A Love Letter to Minthara
Hi everyone, I keep putting this post in replies to people asking if Minthara can be romanced on a good run? so I decided to repost the whole thing here because I'm still in love with her.
In my second Astarion origin run I planned to go it solo (perhaps with hirelings if I got totally stuck), which led to a complete off the rails playthrough in Act 1, because making reasonably intelligent decisions while trying to stay alive alone is pretty much impossible.
The subpar planner defacing a painting of Vlakith
I sided with Minthara, but got convinced by Halsin to trust him instead (man, he is too good at reverse psychology - "*Noo of course I wouldn't ask for your help, you've done enough*..."), then I turned on Minthara to defend the grove. I was quite confident in the statement that I would slit her throat.
Obviously I wasn't able to defend the grove all alone, so I called on my ogre buddies, which aggroed the fuck out of the tieflings who were not prepared for, well, ogres.
I spent like one hour trying to run away, eventually I managed to jump off a cliff from the grove taking out 26 of my 27 HP - all the tieflings died while I crawled away in pain and it was just so ridiculously depressing.
I slinked away to camp, and only returned many long rests later to loot. Surprisingly, I met Minthara in the grove - she apparently found backstabbing really hot.
"You are almost worthy to live among drow, faerie."
At this point, she propositioned me telepathically - something I declined, as I was not about to recruit Minthara as my only companion. She thusly informed me:
"I already know your mind - I will know your body, one way or another."
From there, I was pulled directly to the party, where one option at the goblin altar was to drink ALL the blood. And persuade the Goblin priestess to top my cup up, of course.
Wiping my mouth - it was a big bowl!
And this is how I fell face first into a romance with Minthara, who bedded me on an altar about three different ways and ended up calling me "beautiful and broken".
Not a cold ear tip in the house...
(my favorite very much NSFW shots from this scene can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OnlyFangsbg3/comments/1bby8fr/two\_lonely\_elves\_an\_altar\_and\_a\_freecam\_minthara/)
I thought I would be able to just experience this scene and continue my adventures alone - but unexpectedly, I got to a see a very different side of this drow.
Free from the Absolute's influence she opened up to me - I read her mind, she's scared, she wants to face her tormentors - it seems almost impossible. She is distraught, she is an outcast. We have so much in common, in the strangest way.
She knew she was supposed to stop this. But she didn't - she couldn't.
What is it about evil alignment lovers wanting to kill me in my sleep?
She let me live.
I kept on confusedly and weakly all alone until Moonrise, where I met her once again - the only person I'd ever connected with as a free man - and I just couldn't let her be sacrificed. She told me "It was not the Prism that held me, and touched my mind and body. That was you."
Just a very normal day in camp.
Eventually, we faced up to our first god.
We convinced Ketheric to jump...
I'm sure it's just Minthara's normal kisses (she's got 3 or 4 different ones including a unique endgame kiss from my count) - but it feels special with Astarion.
He never did have anyone who gave a shit about him until way into Act 2, and he never got a hug before she just pulls him off balance and demands his love and attention ("You are exquisite, you give me courage - I could lose myself in you.").
In Act 3, they are on fire, ~250 year olds going on it like teenagers. I posted some more screenshots of these loons here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OnlyFangsbg3/comments/1bbmc6y/how_my_planned_solo_origin_playthrough_turned_out/
I was worried about what would happen in the end. Once Act 3 really starts playing out, it's obvious that Minthara is much more concerned with power and ruling than Astarion.
I also felt that she would put up with Ascended Astarion for exactly 4 minutes if I was thinking realistically about it - but surely she would not respect spawn Astarion, not for who he was, and certainly not for turning down all that power?
In the Szarr Mansion before a big choice
Her response to freeing the spawn was "Good riddance". But other than that, she was more concerned with dealing with Orin.
At this point, I felt a little confused. We were both free from out tormentors. She told me that we were bound together until Orin was dealt with. Not longer?
"Perhaps longer, if you wish it. This bond we share... I believe it is alurlssrin. If that is so, it will last as long as we do."
Edited in: What is Alurlssrin? It is a term that describes 'love', specifically, an unselfish deep love. The term was known to Eilistraee and her faith. Why is this relevant? Because "Eilistraee was the chaotic good drow goddess of beauty, song, dance, freedom, moonlight, swordwork, and hunting, within the drow pantheon known as the Dark Seldarine. She was the patroness and protector of the few dark elves who longed to return to the surface and live there, at peace with other races, and to abandon the endless conflicts and intrigues that dominated the lives of most drow". I think it's absolutely intriguing that Minthara - originally Lolth-sworn - would bring up this term to describe their love!
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Eilistraee
Orin is dead - and we are both free
We were soon ready to face the brain.
"If this is to be our end, we will die together."
You glimpse a future where you lose all the gifts the parasite gave you - a future where you no longer see the sun.
In the end, I did not dominate the brain.
She demands to know why I did not. Surprisingly, she is happy to agree that perhaps no one person should have that much power. There are still conquests to be had.
I can no longer live in the light, but she says if so - it will be a glorious homecoming. And that I will make a Beautiful King. Her Beautiful King.
"My name belongs to my mother, so our House will have a new name, your name. And the world will learn to fear it."
So this is my love letter to Minthara, of House Ancunin in the Underdark. You give me courage.