#gortash fight

[missizzy]

A Game Novice's Baldur's Gate Log, 181 1/2 Hours In: I'm almost done

Masterpost

(Note: this will definitely contain spoilers for all I've played through, and may as well for anything after that I've also seen.)

The three people I had to kill before facing the Netherbrain are now all dead. I've officially completed all of the companion quests as well, except for Lae'zel and Gale. Those side quests that I haven't done I won't be doing in this playthrough; I definitely want to do a few more of those in the future. It may be about time to wrap things up, too, because I think the length and number of my save files have reversed most of the effects of setting the graphics to low; my lag this week was truly terrible. I probably won't get the chance to play again before I head up north tomorrow, but I may well finish when I get back next week.

I also wrote a fic taking place after the House of Grief, and I will be writing Wyll and Karlach's first time making love while traveling. I was pretty much determined to make that work anyway, and Wyll's reactions and quest completing have made it very easy.

With the big excitement of saving Astarion from both Cazador and then from himself now done, there was still a bit of wrapping up to do there. I went around the dungeons a bit, grabbed a few more useful things, and was a little disappointed by the unascended version of the Gur scene, if only for its lack of dialog options. There's no denying the ascended one which I'd seen was much more exciting. I also looked in the attic on the way out, which was worth it just for the reading material. I sent the book about giant space hamsters to Minsc.

After a stop at Beehive's to buy more healing potions and the Counting House to steal Cazador's baubles, I headed back to the tavern to long rest. After everyone else praised Astarion for making the right choice, it was very sweet that Gale praised Sara instead, for getting him to. Although Astarion himself also expressed his appreciation for it during the evening scene.

Next up was the Wyrmway. I had seen the Chambers of Courage and Strategy, and also a bit of the players fighting Ansur-though I had not seen why they were fighting the wyrm, and had kind of been hoping it was some sort of final test. I thus knew I'd want Gale for the chess game. Initially I'd thought of also taking both Wyll and Karlach, but being so low on healing potions, I ultimately took Minsc instead of Karlach. I wanted to use him again, anyway, and don't think I will in the two remaining fights.

I might have figured Cazador's palace out of my own, but I had to look up how to get through the prison wall. I spent way too long wandering around the prison first, chopping down one locked door when I found I now couldn't pick a lock to save my life. I wasn't able to find the salesrat I'd heard about either, unfortunately. The chambers, on the other hand, I did more or less figure out on my own, though when I had a little difficulty finding the Chamber of Insight I actually did look to confirm there were four of them.

I played mainly as Sara into the Chamber of Courage, and had her take up the torch, which was for the better, since it allowed her as the tank to take more attack from the elementals than the other three. I actually tried to be more creative with the spells to weaken our attackers at first, but ultimately ended up just taking out as many as I could. Gale got drained enough I knew I'd be swapping him out for Karlach as soon as he'd done his job in the Chamber of Strategy.

I played mainly as Wyll through the other three chambers, especially since he actually does have remove curse, which took care of the difficult part of the Chamber of Justice. Once the three paintings in the middle were visible, which one to put on the stone was pretty obvious. More difficult is actually the Chamber of Strategy, even with Gale's directions; I'd seen one streamer fail to understand them and just chop the king's head off! I understood them mostly because I played chess as a kid.

I suspect some people might have been driven crazy by the flying books of the Chamber of Insight. But I actually enjoyed chasing them around. I was giggling even before Minsc failed a slight of hand check and declared the books were more slippery than Boo during bath time. He did catch one of them though, as did both Wyll and Karlach. It was again obvious he was supposed to strike down Suelto, but I'm afraid I was so offended by Stedd's dismissal of the citizen's rights I actually had him hit him first, and briefly considered letting that failure stand, too. I mostly reloaded simply because I'd already made Wyll suffer on account of that once; I didn't want to do that to him again. Karlach will be pointing out the wrongness of Stedd's views too during the first-time fic; it makes sense for her to feel that more than Wyll.

My suddenly lock-picking inability threatened to derail us anyway; all four characters failed to get through the final door to Ansur's chamber, even when I had Minsc use the remaining inspiration up. In the end, I brought Astarion in just long enough to take care of it, before sending him back, wondering when I was going to get around to removing Sebastian's curse, since I also learned then he apparently can't just sleep it off.

Then came the big moment I hadn't seen, where Ansur's skeleton rose from the floor, wrapped Sara up in some lightning ropes that very clearly caused some of the worst lag I've ever suffered through in this game (seriously, it visibly lessened when it cut away from them), and revealed that the Emperor killed him-and, oh yes, the Emperor is also the city's legendary founder, Balduran. Which I'd long known, even before hearing and reading the lyrics for the Song of Balduran, but it honestly didn't feel real until then. Sara, meanwhile, would have been far happier had she never known.

I ended up having the first death, too, that I didn't reload out of. The fight ended with both Wyll and Minsc down, and I saw the latter's icon go grey the moment between the end of the fight and the start of the subsequent cut scene with the Emperor. Not very thoughtful of him, honestly, to insist on talking with her when one of her companions needs immediate healing and another needs to be revivified while he still can be quickly! Though the game seemed wishy-washy on Wyll, as he appeared standing at one point in the scene, then disappeared. Thankfully, after it, I was still able to revive Minsc and throw a potion on Wyll.

It is, perhaps, not likely that the Emperor's words would've ever changed the actions Sara Tully is now going to take. By the time he was giving her and Wyll encouraging words in the tavern later, I already knew just how badly she now does not want to betray him. Ordinarily, it would be like with Redhammer, she simply would not do it. But it's either betray him or betray Lae'zel, and there's no question, in the end, which of them she's going to choose.

And in any case, the words he did speak to her then hardened her further. She doesn't even blame him for killing Ansur; if he'd just said he'd done it because he wanted to live, she would've understood that perfectly. But when he made clear he wanted to be a mind flayer by then, and he wanted to be one because it makes him powerful...he said Ansur only saw a mind flayer when he looked at him. Sara's not even seeing that anymore. She's just seeing another power-hungry individual, one willing to possibly destroy the great man he'd been for his power.

Makes things easier for her, but it won't make them easy. And it's just as well for Gale to take her away to Waterdeep. The city that's been her home for most of her adult life is one she'll feel she can never live in again, after doing what she's going to do to its founder.

Wyll's declaration in the tavern that night he was going to become the Blade of Avernus definitely seemed a little left field, though maybe not as much once he admitted he also wants to kill Mizora. I'm also guessing he also specifically decided it in the hope that Karlach would be willing to return to Avernus under his protection. Certainly that's also going to be in the fic. With his decisions made and future settled, his finally taking her to bed that night after the group celebration definitely feels right, so I'm grateful for the game for providing me with that easy in.

Next, of course, we had the Gate's new tyrant to kill. I'd seen quite a few people online complain that the Gortash fight was too easy, but I certainly found it challenging enough. Swapping Minsc out for Jaheira partly for the extra healing ability and also because her, too, I wanted to use one final time, I once again headed into Wyrm's Rock Fortress. After one more battle with guards where I was able to take a couple of them out with their own grenades, it took a while to find where in the hells the guy was, though I liked the cute moment where we found Wyll's old fishing spot. I spent less time on the final conversation with him; attacking as soon as the dialog made that an option. Karlach might have earned the right to say what she did to him first, but Sara had really had enough of his prattle.

Very quickly into my first attempt at that fight, I thought I might have to mark it down to learning, though I kept at it until Wyll got killed. The second time around, I potioned everyone up, decided I wouldn't have Wyll cast the warding bond on Karlach from the wedding rings this time (he did do it during the Ansur fight, which is why he went down, but I am very much not sorry), and reminded myself to keep them away from the things that could shoot fire on them. I actually tried at one point to take one of them out, too, but in the end avoiding them worked out fine.

I actually felt a very real moment of triumph when Karlach at last struck Gortash down, even though Sara lay dying beside her. Though even after Wyll managed to get his leader back up, I briefly worried the surviving minions would kill us all anyway. It was a good thing I'd brought Jaheira, and her mass heals.

But then, of course, reality set in for poor Karlach, because revenge was never going to make everything all right, and now she had to face her imminent death. It was actually a bit of a relief to see her get so angry about it, to even have her yell at her friends. She had that a long time coming. Sara even told her so. I wasn't even upset when she then just walked off and left only three people in the party; she'd earned that right, too. I and she were both honestly a little dismayed when we later went back to the tavern and found she was back to the cheerful front again. She did suggest at this point Karlach could still return to Avernus, but didn't push it, and agreed to be there when she died.

By then I'd also found Gortash's safe and his vault key, so once again I'd waypointed into the heart of the lower city-and right into a fight with a pair of newly transformed mind-flayers. It was one that wasn't a problem to win, if only because I'd had to prudence to short rest first, but after that I went back to the tavern long enough to bring Astarion in again and have Wyll remove his damn curse, just in case there was more excitement en route to the Counting House, though in the end, there was only the Baldur's Mouth Gazette somehow already reporting the Archduke's death, which was easily ignored by a party beyond caring about the reactions of stupider people. Finding Wyll's father's diary in that vault was truly heartbreaking, but at least Wyll was able to take it with him.

I had originally intended for the House of Hope party to be Wyll, Shadowheart and Karlach, but I'd gotten more hesitant about making the last return to Avernus for that. Ultimately I looked things up to see if it affected her final fate, read that it didn't, and then decided to just keep having Astarion in the party after all.

Which has already come in handy. Now knowing from the note in his safe about Gortash's dealings at the Devil's Fee, we went there, and Sara handed Helsik a few hundred gold to get a bit more information out of her, but was forced to retreat when she got the 20,000 gold price tag for a portal into the House of Hope for herself. I briefly considered if I could raise that much if we emptied out inventories of anything we're not likely to use either there or against the Netherbrain, but then went and read about how to open the portal without paying for it. And as it happened, we even had the diamond, incense, and skull already. Sara had to take a little more fire damage to get her and Astarion back into Helsik's room upstairs, but he easily lockpicked those 20 DC chests and got the needed coin and infernal marble.

And that's where I've now left off, but seeing Helsik's radiant resistance is now making me reconsider taking Shadowheart. Also, I might just go and get Wyll new armor first; his AC is still way too low.

[cephydeluxe]

imagine being orin (already terrible) and passionately orchestrating your kills to worship your father and god with your art and being constantly shit on for it cause “bhaal only cares about quantity” but then hearing your stupid bloodkin flirt with a stupid banite using poetic violence and shit like “oh gortash when you and i are the last living souls we will wed upon my father’s alter and be forever bonded in bloody death” and still be the favorite child like fuck off i’d be so pissed 😭😭😭

[quacaserous]

like real people do

[kawareo]

... i have spent way too much time on this, i'm sorry

shoutout to @animentality for putting this stupid thought in my head

[shaykai]

Brain said I’m done working on this

Anyways between them both being switches & having stupidly big egos this happens like. Every time they sleep together

[morgana-ren]

I have Dark Urge, Gortash and Astarion jealousy brain rot after that youtube video of them bickering. This is not related to the bickering but I keep thinking it!!!

"I don't remember," You hiss, fighting back the sudden lump in your throat. "I don't remember you, I don't even remember me."

"Still so quick to anger, " Gortash sounds amused as he reaches out, and for some reason you don't make any move to stop him. You don't fear him, in fact deep down there's an almost longing for his touch.

There's a slight flicker of surprise across his face as he cups your chin lightly, slowly stroking his thumb over your bottom lip, his gaze flicking quickly over your shoulder. You don't fight him, but you do fight the sudden urge to lean in to his touch, to open your mouth and brush the tip of your tongue over his thumb. You’re not sure if the shiver down your spine is your own confused arousal or the pulse of jealous anger from Astarion you can feel whispering through your tadpole. Gortash' lips quirk, there's a tiny hint of a smile as he leans in close and that burning pulse in your head turns into liquid fire through your veins. It's overwhelming, and so so confusing. Astarion's thoughts mixing with your own until you feel like you're going to drown in a haze of anger and lust. 

Gortash gaze slips over your shoulder again and you feel a pang of anxiousness at his inattention, but its gone just as fast as he lowers his head and you raise your own instinctively, losing yourself in the need to press your mouth to his. 

"You may not remember me, sweet thing," his nose brushes against yours as his voice drops to a whisper. "But your body does."

Malformed, foggy memories flashbang your brain as he stands so closely that you can smell the brandy and exotic spice on his skin, tugging your heartstrings from some unfathomably deep level within you. It hammers incessantly on the protective shield your mind has placed over your memories of your old life, drawing on something overwhelming and instinctive within you, though you cannot recall what.

It is an urge that makes your heart pound, but unlike the insatiable bloodlust that plagues your every thought, this one demands not only acquiescence, but obedience. Like a dog brought to heel by the call of its master, your breath stoppers in your throat as he leans in, lips brushing sensitive skin, your body anticipating the next move even as you do not consciously recognize what it might be. You salivate as a wolf over carrion, hands trembling in their need to reach forward, to pull him to you with such a force that it topples you both--

"Surely you're aware that not everything the body remembers is a good memory," Astarion speaks from behind you, his voice almost enough to shock you out of the lust-induced spell Gortash has placed you under with unnerving ease. His lips curl upward in a mimic of a smile, and yet it looks all too much like an animalistic snarl: far too much fang to be genuine.

"True that may be, but I'm sure you can feel for yourself that isn't the case here," Gortash offers him a quick and easy grin, bloodshot eyes narrowing only slightly.

Deep shame at the realization that Astarion is privy to the bombardment of desire bubbling within your core. Even as you try to hide it, your legs still quiver, heart rabbiting behind your ribs, trying to lock out the scent that cloys up your nostrils to nestle in your brain to stir up memories better left abandoned.

"Oh, I don't know about that. It seems markedly unpleasant to me."

There is a tense insecurity emanating from him, but buried beneath it, there is anger and the vicious snap of jealousy. It's all terribly foreign to him in the way that even the worm has difficulty translating, and it only makes the situation all the more awkward. You haplessly look back at him in a wordless apology, unable to even find the words to properly convey your feelings.

His eyes don't meet yours, but his hand slithers around your waist, tugging you back towards his chest in a territorial show of dominance, and as he does, there is a subtle flash to Gortash's eyes. Astarion does not let you go, and Gortash does not step back. Neither looks at you any further, but rather at each other.

It's a look you recognize; a hunter sizing up his mark.

"Funny. I remember her being capable of speaking for herself." "She's capable of a lot more than that." "Oh, I remember," Gortash cocks his head, and another pang of lust damn near drags you to your knees. Something burrows through your brain, trying to claw its way out. A half-formed memory, dark and lined in velvet; a gold-laden hand curling around your throat, hips rolling against yours so deeply it hurts, the cry of his name from your lips.

You feel Astarion recoil, his face unmoving as iron but his hand clenching enough to pain. Whatever it was, he saw it.

"Yes, well, all in the past, hmm?"

"The future is yet to be written," Gortash arches a brow, his gaze once again drawn down to yours. "Personally, I prefer an authoring hand in my own destiny."

[gayestcowboy]

guy who gets scared by a rat and jumps into gale’s arms, crushing him

[makimahinalno]

Before the final battle if you ally with Gortash and Emperor:

Astarion and Durge: *making out in case they die*

Gortash: *sad cause Durge moved on*

Emperor: *confused cause him and protagonist literally fucked a few hours before?*

[chronurgy]

It's the modernization it's the mechanization it's the way the old world has to die for the new world to be born and by killing gortash you've slowed it down but you haven't stopped it because ideas can't be stopped and the industrial world that will destroy your way of life is coming and you can't stop it by killing him any more than the luddites could stop it by smashing up a few factory machines

[sequesteredbhaalspawn]

I really wish we could have recruited Gortash- kind of like how you could recruit Loghian in Dragon Age: Origins. I think it would cause Karlach to permanently leave the party (much like Alistair in DAO), and rightfully so. And I think Gortash should only be recruited on a Dark Urge run.

Loghian got really funny banter with the rest of the party, and I just think Gortash would get funny banter as well- very "worst person gets roasted by everyone else."

I just think it would be neat to see him get destroyed verbally.

[msmargarita]

Gortash: Well guys since we're doing this, might as well stay on brand. Orin you take red. I'll take this one.

Ketheric: Why do I get the pink one?

Gortash: It's actually magenta. Just pick one. Do you want purple?

Ketheric: I don't want purple, I want to know why you gave me pink. I'm the fucking necromancer why would I get pink.

Orin: I think he wants the purple one.

Ketheric: I want black. I'll take the black one.

Gortash: There is no black netherstone. Just take purple. I'll take pink. Clashes with my whole fucking outfit, but sure I'll take pink.

Ketheric: I want the red one then. I'm the oldest, I get to pick first.

Orin: I am literally covered in blood and guts.

Gortash: She is.

.

(that's how I think it went down)

[fruk-choosing-a-username]

this scene is so durgetash coded to me

i am chewing on this like a rabid animal

[defira85]

Still thinking about that "does your Durge do taxes for the temple/know what taxes are poll" and Kass' absolutely insane competency hangups and drive for perfectionism

Not only does she do the temple taxes flawlessly and knows the vast intricacies of taxation and inheritance laws in Baldur's Gate, but she frequently gets mad at Gortash not filing for the Banite temple or lodging his taxes incorrectly/committing fraud because that's his whole vibe, and he's come home to his office on more than one evening to find her correcting his carefully faked tax forms and city applications that he spent weeks bribing people over, for fuck's sake Kassara-

[kawareo]

My Durge's stats pre-tadpoles are absolutely insane so I've been thinking what it'd look like if Orin failed to lobotomize him... Like the fight with him a Tav would have to win?

It'd be a bitch but there'd be fun options to make it easier and winnable

Him and Gortash would be working together still but what'd complicate things would be that Bhaal would've grown impatient and reduce Durge to a mess that would've dragged hinself in his temple and stay there. When Tav talks to Gortash, Gort has a massive fresh scar over his neck where Durge nearly killed him last time they were together. Gortash sends Tav to the temple but he fully expects/hopes they would die and that that could bring Durge back to his own mind.

If Orin would still be alive? Tav could make a deal with her that she'd help them find the temple, where she'd eventually need help in the combat with Durge, but if Tav would've helped her, that'd initiate a fight with the entire temple and with Orin, who'd be furious that you intervened.

Then, fight with Durge would be a bitch to win, but there would be some ways to get around and make it easier. Most of all would be useful a Persuasion or Deception proficency, and also going around Baldur's Gate and finding information about him - what would be Tav's best option would be to provoke Durge to a degree that he loses his already fragile cool and Bhaal forces a Slayer form on him - that way he loses his spellcasting abilities and also the double attack he gets from his fighter levels, and his paralysis weapons!

Options for that would get him to lose his shit would be

- [Deception] Gortash has sold you out, you mad dog. You've grown too unpredictable after what happened, we're here to put you down.

Has Advantage if Tav found notes between them or used Detect thought when talking to Gortash and asking him about his injury. He lies to Tav's face but thinks about how Durge mauled him last time they fucked and Gortash had to fight him off of him

- [Persuasion] Look at what you've became; Chosen of Bhaal, yet fighting His gifts? Your own Kin died for what you're rejecting so.

Only available if the above mentioned Orin thing happens. Durge stares at her corpse for quite a while, then proceeds to sort of... Give up. Accepts the Slayer and surrenders himself fully to his Father.

- [Persuasion] [Unholy Assassin] You think you know better than your own god, Chosen? You, who has failed him so in every way?

He starts to yell at Tav that he didn't fail, then as if something hit him, clutches his head and starts begging Father for forgiveness (reciting some parts of Prayer of Forgiveness). While he prays, he cuts himself, the blood drips down his arms and draws itself into the circle of Summoning for the Slayer.

When Tav wins, Durge lays there dying for just a bit longer, stares into nothing and clutching at his wounds and begging Father to forgive him because "im not done yet, Father, please, I can do better, plea-!" And then his eyes roll up suddenly and he dies in a moment, when Bhaal chooses so. His body falls apart and leaves behind only the Stillmaker, his Netherstone, and a half-writen letter that's like Prayer of Forgiveness, but adressed to Gortash and one Durge never got to finish.

The idea is very rough but essentially I love the thought that Bhaal is the one who fucks it all up because he can't be patient for two minutes, and Gortash is still delusional enough for him to hope Durge can go back to normal. If you win and kill Durge, Gortash will be upset and surprised, but will kind of shut off the grief in the moment to focus on dominating the brain. If you would've lost, the canon ending would be that Durge pulls through with the stones, him and Gortash get the Brain under control, and then Durge almost immediately slaughters both of them, leaving Toril to the Brain's mercy.

Another bonus option in the dialogue would be to tell him that you killed Gortash, but if you lied or didn't have Gortash's head to prove it, he would just laugh at you. That option wouldnt be a good idea in any way, because if you wouldn't pass the deception check (DC20) or wouldn't have the head, the laugh would clear his mind enough for him to focus on the fight (not as a Slayer) and if he WOULD believe you, he'd get so angry that he would start a fight with an extra feature that would be an absolute bitch to deal with.

[shaykai]

I’m not saying that Ketheric had to kill Vat’il but I am saying that he had more than enough reasons to help do it

[gravedigg]

Im about to color this but

with the posts about Gortash smoking and reading @amaranthsynthesis 's fic yesterday I'm just thinking about how fucking cool Enver and Virgil probably were when they were young(er) and in love

also really wanted to draw Virgil's pre-tadpole outfit