#bg jergal

[tragerfcks]

BALDUR'S GATE 3💭

> Temple of Jergal

[nazoart]

I am a bit too late with this meme

[fallenbhaalspawn]

thinking often about withers giving the dark urge the challenger of the gods title. imagine being some god keeping an eye on the Situation and seeing fucking Jergal (known bbeg) steal a godspawn make them immortal and then dub them Challenger of the Gods. i would be Concerned.

[dr-archeville]

... wait, what? Withers is Jergal?!

My favourite bit of BG3 lore is that Withers is legitimately responsible for the Dead Three, but he's probably too embarrassed to tell you, so every time you ask him to elaborate he just gives you a very stern, "Noooo."

I also love that the reason he's responsible for their uprising is because he got bored. He literally got bored of his position as Lord of the Dead and wanted to retire, so when these three morally questionable humans came looking for godhood he was like, "Hmmm. Yes, okay. Here. Take my portfolios. Fight over them. I don't care. I quit."

So after bowling with skulls in a friendly competition to decide who would get what portfolio, they took up his powers and wreaked havoc on the world. Only at that moment did Jergal, AKA Withers, AKA our precious Bone Daddy think, "I'm just now, internally, asking myself, in quite a worried way, whether I might've made an error."

So he joins your merry band and watches your escapades, calmly twiddling his fingers while you clean up his mess. He's happy to lend his aid, even to the point that he'll bring Durge back to life if they reject Bhaal, even though he technically shouldn't. But he's Withers. The rules don't apply to him. If Ao doesn't like it, he can descend from the Heavens and say it to his rotting face.

And the reason he saves Durge isn't necessarily because he likes them or because he's a morally good entity (though one certainly could make that argument), but because he wants to add insult to injury. He steals Bhaal's child with a big smile on his face, dubs them his Chosen, and praises them for rejecting all the power they were promised. But of course, he still doesn't tell them who he is—or rather who he was.

Then, when all is said and done, he throws Tav and their companions a cute little party. No one knows it's probably half a thank you party and half a "Withers is bored again" party. And if anyone misbehaves, he'll get irritated and whisk them away. Because how dare they? He put a lot of work into that.

And at the end of it all, he walks up to a mural of the Dead Three and basically goes, "Lmao. Thou didst fuck around, and thou didst find out." Just savagely roasting them.

And then poof!

He waves them into non-existence.

[the-timid-birb]

imagine, if you will,

Durge, after having refused his father and clawed back from the dead thanks to Jergal, finally free, casting Speak With Dead on Gortash's body in the Astral plane. Bane answers, all polite and cheery "oh you're looking for him? Sorry, he's already getting punished for failing.“

Durge: Okay, well, can I revive him so we try again?

Bane: that's not how this works :)

Durge: ......... I'll make you a deal. I'll convert to you if you give his soul back .

Bane: ... the. prodigal child of Bhaal. Made of his own flesh. Who then refused his gifts. Killed his entire cult in BG. Wants to serve me? in exchange for this loser? holy fUCKING SHIT DEAL THAT'S GONNA BE SO FUCKING FUNNY TO RUB IN BHAAL'S FACE, I'M IN

[morgana-ren]

wait now i want mindflayer lore 👀

Alright, my boyfriend and I went and did a little experiment for y'all tentacle fuckers, and I don't think you're going to like the findings.

The Emperor is using you.

He will straight up admit it. Deny him everything. Do not trust him. He will show his true colors. He will show you he is a liar and he will straight up tell you. He will show you he is a liar and straight up admit that he is manipulating and using you.

Now, on one hand, it's super hot to imagine a mindflayer loving and caring and whatever else-- and that is the fantasy he offers. He offers to be 'the different' mindflayer. The one that still feels and has memories and fights to be human-- you know, what you want to hear.

I had my doubts because even Jergal says to you without a fucking doubt: 'mindflayers do not have souls.'

And he says it without any shadow of a doubt. At first, I had to consider the source, but knowing what I know, I think he might have been right.

Here's what I know lorewise to back it up:

Mindflayers who break from the hivemind seek to become the new hivemind. They are sadistic manipulators who have been ripped from their bodies and born anew into an alien form that thinks entirely different. There literally isn't a trace of their old mind left. That's just not really how it works.

The ones that are clever enough to break out of their hivemind (or 'brain') are exceedingly rare and always end up seeking to become the new brain with other mindflayers at their disposal to accomplish their goal-- which is always domination.

When they are born as mindflayers, there really isn't a single semblance of their former selves left. They might be able to remember, but they look through another person's eyes when they see their memories. They are aware of it, but they do not feel for it. It's part of why the Emperor is able to manipulate so effectively. He can pretend he remembers what it's like, because he remembers his former emotions and can play them.

I think the Emperor was one of the mindflayers canny enough to break from the Hivemind (netherbrain) and set his own goals. He doesn't want friendship with humans. Fuck no. He is working to dismantle the netherbrain because it's an active problem for his dominion. There can only be one. He pretty much admits this straight up.

Now, if you're still interested in mindflayer lore, I'm more than happy to oblige. BG is a bit interesting as you run into way more mindflayers than uh.. you usually would, and there's a little bit to take into consideration, but I'm happy to look into it for you!

[tragerfcks]

BALDUR'S GATE 3💭

> Temple of Jergal

[nazoart]

It's all fun and games untill Withers starts speaking in hands.

But honestly, I really would love to see their interaction, they have some similarities

[fallenbhaalspawn]

withers and the adventurers he said he didn't want etc etc

[fallenbhaalspawn]

withers: hear me, thou heroes, wastrels, friends.

hey one of these doesnt seem like the others.