had a lot going on) that he’s a vampire. She responds to his protests that he’s not a monster with an odd emotion she believes is sympathy. She knows what it’s like to fear your companions will think badly of you were they to find out the truth. Though neither this nor his being too weak to properly hunt animals is enough for her to simply let him feed from her - as a test of trust (and confident in her ability to take him down should the need arise), her one condition is that she gets to bite him as well. They have a back-and-forth but eventually Astarion relents. Makaria doesn’t go for the throat, opting instead for the wrist because she doesn’t need blood like he does, and then allows Astarion to feed from her neck. The next morning, Makaria defends Astarion from their companions, and they come to an agreement that he can drain as many bandits and other enemies he wishes.

In the next several days, many things happen; the goblin camp is raided and Halsin is rescued, Astarion gets the Necromancy of Thay, Gale opens up about his Arcane Hunger, the owlbear cub met in the goblin camp begins to visit camp, they find out about Wyll’s father Duke Ravenguard being kidnapped from Waukeen’s Rest, Volo lobotomizes Val’ghast in an attempt to remove her tadpole, and another visit from the dream paladin directs them towards Moonrise Towers, where the Absolute’s forces seem to be gathering.

Gandrel interaction, Astarion’s proposition

Tiefling party, wine with Shadowheart, night with Astarion

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