#Mephistar

[drownedrow]

Cania, The Eighth Layer (Envy)

[narcisseart]

abandon all hope , there is only anger here .

[marimosalad]

“True form” Haarlep 💙 (and Mephistar in bg)

Drawn for Hag’s Lair zine issue #2 “Heart of Ice”

Check it out on this post! 💙❄️

[yenabeans]

what if we smooched in front of the Mephistar portal?

[aracnaregis]

@mephist4r : ❝ i've seen far more horrific beauty in darker places , little spider . ❞

@mephist4r

Lolth's laugh was a venomous melody, sweet and cruel all at once. "Oh, darling," she cooed, her voice dripping with derision. "And yet... You crawled out of those darker places only to find yourself here, still speaking to me. That says volumes, doesn't it?"

[feniksido]

Go over the plan one more time

[sawcleaved]

i love u...scary guys

[caniasfire]

the dash: giving each other gifts the amay and harleep @dvilsdesire subplot:

[not-poignant]

Things to expect that are absolutely spoilers for Palmarosa at some point:

Visiting at least one other circle of Hell (specifically Cania)

Meeting Raphael's father (some of you know who this is)

Meeting High Inquisitor Verillius Receptor (possibly meeting Archduchess Zariel)

A lot more politics around devil hierarchy

The return/cameo of at least one companion (I know who it is too and I know what storyline that is)

Haarlep definitely coming back

Visiting Waterdeep again

Visiting Baldur's Gate again

One of the reasons this story will be long is because even though it's all playing out like a bottle episode right now, we're actually going travelling and the cast shall be expanding.

Let's just give Astarion some time to settle in first, lol

[sankttealeaf]

writing while being unwell is so fun. do these words make sense? we'll see!! good luck editing me, i hope you can make sense of all this

[fallenbhaalspawn]

man i didnt know the full deal with the dark urge on cor's first playthrough but knowing that durge stole the crown of karsus from mephisto's vault does make raphael's speech in sharess' caress sound very threatening huh

[logue0-0]

Mephistar heist

Unfortunately，There is a deviation in the coordinates of the portal

[narcisseart]

bilé - character design . first draft .

[truly-sincerely]

Even More Comprehensive BG3 Timeline

(Now with citations!) Years in (paren) are confirmed, all other lines are approximations. For my own sanity this timeline is based on available in-game information and not the Forgotten Realms at large.

1450s

Enver Flymm born

Gale Dekarios born (1457)

Enver Flymm sold to Raphael by his parents, renamed Gortash

Gortash learns about Crown of Karsus while a prisoner of Raphael

Karlach Cliffgate born

1460s

Gortash escapes the House of Hope

Gale Dekarios summons Tara the Tressym (1467)

Wyll Ravengard born (1468)

1470s

Lae’zel of K��liir born (1470)

Gortash in his Heapside Reavers period

Gortash rebrands as a black market arms dealer

Orin the Red born to Helena and Sarevok Anchev

Durge begins their serial killing spree in Baldur’s Gate (1477)

The Emperor dominates Duke Belynne Stelmane (1479)

1480s

Elminster resurrects Mystra (1480)

Gortash trades Karlach to Zariel for infernal machines & iron (1482)

Baldur’s Gate’s Beloved Ranger statue goes missing (1482)

Duke Abdel Adrian murdered during Returning Day speech (1482) - Bhaal resurrected - Ulder Ravengard replaces Adrian as Marshall and as Duke

Orin kills her mother Helena in self-defense

Gortash recruits Franc Peartree to distribute infernal iron weapons

Gortash establishes a cult of Bane in Baldur’s Gate

Gortash approaches Durge about an alliance

Gortash moves against the Zhentarim & Knights of the Shield

Ulder Ravengard named Grand Duke

Wyll Ravengard pact with Mizora, leaves Baldur’s Gate (1485)

Dead Three made aware of the Crown of Karsus (most likely informed by Gortash)* - Gortash becomes Bane’s Chosen - Durge becomes Bhaal’s chosen - Gortash & Durge are instructed to recruit Ketheric

Gortash tells Durge about Crown of Karsus (via correspondence)

Hall/House of Wonders test mission* - Durge gets Bhaalist memorabilia - Gortash gets a bunch of Gondian designs - Durge & Gortash get companionship

1490s

The Chosen visit Ketheric at Moonrise, learn about Illithid colony

Gortash & Durge visit the House of Hope (for intel on Mephistar?)

Gortash & Durge raid Mephistar - They get the Crown of Karsus - They get the book on the accelerated grand design

Gortash & Durge return to Moonrise - Their identities are kept secret from Ketheric’s people - Durge impresses the Moonrise Gnolls, but not Steelclaw - Ketheric yells at Durge in the throne room for an unknown reason

Durge proposes their plan to the Elder Brain who accepts

Raid on the illithid colony (1491) - Durge puts the Crown on the Elder Brain - Orin gets Durge alone during the raid & stabs them in the head - Orin tadpoles Durge, making them the first True Soul - Orin declares herself the Chosen of Bhaal

1492

Durge is found by Kressa Bonedaughter

Minsc captured by Absolutists at a recruitment rally in the Undercity

Gortash gets weird and intense with unethical experiments - Some futzing to get the tadpoles to consistently remain in stasis - This is when the name ‘True Souls’ gets coined - Extremely questionable fun with brains - Getting the Absolute’s voice sorted out - Tadpoling his parents - Poorly conceived experiments on children & their parents

Gortash has Iron Throne converted to hold hostages

Gortash presents prototype Steel Watcher to the city council

Gortash captures the Emperor

Jaheira tracks cult to shadow-cursed land, meets Isobel

Minthara Baenre is 'recruited' by Orin and Ketheric

The Descent, Elturel fall into Avernus happens

Duke Vanthampur revealed as a diabolist, killed by adventurers

Guild Bursar Uktar launders money for Gortash’s Campaign funds

Isobel is resurrected by the Dead Three

The Elder Brain sends the Chosen dreams about the Astral Prism

Gortash researches the Prism, finds out that Vlaakith has it

Gortash tasks Ketheric with sending a team to get the Astral Prism - They send a nautiloid piloted by the Emperor and other illithid - The Elder Brain lets the Emperor slip its leash - Magthew Budj arranges for Durge to be on the nautiloid as well

Gortash deploys Steel Watch in Lower/Outer City

At this point Elturel is no longer in Avernus

First Druid Halsin captured by goblins

Nautiloid picks up Shadowheart & the Prism from Astral Plane

Nautiloid picks up Lae’zel

Nautiloid goes to Baldur’s Gate, picks up Gale & Astarion

Nautiloid goes to Avernus, picks up Karlach & Wyll

Nautiloid crashes, (20 Eleasis, 1492)

Some helpful links:

A page from Sarevok’s book: Sarevok - (Murder tribunal)

Accelerated Grand Design: Gortash - (Gortash's Office)

An Offer: Gortash - (Peartree basement)

Aquatic Labor: Gortash - (Flymm’s Cargo Basement)

Baldur’s Gate Temple of Bhaal: Yanthus - (Gortash’s Office)

Balthazar’s Notes: Balthazar - (Necrotic laboratory)

Clasped Book: Balthazar - (Balthazar’s chambers)

Devil’s Fee Observer’s Report**: Himberloo - (Nine-Fingers’ office)

Elder Brain Domination: Ketheric/Yanthus - (Ketheric’s Room)

Enhanced Weapons - Sales Ledger: Peartree - (Peartree basement)

Experiment on Cruor: Orin - (Temple of Bhaal)

How To Build a Watcher: deceased Gondian - (Steel Watch foundry) 

Journal of Enver Gortash: Gortash - (Gortash’s Office)

Magical Histories: Volume 2: The Spellplague: unknown - (Sorcerous Sundries)

Memoir Notes with Recent Addenda: Gortash - (Gortash’s office)

Missive from Gortash: Gortash - (Ketheric’s room)

Missive from Ketheric: Ketheric - (Moonrise, 2nd floor)

Mistress of Souls’ Research Log: Kressa - (Mind flayer barracks)

My Gratitude: Gortash - To Peartree (Peartree basement)

Next Steps: Gortash - (Gortash’s office)

Prayer for Forgiveness: Durge - (Necrotic laboratory)

Scrapbook of Letters: Gortash/Durge - (Flymm’s Cobblers)

Special Operations - Infernal Arms: Uktar - 

Studies of the Elder Brains: Gortash/Yanthus - (Gortash’s Office)

Suspended Ceremorphosis: Gortash/Yanthus - (Tadpoling center)

Test Mission with Gortash: Durge - (Temple of Bhaal)

The Astral Prism Heist: Gortash - (Gortash’s office)

The Dukes of Baldur’s Gate: unknown - (Baldur’s Mouth/Peartree’s house)

The Grand Design: Gortash/Yanthus - (Mind flayer colony)

The True Life of ‘Lord’ Gortash: a skeleton - (Wyrm’s Rock Prison)

The Ultimate State: Gortash - (Gortash’s office/Flymm’s Cobblers)

*an in-game contradiction between Gortash and Durge. See: ‘Test Mission with Gortash’ and ‘Memoir Notes with Recent Addenda’. I’ve placed it after, but there’s also a legitimate argument to be made that Gortash and Durge met and became allies much earlier, possibly around the same time as Gortash’s betrayal of Karlach

Additionally, the House of Wonders (church/workshop) and the Hall of Wonders (museum) are two different buildings in the Upper City. Durge writes that the Hall is their target, while Gortash writes that the House is their target. It is my opinion that they hit both locations.

**no link cuz the bg3.wiki doesn’t have it??

[frigidbatart]

Their punishment is being shoved together in Mephistopheles’s dungeon in Mephistar for eternity

SO chimkennuggies on here for coming up with that ship name and making elite art 🙏

[bitethedevil]

If Raphael was supposed to be Gortash dad (makes sense they even share the same outfit style and all) maybe that explains Haarlep? His dad was feed up with Raphael having kids (worthless to him)

Yes! It does make all the sense in the world, to be honest. Especially since everyone except the Archdevils aren’t really supposed to have sex or reproduce. Haarlep as a gift makes much more sense in the context that Raphael had stuck his dick where he shouldn’t, and Papa wasn’t having it.

I got all the information from this link where they talk a lot about the House of Hope and Raphael as a character and there were some interesting things in there that I had no idea about.

Gortash’ clothes and all the parallels between those two make even better sense if they were actually related. It makes less sense that someone who was essentially a captive should wear clothes that represent their captor.

We were also supposed to be taken to Mephistar to meet Mephistopheles after defeating Raphael. The thing we saw in the scrying orb thingy was supposed to be a whole thing, but they scrapped it.

We were supposed to meet Papa Meph and he was supposed to thank us for getting rid of Raphael. It only proves what I’ve always thought about him: Raphael isn’t just some wittle cambion dude with a superiority complex (well he is ALSO that but). He must at least be somewhat good at playing the game since goddamn Mephistopheles himself could not get rid of him and seems thankful that he finally doesn’t have to deal with him.

Back to the thing with Gortash: It would also just be that much more tragic in a way. It’s the perfect example of children inheriting the same shit from their fathers, and it would be tied together perfectly if we actually saw Mephistopheles too.

Imagine this:

We meet Gortash and learn about his past. We learn that he’s Raphael’s kid and suddenly everything makes sense. Raphael has been a distant, shitty father so Gortash broke off to do his own thing and learned how to be independent.

We then kill Raphael and meet Mephistopheles, who is just like “thanks for killing my shitstain son! Cheers” and eats him in front of our eyes. It doesn’t take much deducing that Raphael grew up in much the same way. He broke off with his dad. He became independent. He sought his own power. And when he got a kid, he treated them exactly how he grew up anyway.

The cycle of abuse and everything. The story is already sort of there with Gortash, even though they were not blood-related, but it would have tied it all together in such a fascinating way.

Also, the fact that Raphael’s son stole the very thing he desired himself the most. Imagine the bitterness of your son succeeding where you couldn’t. That in itself has most likely been Raphael’s wet dream his whole life, and now his son succeeded in doing it instead of himself.

Like I said, many of these elements are still somewhat present in the current storyline, but it would really just have hammered it home.

(Thank you for the ask <3 Sorry I started rambling lol)