#he didn't even know about the mindflayer colony or the elder brain. he just heard about another cult leader (an ACTUAL bhaalspawn!!)

[tomurakii]

Best part of Durgetash to me is that according to the "Memoirs by Gortash" chapter 4 outline you can find in his room in Wyrm's Rock, he and Durge were hanging out doing heists even before Bhaal and Bane commanded them to be allies and before Gortash came up with the Absolute plan. Gortash was just a Dead Three cult leader who saw Durge leading their own Dead Three cult and went "same hat?" And offered to help them steal back a bhaalspawn's remains + some torture devices from the House of Wonders purely to make friends.

[truly-sincerely]

Hell Yeah, Footnotes!

I said "most likely", but the fact that Gortash was in the House of Hope for a large part of his childhood and definitely heard all about the Crown of Karsus from Raphael because Raphael is obsessed and then the Dead Three want Gortash and co to go get the Crown?

I am 100% certain that Gortash pitched the idea of using the Crown to Bane and then let the Dead Three take credit for the idea.

They went to the House of Hope before going to Mephistar:

The Absolute tells Durge in Moonrise (if you stick your hand in the crack in the wall) and at the Morphic Pool that it was a willing participant in Durge's plan. Presumably, since Mindflayers don't have souls, Bhaal doesn't care about them in the "kill everyone and then yourself" plan, so it makes sense as an equitable agreement.

Gortash and Ketheric really don't seem to have a single clue what happened to Durge. Ketheric doesn't seem surprised at all when Durge shows up, only annoyed. Gortash looks like he had just assumed that Durge was dead until Orin told him they weren't.

Neither probably ever went into the Myrkul section of the illithid colony (because: ew). Kressa didn't know who Durge was (see also: The Warden saying that their identity was kept secret other than their being a VIP) and Balthazar may have never met them and so couldn't put a face to a name/identity when he saw Kressa's "pet".

Gortash was SO busy after Durge's disappearance. He even went to Waterdeep at some point. He clearly wasn't sleeping much and when he did the Elder Brain was fucking with him. He was doing some really loopy, nonsensical, sleep-deprivation shit. That man was absolutely operating exclusively on uppers, lesser restoration, and avoidance. Don't have to feel feelings if you never stop.

Regarding the Nautiloid grabbing Shadowheart and Lae'zel, I suspect that Shadowheart fled the Astral Plane via a Githyanki portal to somewhere in The Tears (in the vicinity of Creche K'liir) after her team died stealing the Astral Prism. The Nautiloid (piloted by the newly freed Emperor) followed her trail and grabbed her which is how Lae'zel and any Tavyanki got grabbed too.

There isn't really an explanation for Gale being in Baldur's Gate after a year of self-isolating in his tower in Waterdeep, but I guess he was? For some reason? Maybe Mystra sent him there on the down-low? Oh well.

Comprehensive Dead Three Timeline

Obviously there's varying amounts of speculation here, but I believe this is as close to a reasonable order of events as can be achieved with current, in-game information

1460s

Enver Flymm sold to Raphael by his parents, renamed Gortash

Gortash learns about the Crown of Karsus while a prisoner of Raphael

1470s

Gortash escapes the House of Hope

Gortash gets involved with black market arms dealing

Durge begins their serial killing spree in Baldur’s Gate

The Emperor dominates Duke Stelmane

1480s

Gortash establishes a cult of Bane in Baldur’s Gate

Gortash approaches Durge about an alliance

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

Gortash trades Karlach to Zariel for infernal machinery & iron

Baldur’s Gate’s Beloved Ranger statue goes missing

Gortash recruits Franc Peartree to distribute infernal iron weapons

Gortash moves against the Zhentarim & Knights of the Shield

Wyll Ravengard enters pact with Mizora, leaves Baldur’s Gate

1490s

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 the Crown of Karsus

They visit Ketheric and learn of the illithid colony under Moonrise

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 captures the Emperor

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 unknown reason

Durge proposes their plan to the Elder Brain who accepts

Raid on the illithid colony - 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 leaves Durge in an illithid pod - Orin tells the Chosen she now speaks for the Temple of Bhaal - Orin likely told Gortash, Ketheric, and Balthazar something vague about Durge’s disappearance being related to Durge’s religious crisis and let their imaginations do the rest

1492

Durge breaks out of their pod & is found by Kressa Bonedaughter

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

Isobel is resurrected by the Dead Three

Minsc captured by Absolutists at recruitment rally in the Undercity

Minthara Baenre is recruited by Orin and Ketheric

Gortash has the Iron Throne converted to hold hostages

Gortash presents prototype Steel Watcher to the city council

Jaheira tracks cult to shadow-cursed land, meets Isobel

Elturel falls into Avernus

The brain sends the Chosen dreams about the Astral Prism

Gortash researches the Prism, finds out that Vlaakith has it

Gortash tells Ketheric to send a team to get the Prism - A nautiloid piloted by the Emperor and other illithid is sent - Kressa’s husband arranged for Durge to be on the nautiloid

Gortash deploys Steel Watch in Lower/Outer City

At this point Elturel is no longer in Avernus

Nautiloid picks up Shadowheart & the Prism from Astral Plane

Nautiloid picks up Lae’zel (?)

Nautiloid picks up Gale (?) & Astarion in Baldur's Gate

Nautiloid picks up Karlach & Wyll in Avernus

Nautiloid crashes, game begins