Araj Oblodra

Araj Oblodra is a drow trader and blood-focused alchemist who can be found in Moonrise Towers and the Lower City of Baldur's Gate. Other than the items she sells, she also offers unique potions in exchange for samples of blood, and asks to speak with .
== Overview ==
=== Description ===
While Araj does at first feign the part of a studious researcher and alchemist, the gray-skinned, red-eyed drow has no qualms with deception, torture, murder, and even genocide.
===History===
Araj Oblodra is a daughter of the now-defunct . Over a century ago, an alliance of rival drow in the city of destroyed her House, due to their association with psionics and illithids before and during the , among many other crimes.Act Two, Moonrise Towers
Narrator: Intelligence (History): *You realise why the name rings familiar: House Oblodra was purged a century ago by an alliance of rival drow houses.*
Narrator: *Among the many crimes tallied against them - their reckless experimentation with illithid breeding-stock.*
Few survived the House's destruction and, as Araj believes herself to be the last remaining daughter of Oblodra, she yearns to reinstate the House to its former glory.
==Involvement==
===Act Two===
In Act Two, Araj Oblodra can be found inside Moonrise Towers, poring over alchemical equipment. 
If the player character is also a drow, they can remark upon her name: 
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====Blood-draw elixirs====
Araj brews unique Elixirs as payment for drawing blood from the True Souls in the party for her research.
Each character can give blood only once, incurring 1d3 damage in the process. As the elixirs contain some of the donated blood, the effects are generally themed on the race, and (in the case of Dragonborns) subrace of the character giving blood. If the character is disguised while donating their blood, the potion they receive is still that of their undisguised race.
Unlike normal elixirs, Araj's blood-draw elixir effects are not replaced when a character consumes a second elixir. The half-elven version is not a true elixir at all, as it does not impart a long-lasting condition, but is instead a single-use healing consumable. 
However, after consuming a blood-draw elixir and taking a long rest, the character receives the condition , which causes a -1 to all dice rolls until another long rest.
Upon first speaking with Araj (and if Astarion is not in the party) she can be asked about her intentions with keeping the rest of the blood donation. She then attributes it to mere curiosity. However, if passing a (being is drow), the knowledge of reveals that Araj does not merely want True Soul blood, but Illithid blood specifically – an illicit subject for drow to research. If this insight is shared with Araj, she offers to pay 200 gold for each blood donation (including the current one) alongside the normal elixir. 
If responding to her offer with Keep it, your gold. I prefer to know what the sect does to non-believers, she refuses, saying that she has a project where she cannot risk losing a unique specimen like the player character, and now has no choice but to observe their evolution from afar. She then runs to disappear from Moonrise Towers (and the rest of Act Two).
Donating blood in Act Two awards the "Blood, Sweat, and the Other Thing" Inspiration to all characters with the Guild Artisan background.
Race 	Elixir
Black Dragonborn, Copper Dragonborn	
Blue Dragonborn, Bronze Dragonborn 	
Brass Dragonborn, Gold Dragonborn 	
Green Dragonborn 	
Silver Dragonborn, White Dragonborn	
Drow, Elf 	
Dwarf 	
Githyanki 	
Gnome 	
Half-Elf 	
Half-Orc 	
Halfling 	
Human 	
Tiefling 	
==== Interaction with Astarion====
Araj deeply wishes to speak with . If he is left at camp, or is far enough away from the party during her first interaction, she politely asks that the vampire spawn be brought next time.
When Araj speaks with Astarion, she excitedly asks that he bite her, so she may study the effects of vampire bites up close. She offers the priceless in exchange, which permanently increases the Strength of the one drinking it by 2.
Astarion is loath to do so and, if asked, privately notes to the player character there is something deeply wrong with Araj's blood.
If the player character's approval with Astarion is high enough (in some conversation options where he is presented with a choice in the matter) or if he is told to do so anyway - despite his objections, Astarion gives in to Araj's desires. However, he literally retches after doing so and feels used, resulting in -3 disapproval and a camp scene which impacts a romance between him and the player character, if one exists.
There are no other consequences of Astarion obliging the request, regardless of how foul Araj's blood seems to be.
If Astarion was chosen as Origin, a simpler dialogue is instead shown, where the player character can choose to bite her.
===Act Three ===
If blood was donated in Act Two, Araj can be found again in the Lower City of Baldur's Gate in Act Three. On approaching her shop, Crimson Draughts, just east of The Blushing Mermaid, a series of explosions trigger and while Araj runs out on fire, she is nevertheless thrilled. She praises the character, as their blood has given her a breakthrough of such magnitude she expects the drow Grand Matriach will restore her disgraced house, House Oblodra. Specifically, their blood proved able to attach to even "the trickiest of substances," unlike anything she has encountered before.
If Astarion did not bite Araj in Act 2, she flirtatiously attempts to offer it once more. However, Astarion has now steeled his resolve and forcefully refuses.
Araj is a trader in Act Three as well, primarily retaining her inventory from Act Two.
If Araj was killed in Act Two, or no character donated their blood, Araj is not at her store and the explosions do not trigger on approach.
====Mysterious Potion====
After following Araj into her bombed-out shop, she breathlessly encourages the player character to finish the research, and drink her new formula: Formula Gruna. The entire party urges them not to drink it. If accepting the potion and then leaving her shop without gulping it, she interjects and insists; if refused she turns hostile. 
Drinking the offered deals 1d4 Slashing damage to the character and triggers a small explosion around them. The character then gains the permanent feature, causing them to bleed out surfaces when hurt. When these surfaces are exposed to flame, they explode, and turn into surfaces.
When spoken with next, Araj is pleased to see the character did not die, and is excited at the results. She giddily deems the character the world's first detonative exsanguinator. In parting, and with no qualms at having risked the character's life, she offers to provide another explosive in exchange for a nominal fee: another blood donation.
Agreeing to donate blood again causes the character to take 2 damage, but gain a . As with previous refusals, she becomes hostile if denied her request to donate more blood.
Thereafter, Araj accepts blood donations once per long rest, gaining two Sanguine Explosives in her trader inventory each time.
====Crimson Draughts====
Araj's shop Crimson Draughts is her apothecary in Lower City – seemingly for some time before the events of the game. Araj has been operating what appears to be a legitimate business selling potions to infirm citizens. However, Crimson Draughts' mailbox reveals the drow alchemist has been swapping some orders with her own tinctures, causing horrific injuries.
Downstairs, untouched by the explosions, reveals the true purpose of her research: she intends to resurrect an army of the dead and reinstate the defunct House Oblodra. And, if rebuffed, to use explosives to kill all in the Drow city of and rule as queen over an undead populace.
Whether through lockpicking or using the key nearby, venturing into the shop's basement reveals Araj's small laboratory. Makeshift cells contain the less-voluntary participants, with humans and beasts chained to the wall or mutilated. The butchered corpse of a Spectator can be found near her research table.
Donating blood in both Act Three awards the "Innovations in Volatility" Inspiration to all characters with the Soldier background.
===Epilogue===
If the player character donated blood in Moonrise Towers and the Lower City, drank the and donated blood again, Araj leaves in the during the Epilogue. She reveals she has begun the process of, quite literally, "resurrecting the glorious House Oblodra."
==Notable items sold==
Corresponds to .
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==Companion approval==
===Act II, Moonrise Towers===
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== Combat ==
=== Attacks and abilities ===
=== Loot ===
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==Related literature==
*, detailing experiments on the blood obtained from the party
*, an urgent plea from a hapless customer of Crimson Draughts suffering from Araj's care
*, a notice from the Flaming Fist warning Araj that her business is under investigation after complaints
===Notes by Araj Oblodra===
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===Books by Araj Oblodra===
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==Gallery==
Araj Act 3.webp|Araj in Act Three.
==Notes==
* Araj is referred to as an "Infernal Merchant" and demon in the games files.
* Hirelings may exchange blood for elixirs, suggesting that they have illithid blood.
* As of Hotfix 21, in Moonrise Towers, Araj does not seem to become hostile if she catches a party member pickpocketing.
==References==
==External links==
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Category:Humanoids
Category:Drow
Category:Lolth-Sworn Drow
Category:Characters
Category:Characters in Moonrise Towers
Category:Characters in the Lower City
Category:Characters in Act Two
Category:Characters in Act Three
category:Traders
Category:Authors