#The Emperor BG3

[theannoyingurge]

Playing with the idea that none of the bg3 villains are fully honest with Durge. Everyone is hiding some piece of the puzzle and happy to abuse the amnesia situation to their advantage. 'Cept Kressa. She's psycho, but she's an honest psycho. In another life, we might have been friends.

Ketheric is the first, most obvious example of this. He doesn't even bother to inform the other Chosen you've reappeared. (Myrkul is the god of exhaustion, so this tracks.)

Balthazar also 100% recognizes you and also doesn't even bother. To him, your amnesia means no tedious reunions with annoying Bhaalspawn who are big mad that he stole their brother's name and rib bones.

The Emperor is sometimes overlooked when piecing together Durge's history, but he admits to knowing your past if you reject him in Act 3 (stating "I know everything about you" while threatening to turn you into a puppet like Duke Stelmane). Whether or not he's posturing, he should at least be aware of your past with Gortash, considering you helped kidnap him in the first place. For evidence, see Gortash's interrogation notes, which open with "When we captured you". (Sure, this could refer to Orin, but I simply do not see these two working as a highly functional team. More on this and the timeline below the cut.) Naturally, despite traveling together for months, The Emperor wouldn't want to fill any gaps in your memory that might cast doubt on his trustworthiness or help align you with his enemy.

The Absolute might be lying about respecting you/your plan and preferring you over your replacement. I am of two minds about this. If you were attacked immediately after crowning the brain, there should be no basis for a preferential relationship. In that case, the brain is just stroking your ego and need for approval. However, I have doubts about Durge being taken down during the initial raid.** I think some time must have passed after crowning the Absolute, giving it the chance to develop a working relationship with you that it lacked with the other Chosen, which caused everything to fall apart after you were tadpoled. This also buys us time to kidnap the Emperor and bring it under the Absolute's thrall as described in Gortash's interrogation notes.

**Some of Gortash's other notes claim Durge was lost during the first raid, but his journals are full of contradictions. He leaves the House of Hope out of his memoirs entirely. He seemingly retcons history to present himself in a more favorable light, which probably includes intentionally diminishing the work of his allies (or erasing the painful memory of his nearest and dearest). In any interpretation, the brain definitely hates Gortash the most, and that's good enough for me.

Orin and Gortash paint somewhat conflicting pictures of you pre-tadpole. The difference here might be genuine (the honest perspectives of a little sister vs a business partner or lover) or it could be a manipulative game of tug of war over your budding and impressionable self image.

Now, I like Durgetash - but I like every possible interpretation of these assholes, not just the mutually reciprocated and/or sexy ones. It's conceivable to me that Gortash may have discovered Durge's crush on him via the Prayer for Forgiveness and played up their history in Act 3 as a defensive measure. Maybe Gortash always knew of Durge's feelings and used them to his advantage (Orin outright tells you this, but again, nobody listens to Orin. Sorry sis).

It's also conceivable that he knew Durge was the first to be tadpoled, considering how close their pod was to his workbench. The brain was given orders to transform the party (that were resisted several times), so Gortash's surprise that Durge still lives makes sense, assuming he even knew Durge was with them (he doesn't seem to be checking the scrying eyes at all. What kind of loser tyrant ignores his own surveillance system? I digress). His general relief and preference for them over Orin is also still valid. (I imagine he feels something along the lines of Durge being the one who got away, you don't know what you've got until it's gone, etc etc. Cue hysterical bonding as the long lost love of his life waltzes into his coronation covered in blood to save him from their psychotic sister and the poorly housetrained Netherbrain they left him full custody of. Yes he wanted full custody, but still.)

Puppy eyes aside, Gortash is a blackhearted pragmatist (he will turn on Durge if they give him the stones) and progress is progress. The first True Soul was an incredible breakthrough, and the show must go on. So just imagine the bricks he's shitting in Act 3 if Durge comes back and remembers the Wrong Things from before the nautiloid. What if they want revenge on him? Nope, not good at all. Best to position himself as Durge's only friend and most trustworthy partner. Regardless of how well he treated them before, Durge was willing to piss off Bhaal to spare his life. That's an extremely useful vulnerability right now, because he's about to ask them to do it again!

Lastly, I have no proof, but I strongly suspect that Sceleritas is fibbing about Durge's past as well. Partly because the Slayer form is severely disappointing in-game and canonically excrutiatingly painful, despite Fel claiming you've always wanted it. It honestly sounds like a way to sell an unwanted used car back to it's amnesiac owner who failed to appreciate it before. Bhaal isn't a full deity any longer, so take what you're given (and you'd better damned well like it!) I also call bullshit on tossing a coin to a beggar being the "worst" crime Durge ever committed against Bhaal (*ahem* looking at you, Gortash). Some dialogue with the Oathbreaker Paladin suggests we've tried somewhat consistently to be good in the past, and Sceleritas has a vested interest in making Durge worse, not planting noble ideas in their freshly lobotomized murder-happy brain.

[fanfan-p1]

✨ ILLITHID WALTZ ✨

Commissioned art piece Commissions are open! (DM me!)

[unclefaust]

[kikicolors]

my lisa frank princess 💗

[whimperingwizard]

BG3 + tumblr posts II

[superectojazzmage]

Typical day in Baldur's Gate 3 camps

Dark Urge: *jizzes in his pants at the thought of killing people and than breaks down cry-laughing while putting a gun in his mouth and yelling that he's really gonna do it this time*

Lae'Zel: Oh my Vlaakith, I NEED to fuck this guy.

Shadowheart: Typical. I don't know why I bother with you pitiful- HOLY SHIT THE DOG JUST DID A ROLL, SOMEONE GET ME THE CAMERA

Karlach: I burned it by touching it and than accidentally crushed it with my huge muscles, soldier. Sorry.

Gale: *choking to death on a magic pendant he tried to eat*

Wyll: Does anyone care about Gale dying?

Astarion: *painting his nails* No.

Halsin: I'LL SAVE YOU, GALE. *turns into a bear and runs away to kill goblin children*

Minsc: I'LL SAVE YOU, GALE. *throws Boo at Astarion's face*

Minthara: I'm hotter than all of you, have I mentioned that?

Emperor: You know who's REALLY hot? You if you become a mind flayer. Use the tadpole. Please. I'm begging you, just a little. Use the tadpole. Please, for the love of Ao, use it.

Withers: Doust any of thoust hath games on yon phones?

Jaheira:

[lucidpeech]

The Emperor, in Alexander McQueen RTW 2023

[embrace-your-illithid]

[xenterra]

"Sometimes I felt almost like we were dancing our way towards something deeper..."

[batpersik-art]

[emperorsgf]

bg3 main characters + major arcana (part 2)

[ju-liczka]

That was a very hard choice for my naturally ass gifted Tav...

After all, those are some important assets.

Sacrifices are needed my dear.

[rage-claw]

i've been holding onto these for too long and i cant stop making them, im obsessed with these idiots in charge of saving the world

[basketobread]

i felt SO bad during my first campaign cuz personally i really like the emperor but my tav lotus??? forget it. they're an asshole to everyone. the way the rejection was handled made me laugh tho. i can't remember the dialogue fully but the emperor was just like "oh. yes. of course. forget i said anything." like NOOO dude im sorry </3

[thefloatingstone]

Mizora propositioned me literally the morning after I spent all night having sex with The Emperor.

This made every line of her dialogue unintentionally hilarious.

[unclefaust]

Yes, Emperor, it was… Impressive.