Fervent Bane/Bhaal shipper. Mostly posting stuff about the Dead Three. I will ramble about quite a few things on here. Dyslexic, so please excuse any grammar mistakes. I am trying to correct as much as I can.
The Dark Urge should get a restraining order against Bhaal. I am surprised that Bhaal isn't the god of incest/grooming/necrophilia and whatnot.
Like his whole incest thing is just worrysome:
"Mad guilt swills in your swooning, sick body. Today you became the tart of a false God, and your evil pride revolts." -After becoming Boooals "chosen". Why tf is Bhaal calling Durge a tart here? There are a dozen other things that Durge could have been, like a traitor, a heretic or whatnot. But no, he uses the word tart. Someone should tell him that there are other ways too ruin your child's life. This might be a tad much.
"You failed to bring forth issue while you helmed our cult. It is a mortal sin for a Chosen. I even hoped you and my daughter might one day create a new blood-lamb for us, but it is not to be..." -Thank you, Sarevok, for wanting Durge to sleep with their sister/niece/daughter. I am sure Bhaal is giving you the thumbs up from wherever he is.
"I'm a disappointment to my father. Maybe we can work with that." -Sharess Caress dialogue after loosing the duel with Orin (yes, the fucking Brothel). Durge clearly thinks of Bhaal in a sexual manner. And knowing Bhaal, he is propably happy about that.
"...Only one face haunts your dreams each night..." -I could excuse this if it weren't happening in the middle of a love test. Orin! You need to learn to time this shit!
"Your memory of last night's act is absent. In the moment of mounting, your mind emptied itself, and you could think only of Bhaal. The gnoll's rump seemed to become his Temple's graven altar where you once led worship." -Hm. Yeah. Totally normal behaviour to force your child to think of you during the deed.
"You and the Urge are wedded, now. One body, one mind." -Bg3, Sceleritas Fel. And there is the whole Bloodwedding theme in general. Do other gods annoint chosen through wedding ceremonies??? Why does Bhaal want to marry his children (I am pretty sure Bloodwedding is a Bhaalspawn only thing)?
"I love you father. I'm a good boy, a good, good boy." -Bg3, Feral Ending. As if their relationship could get any more fucked up.
"Special, yes, special aren't you? Ssh, don't fight it." -Why is he talking like that??? What is Bhaal's issue??? I know it is not inherital sexual but the "Ssh" disturbs me.
"You are his dear Sovereign." -Thank you Gortash, for making this weird.
"It must feel good to be the favourite." -Once again, the wording is irking me.
"Father claws into your heart and stops it for a single moment. As you begin to fear for your life, you know his love is close." -...I mean, it doesn't have to be sexual here, but looking at how Bhaal interacts with Durge in general really makes me worry.
"Never before has a Bhaalspawn left a Blood Wedding at the altar. What were you doing, coward, not facing your sister?" -I really had hoped that 'wed' referred to something different, but no. The whole 'altar' thing just confirms it: This is a fucking wedding ceremony between father and child.
"Glance piteously upon your false bride." -Apparently, Bhaal wanted to be Durge's bride. And he considers every other true lover 'false'. Dear lord of Murder, what exactly is your problem?
"You're Bhaal's stallion..." -stop. Just stop.
Aside from Bhaal grooming the hell out of Durge he also inflicts his own (supposedly) necrophiliac tendecies upon Durge. Great parenting, isn't it?
"Your body feels aroused imagining a broken twisted neck, and a thrill thinking of a trailing intestine." -I will leave this here.
"I feel the most intense pleasure. Arousal, even." -I believe them.
"The masterful painting the Drow depicts of the massacre awakens you hungrily."
Durge: "Stop! I'm growing aroused!"
-At least Durge has no qualms about admitting it openly.
Durge: "How delightful, I'm very eager to begin."
Nightwarden Minthara: "Control yourself - you are as uncouth as the goblins."
-I wanna thank Minthara for her service here. More people should tell Durge that they are being weird (Minthara, why do you wanna sleep with them??? What am I missing here?)
"I am a contemptible blood-pervert." -Yes. I've noticed that.
"As he joins your side, your mind dances with thoughts of a perfect pretty corpse." -I am sure it does. Poor Astarion has zero clue about what he is getting into.
Durge: "Hot."
Astarion: "You couldn't wait ten seconds before being an absolute freak."
-Sure. Bring the mass-murdering lunatic with a long history of violence and questionable sexual habits to a graveyard. What did you expect to happen, Astarion?
"Sprinkle and stamp goes the soil, piling on top of the coffin packed cosily back into the earth." -I might be reading too much into this, but the 'cosily' just makes me question everything.
"Within your sick heart you know: in gravedigging, you have had quite the body count." -Yes, I also refer to digging up corses as 'increasing my body count'. Totally normal behaviour here.
"But something stirs, with your hand close to this body." It's probably the killing instinct that is stirring here, but who knows?
"My, my. We will be reintroducing necrophilia to your schedule in no time." -Really Sceleritas? Did it need any pointing out? But wtf do you mean SCHEDULE???
"The hivemind allows you to feel each kill as if it were your own. The pleasure is almost too much to bear." -I am starting to wonder if Bhaal really participated in the Absolute plot for the chance of world-domination. To me it seems like he just wanted a quick way to get multiple orgasms at once. Can someone tell him to stop?
"The raw hate of life, reared from the miracle of death..." -...I swear this is about some fucked up breeding kink of Bhaal. He needs to stop putting Durge through this.
"You draw her closer, with all the vim of a lover's first embrace." -Honestly, Minthara might be a little at fault here. She knew Durge is completely deranged. But, I suppose, she does feel safe with them (big mistake). Also, don't romance Durge/Bhaal and let your guard down. They may calm down after a second lay, but you NEVER know. (This is about you @awwright. Yes, I am looking at you😑)
I also had hoped that Bhaal's weird behavior is a Bhaalspawn only thing, but it is not. Is anyone surprised? That man is also a touch invading with his own clergy. And other people as well.
"Slay with pleasure, but never with anger..." -I am sure this refers to joy, but after Durge and the Ecstasy of Murder I am no longer sure.
"Once Bhaal's favour has quickened within one oh his beloved murderers, the bliss of his love is nigh-indescribable. For he blesses his loyal with a new sensation: a mindless, instinctual, primal sensation that comes within the bowels, an erotic spasmthat washes over the killer, in the moment of murder. It is said that in that instant, his Divine Essence can almost be tasted. Forsake all other hedonisms, acolytes, for nothing can compare. Until the true ecstasies of murder wash over you, initiates, this scroll contains a prayer, you may say after a kill, calling for the Lord's disgrace to find its course in your body." -This just enforces me in my belief that that man is beyond help. Why, exactly, did Ao allow him to return to godhood? Although Cyric really is a problem.
"These children you speak of... the children of a god. The thought of them brings me pleasure. I, too, shall create children—the Children of Bhaal. They will stalk the land beside you and bring death to all the corners of the world!" -Apparently, Bhaal suffers from Child fatigue. Can someone give him some medication to make that stop? That condition has become a problem
"The god of death, lover of all murderous acts, was in fine fettle." -It could be read as sexual, even though I don't think it is supposed to be. But why not just use the word 'admirer'?
"Perhaps a wife who has been true and faithful for many years suddenly seeks passion in the arms of a stranger. Maybe a man who has been good and kind his entire life suddenly lashes out and kills several of his best friends." -Ah, yes. Because sex and murder are his favorite things.
"In the Time of Troubles did Bhaal, himself, come and whisper in mine ear. I was to give birth to one of the Children. To you. I rose my arms up and hailed my Lord of Murder with great joy at my fate. Others of Bhaal's order took me away, to hide us in the darkest temple away from prying eyes." -Bane has a habit of touching people's faces. Bhaal will murmur things into your ear. Is Myrkul the only one who has ever heard about the concept of 'personal space'?
"As of late, my friends, I have felt a calling when my fingers meet each other around a windpipe. As if there is a voice whispering sweet nonsense into my ear as I tear the breath from my quarry's lungs. I think I am chosen by our Lord of Murder. Perhaps even related." -Can someone tell him to stop?
Bhaal even has a special spell unique to his clergy. Wanna know what it does? It makes you attracted to the caster.
"Attraction replaces any negative emotions the target has toward the spellcaster with opposite positive emotions... Repulsion becomes attraction, hatred becomes love, etc..."
The opposite of the 'Attraction' spell is 'Disdain', which is also unique to Bhaal and his clergy. That one is used for murder.
At least Jaheira is nice to the Bhaalspawn. Mostly. Because they need a parental figure that is not completely fucked up. Sadly, Bhaal and his clergy aren't the only ones who will abuse his children. Remember Irenicus? Hells, even Gale is being problematic.
Jaheira: "So you wish to be a god, Gale? You know the wizard Irenicus attempted the same thing, by leeching divine blood from a Bhaalspawn."
Gale: "Aha, transfusion! An interesting strategy. Hard to get hold of a god's blood, of course, but if one could..."
Jaheira: "He managed it. After murdering my husband, and torturing my friends and I for half a year."
Gale: "Did I say interesting? I meant terrible, of course. A terrible strategy..."
There is also this line Jaheira can tell Durge:
"...There will be crusaders who will wish to rid the world of your taint. Or jealous minds who believe themselves more deserving of the power in your blood..."
She knows they will never be truly safe. Irenicus was but one of many who seek to poach Bhaalspawn, for good or ill.
She even tells that Charname in Bg2:
"You are still a valuable commodity. There are those that know of the children of Bhaal, and they may desire... services from you."
Every single child of Bhaal should be alllwed to stab him once a month. All of that just screams "I have issues and I am making everyone pay for it."
And I won't even start about what Bhaal did through Kazgoroth with Tristan. I am done with that man.
I don't even know why Bhaal want's more children.
"You failed to bring forth issue while you helmed our cult. It is a mortal sin for a Chosen."
He doesn't like them:
"Our Father does not feel pride. He bore the disgrace of creating life in his Spawn. We can but atone for the shame of birth."
Is Amelyssan the only one who has a grasp on what a murder cult is supposed to be about?
"For devotees of death, you of his line are so basely fascinated with propagating new life. It ever seemed to me an impurity in the doctrine."
I can't even blame her for betraying Bhaal. Cause wtf is his issue??? He should set his mind on what he wants, for once in a while. But given that he constantly shifts his alignments, I suppose he is incapable of making up his mind to begin with. Which is a surprise, cause I expected that to be Bane's issue.
Is Bhaal in constant denial of his own habits? Because I am beginning to believe that.
Something that I cannot help but admire about Gortash is his loyalty to Durge.
And with 'loyalty' I mean the fact that he is not only willing to continue their partnership from where they left off (after Orin betrayed Durge), but that he is also willing to overlook the mess the Dark Urge is when they meet once again.
What do I mean with mess? The memory issues, the constant fainting, the struggle to keep their own body in control.
By now everyone knows that the Dark Urge suffers from amnesia, but nobody ever seems to talk about Durge's other, numerous, issues.
First and foremost, yes, Durge does suffer from amnesia. They have no recollection of their past because Bhaal madr sure that they can't remember a thing. Sure, Orin helped with that, but it's still mostlx Bhaal who is keeping Durge from remembering anything.
But there ia another memory related issue Durge is suffering from, that isn't just not remembering their previous life. It's the fact that they keep losing memories.
Durge can straight out tell Ethel this:
"I lost all of my past memory, and worse: I keep losing new parts of it."
And they can mention this to Halsin as well:
"Black outs, fainting spells. I'm losing new memories every day..."
It pisses me off beyond measure that none of the companions ever acknowledge it.
There is also the fact that Durge just seems to lose consciousness now and again and nobody cares!
"Black outs, fainting spells..."
And the scene in act 3 when you enter Wyrmsrock, Durge passes out and has their little dream sequence with Orin, and then wakes up again. The only one to make a comment about that is Jaheira.
And that's not even it. Durge also hallucinates and sleepwalks and it's, once again, just completely ignored outside from a few dialogue choices.
"Sleepwalking... hallucinating creatures... the temptations... I could lose myself before I make it to a cure."
And Raphael points it out as well:
"This is no night you can sleepwalk through, somnambulist, you must be wide, wide, awake to survive."
Aside from Durge sleepwalking, they seem to have problems falling asleep to begin with:
"The Urges are calling on you again, aren't they? I haven't seen you sleep through the night once in the past days."
The Dark Urge also seems to have trouble concentraiting/focusing on the presence:
"Where am I? What's going on?"
This fits nicely with the black outs Durge can mention to Halsin. I fon't know if they sre dissociating, but I wouldn't put it past them.
Furthermore, Durge is in almost constant pain:
"I have such a headache."
And this one:
"My mind is full of holes and some of them are still being punched."
As for Durge being unable to properly control their own body:
"You look rabid, pained, sick. You're spasming and twitching..."
And this seems to be quite obvious for everyone, given that Minthara also recognices it:
"...when you're so clearly broken. Beautiful, but broken."
So it isn't a secret.
Aside from all the things I already mentioned, I also wanna add that Durge displays self-harming and self-loathing tendencies:
Astarion: "So. What happens next?"
Durge: "We whip each other within an inch of our lives."
There is also this narrator line when facing Bhaal in act 3:
"For a moment the brine-pool of your brain clears. To die: to rest, to save the world from yourself..."
And this one:
"Better to die than live on an earth walked by you. Each of your deaths is a mercy."
The Dark Urge also constantly refers to themselves as 'broken':
"In another lifetime, you were greeted in this throne room like a God, not the living wreck you are now."
Or this:
"Oh, don't mind me. My brain is all but mincemeat - I'm harmless now!"
Anyway, Durge is an utter mess and according to Omeluum, their brain shouldn't even be fuctioning and they should be dead,
And I can't help but respect Gortash for still wanting to ally with them.
Gortash knew Durge in their prime, they were allies when Durge had earned the respect of (almost) every member of their cult, of Gnolls and even of an Elder Brain. That is something almost no mortal has ever achieved before. Elfer Brains are highly intelligent, complex and cruel beings. They are capable of working out more than one highly efficient scheme at the same time, they have a better grasp at reality and their power is often incomprehensible to mortals. And the Dark Urge was so respected by one of them that said brain would have followed their plan without the intention of treachery. Not only were they respected, they were admired.
"You brought the Crown to me, Bhaalspawn, thinking the army I amassed with it would become yours. Your plan was devious, your cruelty unparalleled. I would have followed it, were your mind not destroyed by your sister."
And this:
"I respected Bhaal's child once, but not you, Gortash."
And also this:
"Gave- ---us- -EVERYTHING--- ---disappeared--"
The Absolute also calls Durge 'Tyrant' and 'Kingmaker', which should be a title given to Gortash because he is Bane's chosen. But the Absolute isn't the only one who respects them.
Gortash obviously does it and has no quarrel admitting it. But there is also this:
"You were the jewelled hope for their design, but now you are their flaw."
At first I thought 'they' referred to Gortash and Ketheric, but the wording threw me off. Because the 'design' was also Durge's, so if it would refer to the chosen three the wording would have to be more like 'to your design', due to the fact that Ketheric and Orin only joined later and didn't really plan anything. They just joinrd when most of the details were already planned out, which is why I believe that 'they' actually refers to Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul.
Bhaal, despite being a horrible man, clearly knows that Durge is still dangerous and still useful. Even in their broken state they can defy gods, lead a whole party with people who have their own issues, and claw their way back to Baldur's Gate. This is even mor eimpressive if we consider the constant nausea, pain, fainting etc. They are not weak, they are powerful and they do get shit done. Bhaal, even if he would never openly admit it, does recognize that his child is durable and cunning, and he can even, indirectly, acknowledge it.
Bhaal is all about self-control, killing those stronger than you and in so doing proving that you are superior, patience and, obviously, death.
If the Dark Urge wins the duel against Orin and defy him, Bhaal kills them.
BUT.
He doesn't enslave them or rends their mind asunder. He could still do it. There is nothing keeping him from doing to Durge what he does to them when they lose the duel. Why? Because despite their disobedience they did prove themselves worthy by not only managing to drag themselves all the way back to his temple while being an utter mess, but also by killing Ketheric, an avatar of Myrkul, Orin and (maybe) Gortash and an avatar of Bane. By surviving all of what happened while being clearly weakened, Durge did prove that they have not forgotten how to survive. They are still dangerous.
And say what you want about Bhaal, but killing Durge instead of making a slave out of them (which he still could have done) very much does say that he recognizes that. Durge showed that they can still control themselves, and Bhaal, while being utterly cruel and mad himself, may yet has seen a sliver of reason and acknowledged that his dogma/doctrin had been fulfilled/respected by Durge.
If Durge loses the duel they prove themselves to weak, a disappointment, which Bhaal straight out says. By killing Orin they proved their worth, even if they deny him.
As for Bane respecting Durge:
"My master admires you, as I always have. For the slaughter you bring, and for the Netherstones you bear."
One could argue that Gortash is lying here, but I don't believe that. Bane and Durge are eerily similar to begin with: The infancide, the ego, the reckless pursue of mass-slaughter, the loss of self-control, the absolute lack of elegance. Really. Durge would make a great Banite. But even aside from this we do know that Bane also admires Bhaal, even if he would never say that out loud. And I will take a guess and say it's for the same reason Gortash admires Durge:
"I always preferred your methods to hers. You have mastery over your Urges, Orin was consumed by her gruesome obsessions."
It's a pity that the Dark Urge doesn't get any unique dialogue options with Bane.
Anyway, Bhaal, like Durge, does suffer from violent urges as well. Bane, undoubtly, knows that. Yet he also recognizes that Bhaal is in control of himself most of the time. If Bane clearly respects Bhaal for it, he will respect Durge for it as well. There is also the fact that Bhaal served Bane as personal assassin and that Gortash calls Durge 'my favorite assassin, and that Bhaal is Bane's oldest ally/friend/frenemy (his nearest and dearest, so to say (no idea what exactly those two have going on, but given their past and how Bhaal despises Gortash, I will say that they had something going on (I am a self-indulgent idiot))).
As for the 'now you are their flaw' part: The Dark Urge is running around throwing everything into disarray, despite barely functioning. So yeah, they are as durable as a cockroach.
And Gortash, who knew the Dark Urge when they were an utter menance, a scheming mastermind with remarkable self-control, someone who had earned the respect and admiration of an Elder Brain, various cults and of Bane, looks at this absolute broken, hyperventilating mess they are in act 3, and wastes not even a single second trying to be close to them one again.
Yeah.
I never really was into Durgetash, but I am getting it now. That man still considers zhem his equal, despite Durge blacking out and whatnot. Even if they deny Bhaal Gortash is still waving his 'Welcome home' flag around and grinning like an absolute idiot.
Gortash is ready to work together with a barely functioning and completely mentally fucked up Durge again because he respect and admires them. Maybe even cares for them on a deeper level.
...
Which also reminds me of Bhaal and Bane, I am sorry to say.
In 2e Bhaal is listed as serving Bane. We don't really know how that happened, but I believe it happened after the Moonshae Triology.
At the end of the triology Bhaal was thrown from Greater Deity status down to lesser. That's already bad enough, especially if you happen to reside on the lower planes and every one of your neighbors will try to enslave or kill a weakened deity. So... Bhaal really had quite a problem here. And there is also the fact that even if we ignore his massive loss of power, he was almost completely defensless. Here:
"... pulling his tortured and writhing form through the ether."
"Here he lay in broken despair, scorned by other gods of evil who now far superseded him in might and influence,..."
"Motionless, Bhaal knew only suffering."
"Thus he would lie for generations, as a forgotten god and a distant relic of the human past."
He was in agony, utterly defensless, and would have quickly become subject to the whims of another god. He could have been killed with ease by other deities, or even just enslaves or subdued. He was incapable of pulling himself back together and a god that is in such a state in the lower planes usually never survives for long.
But he wasn't killed or enslaved.
Bhaal would never start serving Bane if he didn't had to. We could argue that Bane enslaved Bhaal, but this seems unlikely:
"In life, he commanded Bhaal and Iyachtu Xvim, his son, though Xvim performed his designated tasks only reluctantly, as he held no love for his father. Loviatar and Talona served Bane indirectly by serving Bhaal."
It's specifically pointed out that Xvim hated serving Bane, yet there is no mention, anywhere, of Bhaal loathing it. Let's be clear here: I don't think he was thrilled, but he did owe him. And Bane seems to have given Bhaal quite a bit of freedom as well.
Though I also could interpret into the 'as he helf no love for his father' part. Could be a coincidence, could also be that Bhaal did have some kind affection for Bane and now, after the Time of Troubles, sees Durge repeating his mistake.
Tiamat, Hruggek and the gods that serve Bane are specifically mentioned to only save Bane out of fear. Bhaal isn't.
Those two have a long history and Bhaal has put up with Bane's bullshit longer than anyone else (and Bane with Bhaal's). They respect and admire eachother.
And it is reflected in Gortash and Durge as well.
The mutual admiration and respect, the knowledge that they will have to turn against the other at some point.
Gortash and Bane ignore the vulnerable state Durge and Bhaal are in and keep them around, even if it goes against their own doctrine. Bhaal and Durge are the perfect equals of them, so far that both stay their hand and don't kill them even if they know that they should.
The parallels are there and it is not like Durge and Gortash are the only bhaalist and banite duo that works well together AND display affection for one another.
Tamoko (Sarevok's first and only real lover) wears Banite armour.
Then there are Polandulus and Clotilda.
And now Durge and Gortash.
This seems to be a reoccuring theme
Welp. Gortash and Durge are fascinating to me and I admit that I ignored that pairing for far too long.
To every Durgetash fan: I apologize for side-eyeing you for the first two years. You had the right idea all along.
Also, everyone who ships Durge and Gortash should do the same to Bhaal and Bane. It just fits and makes everything more dramatic
Anyway, important characteres that have something to do with the Dead Three will be explained below.
It's mostly for myself, but I am posting it in case anyone want's to have an overview of characteres that are scarcely discussed but played an important role in their lives. Because I write fanfictions of them and sometimes it's tedious to go through every source again. This is also only about their mortal lives. Mostly.
1. Issarnathass: Sarukkh lich-king who ruled the Isstossefl-Empire. Noticed Jergal stealing the Nether Scrolls from the Halls of Mists of the Ba'etith. Recognized that both Jergal and the elves of Earlannw ere manipulating the netherese people and decided to act against it by taking on the guise of a human archwizard called 'Arthindol', also called the Terraseer, before appesring to them. Although Issarnathass sought to disrupt the plans of Jergal and the elves, he still used the netherese people in order to find a way to annihilate the phaerimm completely.
2. Trebbe: Netherese archwizard who in -2237 Dr attempted to craft a crown (with the help if the Nether Scrolld) that could grant him the powers of lichdom, without having to become undead. This offended Jergal who causes the unfinished crown to explode and kill Trebbe. Jergal reformed it into a helm that was imbued with powers more pleasing to himself and hid it away in the fourth Dlardrageth Armory of the fortress Aryvandaar). In life he ruled the enclave of Aquessir (Shadowtop Borough). The crown he tried to craft was the famed 'Crown of Horns'.
3. Requiar: Netherese archwizard who managed to recover the 'Crown of Horns' in -1493 DR and wore it. Transformed thirty other arcanists into liches and enslaved them, before claiming Aquessir for himself and continued to enslave its residents with necromancy. Succumbed completely to madness in -1208 DR and was murdered by his undead apprentices.
4. Shadelorn: Netherese archwizard who located the 'Crown of Horns' in -644 DR within the Rystall Wood. Established a secret citadel beneath the sinkhole he had found it in, in hopes of creating a more powerful version of Ioulaum's Mythallars. Turned into a lich. In -342 DR returned to Aquessiar with the 'Crown of Horns', and tried to activate his 'improved mythallar'. All magic within a 20-mile radius failed and killed everyone relying on it, including Shadelorn himself.
5. Karsus: Identified by Jergal in -696 DR when he was still a infant as a possible candidate for Jergal's revised ritual of Ascension. Created the enclave Eileanar in -674 DR and drew the attention of Issarnathass as well. Began to teach six other candidates due to Jergal's manipulations. In -664 DR Issarnathass warned Karsus about Jergal and urged him to examine the Nether Scrolls in order to find other methods of fighting the phaerimm, which failed due to the fact that Jergal had his priests remove the hidden Nether Scrolls. Unvivered the secrets of heavy magic in -408 DR ( a crucial ingrediwnt for Jergal's planned ritual) and started teaching the other five candidates about it. In -345 DR Issarnathass warned Karsus about Jergal's true intentions again, but was dismissed. Karsus had grown paranoid and was in the firm grip of the Lord of the End of Everything. In -339 DR Karsus folly happened.
6. Arlochar: One of the six candidates for Jergal's revised Ascension ritual. Could fully wield 'heavy magic' in -345 DR. Became one of the Seven Lost Gods in -339 DR after perishing during Karsus folly. His vestige still holds a spark of Jergal's power.
7. Nakasr: One of the six candidates for Jergal's revised Ascension ritual. Could fully wield 'heavy magic' in -345 DR. Became one of the Seven Lost Gods in -339 DR after perishing during Karsus folly. Her vestige still holds a spark of Jergal's power.
8. Bale the Spellslayer: One of the six candidates for Jergal's revised Ascension ritual. Could fully wield 'heavy magic' in -345 DR. In another version he was supposed to be Bhaal. In both Bale/Bhaal was a renown and feared duelist. Bale the Spellslayer died during Karsus folly and became one of the Seven Lost Gods. His vestige still holds a spark of Jergal's power.
9. Elah Nydra: One of the six candidates for Jergal's revised Ascension ritual. Could fully wield 'heavy magic' in -345 DR. A daughter of Selune who survived Karsus folly and sought out her mothers aid in handling Jergal's divinity. Became known as 'Bright Nydra' to the Marsh Drovers. Defeated Bhaal in combat during the Time of Troubles in order to not only protect the Farsea Marshes, but to also protect Midnight. Became one of the Seven Lost Gods of ancient Netheril.
10. Lord Shadow: One of the six candidates for Jergal's revised Ascension ritual. In -390DR he was seemingly assassinated, but survived before resurfacing under the guise of Telamont Tanthul of Thultanthar (Shade). Only Karsus, Jergal and Issarnathass saw through his disguise. Took 'Alashar Crywinds' as wife. Held a great interest in the Plane of Shadows (possibly due to Maram) and continued ro investigate it with Alashar's aid. Could fully wield 'heavy magic' in -345 DR. Telamont was the only one to heed Issarnathass warnings about Jergal and shifted Thulanthar into the Plane of Shadows, escaping Jergal and Karsus folly.
11. Cathala 'Cat' Akri: The only sorcerer-queen of the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. Built the infamous 'Cat's Gate' - a massive portal located at the Godswater Ravine, about one hundred fifty feet high and fifty feet wide - that led into the Outlands. The portal was decorated with reliefs of great magical cats. Together with Urgund she led an army of werepanthers, known as the 'Akri', into the Outlands against the rilmani. In -483 DR she and her fellow sorcerers had ro retreat back to the Material Plane, before she led a grand gsthering of other arcanists to close the Cat's Gate. Later Cathala, together with the other Crown-Sorcerers, created a cult to worship her. In -439 DR, under Jathiman's leadership, she crafted one of the 'seven daggers of Rdiuz', before every member of her cult was turned into a ghoul in -438 DR and her dagger got stolen by Jergal. She and four other Crown-Sorcerers sued for peace before Anubis in -371 DR, and set out to banish the primordials afterwards.
12. Glaeros Lhaerimm: One of the seven Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. Glaeros recovered the 'second Imaskarcana' - a prized gauntlet that held all the knowledge of Imaskarni warfare - ca. -451 DR. In -439 DR, under Jathiman's leadership, he crafted one of the 'seven daggers of Rdiuz', before every member of his cult was turned into a ghoul in -438 DR and his dagger got stolen by Jergal. He succesfully assembled all the pieces of the 'scepter of Khotan' in -374 DR and began to work on reconstructing it, naming it the 'scepter of the sorcerer-kings'. The process of reconstructing it cost the life of a dozen apprentices. Glaeros was murdered by divine emissaries before he could finish his work.
13. Meigg Inzarath: One of the seven Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. Meigg built the floating citadel of Meigg, a rock crag bristling with engines of war, girded by mighty battlements and shod in plates of rare, spellreecting metal. The citadel was built within the Outlands and hosted Cathala's armies of werepanthers. The remains of dead gods, plunderes from the divine graveyard Anubis was sworn to guard, were brough back to Meigg to study. By the year -483 DR his enclave lay in ruins and he retreated back to the material plane. Later Meigg, together with the other Crown-Sorcerers, created a cult to worship him. In -439 DR, under Jathiman's leadership, he crafted one of the 'seven daggers of Rdiuz', before every member of his cult was turned into a ghoul in -438 DR and his dagger got stolen by Jergal. He and four other Crown-Sorcerers sued for peace before Anubis in -371 DR, and set out to banish the primordials afterwards.
14. Morden Tereshayn: One of the seven Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. In -483 DR he and her fellow sorcerers had to retreat back to the Material Plane. Afterwards Morden, together with Yurax, consulted the 'second Imaskarcana'. In -449 DR the two led a grand expedition towards the Monuments of the Ancients and released 'Maram of the Great Spear'. He tried to convert him into the war against the rilmani but failed. Later Morden, together with the other Crown-Sorcerers, created a cult to worship him. In -439 DR, under Jathiman's leadership, he crafted one of the 'seven daggers of Rdiuz', (the Morden Dagger) before every member of his cult was turned into a ghoul in -438 DR and his dagger got stolen by Jergal. He and four other Crown-Sorcerers sued for peace before Anubis in -371 DR, and set out to banish the primordials afterwards.
15. Yurax Rasendol: One of the seven Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. In -483 DR he and her fellow sorcerers had to retreat back to the Material Plane. Afterwards Yurax, together with Morden, consulted the 'second Imaskarcana'. In -449 DR the two led a grand expedition towards the Monuments of the Ancients and released 'Maram of the Great Spear'. He tried to convert him into the war against the rilmani but failed. Later Yurax, together with the other Crown-Sorcerers, created a cult to worship him. In -439 DR, under Jathiman's leadership, he crafted one of the 'seven daggers of Rdiuz', (the Yurax Dagger) before every member of his cult was turned into a ghoul in -438 DR and his dagger got stolen by Jergal. He and four other Crown-Sorcerers sued for peace before Anubis in -371 DR, and set out to banish the primordials afterwards.
16. Jathiman Arthopaar: The leader of the Crown-Sorceres of Rdiuz. In -483 DR he and his fellow sorcerers had to retreat back to the Material Plane. Jathiman studied the nature of divine beings and managed to deduce a way to slay them. He designed a cult set ro worship him and commanded the other Crown-Sorcerers to follow his example. Is cult consisted of one hundred eighty members. In -439 DR he crafted one of the 'seven daggers of Rdiuz', (the Jathiman Dagger, thirty-nine members of his cult were sacrificed in order to craft it) before every member of his cult was turned into a ghoul in -438 DR and his dagger got stolen by Jergal. He and four other Crown-Sorcerers sued for peace before Anubis in -371 DR, and set out to banish the primordials afterwards.
17. Urgund Mezeketh: One of the seven Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. In -489 DR he and Cathala led the Akri into the Outlands against the rilmani. In -483 DR he and his fellow sorcerers had to retreat back to the Material Plane. Later Urgund, together with the other Crown-Sorcerers, created a cult to worship him. In -439 DR, under Jathiman's leadership, he crafted one of the 'seven daggers of Rdiuz', before every member of his cult was turned into a ghoul in -438 DR and his dagger got stolen by Jergal. Urgund was tasked with the protection of Glaeros, yet fsiled to do so. He did, however, manage to steal the 'scepter of the sorcerer-kings' before escaping through a netherese portal network. Urgund fled to an isolated island and named it Mezekth Island. He became a lich later, before he was slain by Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul in -359 DR. After the trio ascended to godhood he became Bane's first Banelich and wrote 'Urgund's Description of Darkness'.
18. Borem of the boiling Mud: A primordial who had entered Toril during the height of the Imaskari-Empire. Resurfaced in ca. -360 DR in Okloroum. Was challenged by Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul in -359 DR in the fields of Rezamark, before being slain with the Jathiman Dagger. His quagheart was buried on Mezeketh isle under a monolith.
19. Camnod the Unseen: A primordial who had entered Toril during the height of the Imaskari-Empire. Became a wind god to the Horse Nomads of the Golden Stepps and allied himself with Maram. Was slain by Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul ca. -358 DR with the Morden Dagger. He was buried beneath the tallest peak of the Zef Mountains.
20. Maram of the Great Spear: The primordial summoned by Yurax and Morden in -449 DR at the Monuments of the Ancients. Was once Bane's master. Escaped the banishing spell of the five remaining Crown-Sorceres after they sued for peace and fled back to the Monuments of the Ancients. Allied himself with Camnod and was worshipped as a god as well. Was banished back to the Elemental Chaos in -357 DR by Myrkul and the 'scepter of the sorcerer-kings'.
21. Edranka of the Smoldering Haze: Summoned by the Dead/Dark Three in -356 DR and bound to their will. Was commanded ro raise an army, which she did by assembling the goblin tribes of the Tortured Lands (100.000 head strong). In -350 DR she marched against Haask, who summoned Hargut, and was defeated in combat. She was later imprisoned within a sphere of ice tethered
to the floor of the Moonsea by the sea elves of Aluteumarel.
22. Tyranthraxus the Flamed One: Summoned by the Dead/Dark Three in -356 DR and bound to their will. Was commanded to raise an army, which he did by subduing Formorion giants. In -356 DR, after Bhaal had assassinated the archwizard Barze, Tyranthraxus overran his kingdom, before marching against the horreb artificers and the horse nomads of the Vane tribe. Tyrantharxus was imprisoned by Baron Schodt of Castle
Vathar, last of the Horreb articers, in Lake Longreach.
23. Torath of the Obsidian Vault: Summoned by the Dead/Dark Three in -356 DR and bound to their will. Was commanded ro raise an army, which he did by assembling an army of Kuo-toa from the depths of Mount Throndor. He marched against the isolated duergar settlements beneath the Lost Ways of Sarphil, until he was felled by a covey of night hags who forced him into icy cold water, transforming him into a ame-tinged pillar of stone.
24. Haask of the batrachi: A priest-king dedicated to Hargut who ruled over Grong-Haap. He occupied Ironfang Keep in -981 DR, and expanded his kingdom over the next 600 years. Edranka marched against him later in -350 DR, which forced him to summon his god Hargut. After Edranka had been defeated he returned to his throneroom for a feast, only to be ambushed by the Dark/Dead Three. Bhaal plunged the Yurax Dagger into his back and revealed him to be a doppelganger. The three convinced him to partake in a grsfting ritual, conducted by Myrkul, before imprisoning him in Ironfang Keep.
25. Hargut of the Gray Pestilence: A primordial who had escaped to the Far Realms before the Dark/Dead Three could summon him within the Monuments of the Ancients. Was summoned by Haask in -350 DR to battle Edranka. After he had won and continued to slaughter her armies, Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul forced him into a grafting ritual to become 'Haask, the voice of Hargut' - a symbiotic entity - and confined him to the Ironfang Keep.
Yeah. I think I covered the most important people. Jergal deserves a whole post for himself, because that man is an utter bastard and is responsible for 95% of every problem that plagues the realms. I don't care if he is nice to Durge, I don't trust him.
The Dark Urge becoming known as Mahkloompah, god of the fish-people, is funny and also an incredible callback to Bhaal's mortal life.
Kuo-toa are known to manifest their gods through belief alone, and the redcap they revere as Boooal already harbored enough of a divine spark to genuinly piss Bhaal off if Durge becomes Boooal's chosen:
"Mad guilt swills in your swooning, sick body. Today you became the tart of a false God, and your evil pride revolts."
The Dark Urge is already a fledgling-god and in possession of divinity. Technically speaking they could use this fervent worship and climb the divine ladder... did you guys know that Bhaal (together with Myrkul and Bane) tried something similar?
So, the Dead Three did not, intentionally, start murdering primordials for the purpose of becoming gods and steal their power (they still stole the power of the primordials they slew as mortals, but the goal was not to become a god).
First and foremost they were tortured by Jergal in their sleep, because Jergal saw the primordials as threats to his revised Ascenion ritual (with which he sought to be reborn as six divine entities and in so doing make sure that the Disjunction never happened). So he plagued the dreams of Myrkul, Bane and Bhaal with traumatic nightmare visions that revealed to them the locations of the God-slaying weapons they would use (mostly Bhaal because he was their killer).
Anyway, skip ahead a few years and Jergal abandons them after they banished the primordial Maram because he thought the threat was dealt with. Which leaves the Dead Three to their own devices. Of course they get the bright idea to release even more primordials into the world and one of them was called Torath of the Obsidian Vault.
All primordials hail from the Elemental Chaos and have an element associated with them: For Borem it was fire, for Camnod wind and I will take a daring guess and say that Torath was connected to the element of water.
Anyway, Torath, along with two others, got subdued by the Dark Three and commanded to raise an army in their names, which the three primordials did.
Torath assembled a giant Kuo-Toa army from beneath Mount Throndor in the Eastern Dragonspine Mountains (modern: West Galena Mountains).
So... given that the Dead Three had a habit of splitting the tasks between them I would take a guess and say that each of them personally oversaw the actions of one of the three primordials.
Given that Tyranthraxus the Flamed One preferred the shape of a dragon and is connected to fire (and, apparently, partly to lightning), I would say that Bane was the one to command this primordial directly.
Myrkul, most likely, took control over Edranka of the Smoldering Haze because he was the one to sniff out Hargut and Haask. It would make sense if he took it upon himself to command Edranka to wage war with them.
Which leaves Bhaal with Torath and his army of fish-people.
I am no longer surprised that Bhaal doesn't get pissy about Durge getting worshiped as a god by the Kuo-toa, but only about becoming the chosen of a redcap.
Apparently, he approved of Torath's fish-army. And if Durge tells the Kuo-toa to assemble an army in their name? And to worship them as the god 'Mahkloompah'? That just echoes what Bhaal himself did.
Larian most likely didn't intend it, but the parallels are still there. So for anyone who likes Durge as the Kuo-toa god: Bhaal approves as well.
The Dead Three as Mortals: A VERY, VERY long analysis and summary of their origins, motivations and personality.
It's long. Very long. Braze yourselves.
The Dead Three are Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul: Three of the most feared and cruel gods in all of the Forgotten Realms. Especially Bane. Funnily enough they only earned the name "The Dead Three" after they perished during the Time of Troubles. Before that they were known as "The Dark/Dread Three", a name that originates from their mortal adventuring days.
So, let's start with our favorite impulsive tyrant: Bane.
Bane was a mortal battle-slave born in Abeir. When or how he became a slave we do not actually know. Sadly. But we do know that he was enslaved by Maram, a primordial from the beginning of the universe who was also counted among the Seven Lost Gods of Abeir and among the Elder Evils. So he is someone you don't want to encounter.
What are primordials? This:
"The primordials, or Dawn Titans, were god-like beings made of manifest entropy and elemental energy whose domains were the Elemental Chaos and Abeir, unlike the gods (Estelar), whose domains were the Astral Sea and Toril."
The primordials are older than the gods and were for a long time unaware of the fact that they existed. Yet when they did found out they invades the Astral Sea and tried to destroy the worlds that had already formed within both Shar and Selune, specifically those two, rose against them and even called other gods to their side.
"They (Selune and Shar) defended the new worlds from the primordials, naturally as the primordials were beings of entropy and destruction. Thus began the Dawn War and other gods were created from the residue of the conflict or summoned from other dimensions to help the native gods of Realmspace."
The Dawn War was a very violent and long conflict that created various other realms. During the conflict many gods and primordials died, were born and also betrayed their own allies. So a very, very messy time. So messy that the nature spirits had to interfere:
"Concerned by the unparalleled destruction caused by the gods and primordials to the worlds of Material plane, the nature spirits enacted the "primal ban", a powerful magic that bans outsiders from the Material plane unless they are summoned by its inhabitants."
There was also somewhere something that said that during the Dawn War a Primordial named Bane was slain and that the soul of the god Bane (or the mortal who would become him. Yeah, the Tyrant) was born/created from the wound that had slain the primordial. So... that's interesting, but I have no clue where I saw that and whether or not it's even true (I don't think it is but it would make a funny crack-fic (ancient Bane clowning on an old Myrkul before both troll a young Bhaal)). Still, I wanted to put that out here.
Now to the Seven Lost Gods:
"The "Seven Lost Gods", or simply the "Lost Gods", was a collective term used at different times for several different sets of deities and primordials."
Which sets are we talking about. Those three:
1. The Gods of Antiquity, who were seven Ancient Evils and/or Primordials that had all been slain or enslaved by Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul during their mortal adventuring days. Those include:
1. Maram of the Great Spear; (I will get back to him)
2. Haask, the Voice of Hargut;
3. Tyranthraxus the Flamed One;
4. Borem of the Lake of Boiling Mud;
5. Camnod the Unseen;
6. Edranka of the Smoldering Haze
and 7. Torath of the Obsidian Vault
The other set is called the "Seven Lost Gods of Westgate" whose worship was banned in 927DR and include:
1. Garagos, the netherese god of war.
2. Ghaunadaur, a god touched by the Far Realms (think of Hermaeus Mora from the Elder Scrolls)
3. Jergal, the Lord of the End of Everything
4. Moander, a netherese god of corruption (Very evil bastard)
5. Savras, who was later replaced by Azuth through Mystryls interference
6. Silvanus, the celtic god of wild nature
And another god lost to history. The seventh is speculated to be Auppenser, who is associated with psionics, enlightment and personal autonomy.
The oldest set of the seven lost Gods are the seven archwizards manipulated by Jergal to aid in his Ascenion Ritual. They are, as followed:
1. Bale the Spellslayer (in another version this was supposed to be Bhaal as Tharlagaunt Bale, there called the "Deathbringer")
2. Karsus the Mad
3. Arlochar
4. Mystra of the Seven Stars (the mortal that would become the goddess of magic after Mystryl's death), who replaced Telamont Thantul
5. Elah Nydra, the daughter of Selune
6. Nakasr
7. And an avatar of Jergal himself
Let's move on to Elder Evils, who are said to hail from the Far Realms and are wholly malevolent entities. They are divided into three categories:
1. Eternal Evils, to which there is no real info about what exactly qualifies them.
2. Aboleth Evils, who were worshipped by the aboleths and care only for madness and destruction
And 3. Far-Realm Infested Stars, who were once stars that were infested with malignant forces and now no longer have a set course.
I have no clue to which category Maram belongs, but I suppose he could be an Eternal One, given that it seems that he cannot die. Kezef and Dendar were also considered Eternals Ones, though no longer.
Given that Maram is classified as a Primordial, an Elder Evil and a Lost God it is safe to say that you really, really, really don't want to encounter him. Which sucks for Bane, because that man suffered years of slavery.
Which sucks even more for Bane is the fact that he was not just another nameless slave. He was a mortal that excelled in combat, seemingly even becoming a warlord under Maram, and displayed such a prowess in battle that he was called "The Bane of the Ancients" in Abeir. Given that the primordials seem to be set on killing each other I would dare say that Bane was sent into the field when Maram encountered harsh resistance. Bane can and will use violence in its most brutal forms. And I can't really blame him for that... because can you imagine what horrors Maram would inflict upon one of her favoured slaves? And favoured in this context is not the "oh I like you which is why I will treat you better" thing. It's more like: "You are a valuable tool and I will use you in whatever ways I see fit and if you think about turning against me I will make an example out of you." Bane was known in Abeir, which means Maram definetly was aware of him. He was not just another slave. He had purpose. Which is so, so, so much worse if that means that an wholly evil being watches every step you take. It's a wonder Banes hair didn't fall out from the fear, pressure, stress and expectation he was constantly under...
But yeah. Miserable past. And I don't even want to think about what punishments Maram would be capable of inflicting. That being has zero morals, no pity and will do things so much worse than whatever we can think of if he feels slighted.
Banes past as a slave also heavily influenced his personality. He is loud, impulsive, impatient, afraid of kindness and affection and constantly overestimates his own prowess:
"The summons had come wearing the face and form of that which each of the gods feared most... To the Black Lord, Bane, the summons came in the guise of absolute love and understanding, its light searing his essence as it carried him from his kingdom."
It's tragic that Bane fears genuine and healthy emotional connections more than being powerless. Because the moment someone is kind to him he becomes almost completely incapable of harming the individual that showed him mercy. He becomes "soft" (because he doesn't know how to handle kindness or affection), which he views as a weakness, something that will allow others to manipulate him: to have any kind of power over him.
Do you remember Blackthorne? Who saved Bane after he was heavily wounded from his fight with Mystra during the Time of Troubles? This is how he reacts after accidentally killing him:
"I will not grieve," the god decided coolly. Blackthorne was merely a human. A pawn. His loss is regrettable, but he can be replaced.
Then Bane thought of his endless talks with Blackthorne. He remembered the strange emotions that coursed through him when he had realized that Blackthorne had saved him, and aided in his recovery. The Black Lord looked at his hands and noticed he was trembling. Then the God of Strife screamed a cry of grief, loud and long. All over Bane's Dark Temple, people covered their ears and shivered at the sound of the Black Lord's pain.
When his scream ended, the God of Strife looked down through tear-clouded eyes and saw a figure standing before his throne.
"Blackthorne?" Bane said, his voice harsh and rasping.
"No, Lord Bane."
Bane wiped his eyes and looked down at the red-haired man who stood before him. "Fzoul," he said. "All is well."
"Milord, there are dead men surrounding you in the temple-"
Bane raised his taloned hand.
The red-haired man hung his head. "Yes, milord." Then Fzoul picked up his god's scattered armor and helped Bane to his feet.
"All is in readiness," Fzoul said as the Black Lord finally put on his bloody armor again. "When shall we begin to prepare for the battle?"
A fire crackled in the eyes of the Black Lord and Fzoul stepped back from the angry god. Then Bane's lips curled back in a frightful grimace. There was fire behind the God of Strife's pointed teeth, too, as his eyes narrowed and he said, "Now."
The fear, the confusion, the sheer denial. He can't handle his own emotions because he never learned how. The only affection he ever got as a mortal were probably from Bhaal and Myrkul (who are also completely emotionally stunted) and mayhaps from his family and friend (if he even had any and wasn't born into slavery) before Maram most certainly brutally murdered them and forced him into his servitude. And how does he respond to feeling grief and confusion? With rage and violence. And that's not surprising. Because confusion and grief, the pain that comes with it, are so often perceived as threatening. And how do you answer a threat you don't really understand? You lash out.
There is also this passage from Stormlight:
"...the shame and the trembling fear he so hated, that made him seek tyranny over others. This fear tasted like the tang of iron in blood, but came from a place weirdly different than Faerun. The mortal who had become Bane, so long ago, had come from... somewhere else... He was slaying himself, to keep from yielding to her.''
It's not just fear. It's trembling fear. And shame because he feels weak. And it's very important to me to point out that it's specified that it were exactly those two feelings that made him seek tyranny. Because he endured Marams tyranny for a very long time. Bane slays his own Avatar just so that he can tell himself that he wasn't actually defeated. It's also worth pointing out that Bane was the only god who kneeled only on one knee instead of two when Ao forced all gods to kneel before him, which happenend in the prologue of Shadowdale.
As for Bane being loud:
"I AM THE LORD OF LORDS AND THE PRINCE OF DARK PRINCES. MY BLACK HAND SMITES FROM ONE END OF FAERUN TO THE OTHER, AND BEYOND. BEHOLD ME, MORTALS, AND FEAR ME! FOR FEAR AND TYRANNY ARE MINE TO BESTOW, AND THE RUIN THEY DO IS MY EXULTATION. I AM BANE THE UNDYING, AND NONE SHALL ESCAPE ME!
As he shouted, red fire burst from the dark-skinned, many-tentacled figure that stood on the bed. The blaze seared draperies and clothing to hurl Shayna against the bedchamber wall. She struck it heavily, slid down it, and did not move again. Storm and Broglan were thrown to their knees, and as they struggled to rise, thunderous laughter rolled around them, and that terrible mind-voice spoke again.
STAY DOWN IN HOMAGE, WHERE YOU BELONG . . . FOR THE LAST FEW MISERABLE MOMENTS OF YOUR LIVES.
Bane exulted, slaughtering hapless creatures at random in a wild orgy of death as he celebrated his glee."
Or this scene, in which he managed to annoy Myrkul again:
"The God of the Dead shrugged and held the statue next to the snowflake. As before, there was a brilliant flash of light as the shard disappeared into the figurine. This time, however, the statue continued to glow brightly, pulsing red and black in a quickening pattern. Myrkul narrowed his eyes in pain as a loud, high-pitched shriek tore through his brain.
"I am alive!" the God of Strife screamed in Myrkul's mind. "I am whole again!" A pair of burning eyes and a leering, fanged mouth suddenly appeared on the smooth face of the statue.
"Please, Lord Bane, not so loud. You are giving me a splitting headache," the God of the Dead rasped.""
He is giving Myrkul a headache. While Myrkul inhabits an undead. That shouldn't be possible. And if you think Myrkul asking Bane to keep his voice low will make him silent, you're wrong:
"The voice inside Myrkul's head was growing loud again, and the God of the Dead winced at the noise."
Yeah, very loud. Myrkul should be allowed to hit him once per day. And Bhaal should be allowed to stab him. He is also impatient:
"Not dumb, but... we mortals have seen that Bane is rash, impetuous, and arrogant. He's no patient, long-term schemer, but lives in the present moment (he wants results NOW). And his pride often makes him over-estimate his own prowess, and ignore his own faults."
And gods, he is arrogant beyond measure:
"As my high priest pointed out, none of the gods live in the Border Ethereal, so Ao had no reason to stop us from entering it. Of course, with magic being so unstable, three of my wizards died trying to locate all the fragments of your being and send me here to recover them." The God of the Dead bowed slightly, and all the vertebrae in his back cracked. "But I could not let you suffer here."
"Please, Myrkul, spare me your flattery. After all, you need me to force my way into the heavens so you can follow."
Myrkul scowled. For a moment, he considered journeying farther into the Border Ethereal and dropping the statue into the Deep Ethereal, a place of swirling colors and mighty vortices. Bane would never make it back to the Realms - or his home- from there. But the thought lasted only a second.
Bane was right. Myrkul did need him. But not because the God of the Dead lacked courage or initiative. Myrkul wanted the God of Strife to lead the assault on the heavens because it was very dangerous, and it wouldn't do at all for the God of the Dead to be destroyed.
So Myrkul grinned obsequiously and again gave a slight bow to the obsidian statue. "Of course you are correct, Lord Bane. Let us exit this place so that we may find you a new avatar and proceed with your plans."
Kinda funny that Myrkul, who from the Dead Three seems to be the one least affected by emotions, can read and play that man like a fiddle. Also:
"I am intrigued, Myrkul," the Black Lord said as he paced back and forth. "As you have delighted in reminding me, our last collaboration was hardly a crashing success. Still, after my battle with Mystra, when I asked for your assistance, you all but laughed. I, on the other hand, am polite enough to answer your summons in the middle of the night."
And this one:
"If you feel so strongly about this matter, then I will help you to recover the tablet," Myrkul said, nodding slowly.
Bane tried to act confident. With a shrug, he noted, "I had no doubt that you would aid me."
"You had every doubt," Myrkul rasped harshly. "That is the only reason I chose to help you. I am pleased to note that you are no longer blindly stumbling into situations that you know nothing about." The God of the Dead paused and fixed Bane with an icy stare. "But there is one thing you must consider: You may not have my assistance the next time you need it, Lord Bane."
The God of Strife nodded, dismissing Myrkul's threat as so much pointless rhetoric. Then the Black Lord mocked a look of concern and noted, "Bhaal will not be pleased if you kill all his worshipers."
"I will deal with the Lord of Murder," Myrkul said, rubbing his hand across his decaying chin once more. "I will contact you when all is in readiness." The Lord of Bone s paused for a moment then added, "Have you given thought to what form you will use to hold the soul energy my spell will channel to you?"
Bane said nothing. Rage danced in Myrkul's eyes."
This whole interaction makes me believe that Bane was like this even as a mortal. Even Fzoul is done with him:
"Our overconfidence cost us everything!" the red-haired priest muttered aloud, although he was alone. "And your greed, Bane. Your madness and your greed..."
Kudos to Fzoul for having the balls to call Bane mad.
And Bane being this way makes sense. He had to find a way to assert himself, to make sure that others didn't get any funny ideas with him while he was a slave. Bane, while still serving Maram, was constantly in danger, which is why he is as loud as he is. Because being loud while also being able to commit great violence makes you look threatening. It makes others afraid. And Bane definetly wanted to make sure that others don't think about threatening/hurting him. It's not like he had much of a choice. Also:
"Serve no one but me. Fear me always - and make others fear me even more than you do. The Black Hand always strikes down on those who stand against it in the end. Defy me and die - or in your death find loyalty, for I shall compel it."
Again this whole theme of wanting to make sure that others won't come near him.
And his arrogance? He was a slave who killed and subdued other primordials with the help of Bhaal and Myrkul while he was still a mortal. And then he became a god himself. It's not really surprising.
As for how and when Bane came from Abeir to Toril:
"In the Year of Endless Song, −489 DR, the Netherese haphazardly summoned Maram and other primordials to serve as participants in the Seven Sigils War, but Maram escaped after the conflict ended."
Do you guys know who exactly broke the bindings that kept Maram away? The Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. And then they tried to recruit Maram for their purposes. Which says a lot about them.
But.
It also explains how Bhaal and Bane met. Because Bhaal, at least in one of his origin stories, served the Crown-Sorcerers as Chief Assassin and Spymaster. And then Bane got employes by them. How did he escape Maram? No clue. Maybe he heard that the sorcerers wanted to work together and risked running away. Maybe Bhaal had a hand in helping him escape. No clue. But definetly possible:
Let me clear some things up.
What was the Seven Sigils War? Here:
"The conflict began in the Year of Endless Song, −489 DR at the Netherese domain of Rdiuz, which was located along the Gods' Legion Mountains (later known as the Desertsmouth Mountains). The Netherese had built a mighty floating citadel they named Meigg* and were preparing to send troops into the Outer Planes through a massive portal called Cat's Gate, seeking to conquer communities in the Outlands."
*Meigg was a flying enclave specifically designes for war. It was built by the Crown-Sorcerer Meigg Inzarath
You know what happened? The portal they created, the Cat's Gate (created by the Crown-Sorcerer "Cathala 'Cat' Akri"), which was located at the Godswater Ravine, was insecure. Which means that Toril, especially Netheril, was invaded by extraplanar beings from the Outer Planes. Yeah. You don't want that. What was their answer to this problem? Bring a primordial into Toril by sabotaging the Anchor of Chaos within the Monument of the Ancients.
The Anchor of Chaos was an artifact that kept the Elemental Chaos away from Toril. What is the Elemental Chaos? It's the birthplace of the primordials and the "mirror" to the Astral Sea, which is the birthplace of the gods.
By sabotaging that artifact the netherese, especially the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, managed to bring two primordial into Toril for the first time since the Dawn War. Say hello to Maram, who also brought her slave-army (which Bane was part of) to visit, and Camnod the Unseen. The Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, especially Morden Tereshayn and Yurax Rasendol (who had also been the ones to lead the expedition towards the Monuments of the Ancients to begin with) tried to employ Maram's services against the extraplanar beings from the Outer Planes, which I presume were the rilmani. This obviously didn't work. Instead it got worse because they were incapable of closing the rift between Toril and the Elemental Chaos. So more primordials got loose. Great, isn't it? How did the Seven Sigils War end? Here:
"In the Year of Bruins, −371 DR, after over a century of bitter conflict, the Netherese managed to banish most all of the extraplanar entities that they had accidentally and deliberately summoned into Toril. Notably, one primordial, Maram of the Great Spear, escaped their attentions and fled into the wilderness."
Hm. Maram escaping is not a good thing. But let's get back to the rilmani first.
Rilmani are classified as "Outsiders" most commenly encountered in the Outlands, and are the living embodiment of True Neutrality. Their greatest goal consists of keeping the Balance between Chaos and Law, Good and Evil. Given that the netherese people were fucking up everything it's not surprising that they wanted to correct that behavior. Through violence, it seems. They are divided into three subraces.
The aurumachs, who are the most powerful:
The cuprilachs, who rank beneath them:
And the ferrumachs, who were the most numerous:
Pretty, aren't they?
After the Seven Sigils War had ended the lands of Netheril continued to be drained off all life, which was caused by the phaerimm (malevolent abberations that had nested beneath the surface of the netherese lands) and their powerful life-drain spell. Said spell had been cast a few years after Maram and other primordials had been summoned through the Anchor of Chaos, specifically in -461DR. Despite the phaerimm being very old, slave-driving beings, their life-drain spell was a form of self-defence, not of cruelty:
"Unbeknownst to the Netherese, their enormous usage of magic was destroying the underground home of the entire phaerimm race, which depended on the inherent magic of nature to survive."
As for what a phaerimm looks like:
If you want my opinion, those things are the stuff of nightmares.
Anyway. In -450DR many netherese people fled their home and migrated into safer lands in order to escape the life-drain spell.
Let me summarize real quick, because this is getting confusing:
1. -489DR: The Cat's Gate is opened and the rilmani protect their own home (the outlands) by invading Netheril. The Archmages of Netheril, especially the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, manipulate the Anchor of Chaos and allow primordials to walk on Toril. Maram and Bane come to Toril. The Seven Sigils War begins.
2. -461DR: The phaerimm cast their life-drain spell. Netheril begins its collapse.
3. -450DR: Many of the netherese people flee Netheril. Bhaal and Bane probably begin to work together for the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, scouting the rilmani armies. How Bane escaped Maram? No clue.
4. -439DR: The Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, who had plundered a divine graveyard (in which Bhaal and Bane most likely had part) to craft god-slaying daggers in order to kill the primordials, succesfully craft them. Jergal starts noticing both Bhaal and Bane.
5. -438DR: Jergal steals the Daggers, turns the their cults into ghouls and almosts destroys Rdiuz completely.
6. -371DR: The Seven Sigils War ends and Maram escapes towards the Monument of the Ancients. The phaerimm life-drain spell continues. Bhaal and Bane flee Netheril.
Source for the crown-sorcerers:
"Jathiman set about creating a method to kill gods and seize their power, both in order to kill Anubis and in preparation for the planned conquest of the planes. By studying the fragments of the dead god that had been seized, Jathiman was able to deduce how such divine entities might be slain. Under Jathiman’s leadership, each of the seven crown-sorcerers then founded a cult among populace of Rdiuz designed to worship them. In the Year of Chilling Laughter (-439 DR) the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz used this nascent worship, combined with the fragments of the dead god they had recovered, to create the god-killing seven daggers of Rdiuz. It was at this point that Jergal, the Lord of the End of Everything intervened, concerned that the Crown-Sorcerers might interfere with his plans for the revised Ascension ritual. Under cover of darkness in the Year of Dripping Daggers (-438 DR), the Pitiless One stole the seven daggers of Rdiuz and murdered all the cultists, transforming them into ravenous ghouls."
So. Bhaal and Bane dash off and are left to their own devices. Which most likely didn't end well for many innocent people. Let's move on.
Hm. Hmmm.
The seven iron daggers described in this part are, as you may have already guessed, the god-slaying weapons crafted by the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. I dunno why Jergal stole them and then decided to throw them away. Or maybe he lost them... Also very nice of Jergal to torture both of them in their sleep.
Now you gonna ask me: "Who are the three primordials mentioned in the text?"
Obviously, I am gonna answer this. Because that's what I do. I answer things. (Oghma should hire me)😌
Let's start with Camnod the Unseen because he is the easiest one to answer: Camnod the Unseen was, together with Maram, one of the first Primordials that were unleashed by the Crown-sorcerers of Rdiuz who fled towards the plains of the Ride, north of the Moonsea, where he was worshiped as a wind god by the Horse Nomads of the Golden Stepps. He was also an ally of Maram.
I also already talked quite a lot about Maram, although I will get back later to her. Patience. This takes time and research.
As for Borem:
"Borem of the Lake of Boiling Mud was a primordial and one of the mysterious Seven Lost Gods."
He was also called the Patron of Anger (I am sure Bane was somewhat sad that he ended up serving Maram and not him. This is a joke).
But before Bane and Bhaal could hope to slay a primordial they needed to lay their hands on one of the seven daggers.
What is the scepter of the sorcerer-kings? A very powerful artifact crafted by the netherese arcanist, and one of the seven Crown-Sorcerers, Glaeros Lhaerimm. He also sacrificed many of his own followers to do so. And read a Nether Scroll. Yeah, I am also wondering why the netherese wizards always mess with things they should just leave be. The scepter was never finished because the netherese gods made sure that Glaeros was murderes beforehand (due to the fact that the sceptre was already capable of disrupting a gods power and slaying them as well. How did it end up in Urgund's hands? Well, Urgund was also another of the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. In -371DR Glaeros was murdered by divine emissaries to keep him from finishing the scepter of the sorcerer-kings. Urgund was with him and tasked to protect him, yet failed to do so. During the fray he claimed the scepter and fled by means of a portal network. Mo clue though how he got the Jathiman Dagger. But I am blaming Jergal, cause it's always him.
Moving on.
So, to summarize: Jergal tortures Bane and Bhaal during their sleep until they obey and set out to find the daggers. Six years later they found Mezeketh Isle and encounter Myrkul, who had come for the sceptre. Those three look at each other and decide that killing the lich together is a good plan. Which they do. They also ransack the entire tower and leave it in ruins. Then they run off to Okloroum and ask the Topaz-Dragon Kisonraathiisar to be allowed to cross his lands unhindered, if they, in turn, slay Borem. The dragon agrees, blesses them and sends them off. They kill Borem (or more over: Bhaal delivers the killing blow with the dagger, even though Bane had originally claimed it for himself), leave the dagger in the heart and also sail all the way back to Mezeketh island, where they than bury the heart with the dagger still in it... okay. Works for me.
But.
I also wanted to share this:
ELB, an abbreviation used by Kisonraathiisar, wrote that story upon one of his own scales. In modern times said scale can be found in on of Banes temple-vaults (don't remember which one though). As for how exactly they buried the heart:
"In those days, we three sought power, prestige, and eternal persistence. The planes had opened to us, revealing their terrible secrets. On the fields of fetid Rezamark, in the Lake of Boiling Mud, we took a step away from mortality. Borem, patron of anger, breathes no more. His indestructible heart is buried on this forlorn rock, where it must rest for eternity. We shall keep watch over it forever."
Like... I guess it was written by Bane himself. How the fuck did they put an entire stone pillar on top of the heart? I guess Myrkul could have used the Shape-Stone spell... and I dearly hope Bane did not carve the inscription into that stone with his own two hands, because I can see Myrkul and Bhaal getting pissy about how long that takes. But Bane is Bane and he is stubborn...
But I definetly love the last part: The promise to keep a primordial evil at bay forever. Makes me wonder if they still make sure that no one digs Borems heart up even as gods.
Moving on!
Because now those three decide that killing one primordial is not enough, no! They wan't to end all of them and take their powees for themselves (greedy as fuck if you ask me). Their next victim? Camnod.
In -358DR those three are guided, by their nightmare visions, towards the ruins of Myth Rhynn in the Wealdath (the Forest of Tethyr). While scouting this forest they stumble upon an ancient tomb guarded a baelnorn of Keltormir and retrieve the Morden Dagger (one of the seven god-slaying weapons, wielded by the Crown-Sorcerer Morden). With this dagger they make they track down Camnod and slay him, absorbing a part if his divinity. The primordial was buried by thwm beneath the tallest peak of the Zef Mountains... and I really do wonder how they did that.
Like, did they carry his corpse all the way up there??? Why not disintegrate the body, or throw it into the sea? Why did they bring it all the way up to the tallest peak of a whole mountain range? What was the thought process here?
They are weird but I love them for it. So moving on.
Of course killing two primordials is not enough. Which is why they go after Maram, Bane's old master. And for that they travel to Barze, a kingdom that lay north of the Moonsea and had been created by the netheres Archmage Barze (I don't know why the netherese put their names on everything. But Bane seems to have liked the idea).
Maram had spent fourteen years building a stronghold in the Monuments of the Ancients and terrorizing the people around him. What else did we expect?
In -357DR, two years after killing Borem (and apparently after having some pirate adventures) they made their way to Barze in order to convince the lord to ally with them:
"The sorcerer-king was happy until the Year of Sycophants, −357 DR, when the threat of Maram of the Great Spear prompted Barze to pledge his wizards to an alliance led by the Dark Three."
Those three idiots actually managed to assemble a giant force and marched against Maram into war:
"Led by the mortal Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul, a coalition of Horreb artificers, war wizards of Barze, horde nomads of Varm, gnoll warriors of Flindyke, goliath hunters of Mount Akoro, and gnome hammers of Forharn unite to defeat the primordial Maram. Though thousands were killed, the army succeeds in reaching the Monument of the Ancients and driving Maram back into the Elemental Chaos, resealing the Anchor of Chaos. Many more die on the journey away from the battle; of 50,000 troops fielded, less than 2000 return."
Yeah. 97% of their army was wiped out. And they didn't even manage to kill Maram! They only managed to banish him! Sucks for Bane. I believe it was said that Myrkul banished Maram back to the Elemental Chaos, using the scepter of the sorcerer-kings, while Bane closed the seal. Bhaal... I don't know. He was probably busy keeping their foes away from his two allies to make sure that they could proceed with the rituals undisturbed. Kudos to all three of them!
I also wanna point out that those three are idiots. Jergal actually did reveal the location of the Yurax Dagger (yes, Yurax was another Crown-Sorcerer) to them before they ever went to Barze, they just didn't retrieve it beforehand. Which means they could have slain Maram if they possessed a sliver of patience. Though I am also side-eyeing Bane here, cause I don't put it past him to act the fool and convince the other two into attacking before being ready. I had expected Myrkul to be intelligent enough to realize that without a god-slaying weapon they can't do that much, but I was wrong.
So. Maram is gone, having lost some of her divine power to the Dark Three, and their army is shattered. What to do next? This:
"The warleaders who defeated Maram abandon their weakened army. Magic-resistant diseases kill many more as the soldiers trudge back to their respective homes."
The three also stayed behind and continued to study the Monument's of the Ancients. Why? Because Jergal thought that the primordial threat had been dealt with and abandoned them, meaning they were left to their own devices. And, of course, they got the bright idea that unleashing even more primordials into the world and steal their power was the right way to go about it.
Myrkul was the one to construct the Cenotaph of the Lost Gods in the empty wastes of Lee-wai (nowadays known as the Tortured Lands), on which he inscribed the names of the seven primordials they confronted during their lifes. I presume while Myrkul was busy playing architect Bane and Bhaal retrieved the Yurax Dagger (which they should have done a long time ago, but they don't think things through).
Well, after they were done those three attempted to summon Hargut of the Gray Pestilence in order to steal his power and subdue him. They also wanted to unleash a terrible plague upon the land. This, thankfully, failes due to the fact that Hargut had escaped towards the Far Realms a long time ago. Myrkul did, however, manage to figure out that Hargut was linked to a single worshiper of his in the eastern Moonsea region. I will return to this later.
It would have been better for everyone if they had not managed to summon any primordials, but, as luck would have it, they did: Tyranthraxus, Edranka and Torath were subdued by them and unleashed upon the world.
You know what they did afterwards? Had Bhaal assassinate Barze:
"It was by the hand of one once hailed as a hero that the sorcerer-king Barze was laid low; executed silently and without a struggle. The assassin and his dour companions left the kingdom that very day; the murderers unchallenged as they passed."
I mean... Kudos to Bhaal for managing that without raising the alarm but why? Did Barze refuse to pay them because so many of his people died against Maram? Now that I think of it, that is probably true. And if you think that those three were fine with just killing Barze you're wrong. They are petty:
"Less than a year later, the kingdom of Barze would lie in utter ruin, its cities overrun and set aflame by the Twisted Ones (formorien giants) and their demonic general Tyranthraxus. Some whisper that the Dark Three had a hand in unleashing this new menace against their former allies, but that is a tale for another adventure."
No, that is not a tale for another adventure. They subdue Tyranthraxus, then kill Barze and then have Tyrantgraxus slaughter the whole kingdom!!! It's not the fault of some poor barber that Barze refused to pay them! But I suppose because Barze was well loved by his people the Dark Three took offense to that:
"It was not long after that the Twisted Ones came to finish off what was left of the grieving realm."
Those three have serious issues. Like damn, chill. Anyway, I am not yet done.
While Tyranthraxus was busy slaughtering innocents Edranka was commanded to amass an army and march against Haask (the worshiper of Hargut, a greathorn-minotaur). She did that by bringing the goblin tribes of the Tortured Lands under her yoke, some 100.000 men strong. She then clashed with Haask's armies in Grong-Haap.
During the same time period the primordial Torath was commanded to raise his own army by the three idiots. He did that by creating a strongold in the depths of Mount Throndor, located in the Eastern Dragonspine Mountains (now known as the West Galena Mountains) and brought a massive army of kuo-toa's to worship him (which may explain the Kuo-toa worshiping "Bhaal" in Bg3. Someone should tell Durge that their father likes fish-people). What did he do with that army? Conquest, what else?
"From there he marched south and east in
the Year of Dark Roads (-351 DR), leading an army of kuo-toa from Sorath-Nu-Sum to conquer the isolated duergar settlements amongst the Lost Ways of Sarphil (Modern: Beneath Mulmaster) until he was felled by a covey of night hags who forced him into icy cold water, transforming him into a flame-tinged pillar of stone (Modern: Pillar of Fire)."
You already know what is coming next.
They decide to go after Haask, who had summoney Hargut. Who, exactly, is Hargut? This:
"Hargut was an antediluvian horror from the Far Realm that manifested on the Toril as a colossal worm-like creature with a giant-sized mouth filled with layer upon layer of razor sharp teeth. Hargut ’s skin is sickly green and semi-transparent with red sores visible beneath the surface. Haask, once an elder doppelganger, is now a symbiont (Fiend Folio) fused to the outer flesh of the undying Hargut. Through their symbiotic relationship the former priest-king grants a degree of lucidity and intelligence to the otherwise mindless Hargut. It is unclear if the two would survive if they were separated for a period of time, if possible at all."
So, let's circle back to Edranka. Edranka marches with a 100.000 headstrong army against Haask, who, in his despair, summons Hargut:
"Issuing an utterance in a tongue not spoken on Toril since the Days of Thunder, Haask summoned forth an elder manifestation of absolute evil and sick malevolence. Hargut of the Gray Pestilence surveyed the battlefield before turning his undying gaze upon the priest-king. Speaking a powerful recitation of command, Haask then ordered the Gray Pestilence to scatter the invaders and defend the keep. Tens of thousands died that day before the walls of Ironfang Keep, their flesh fed into Hargut ’s voracious maw and their souls consigned to an eternity in the Barrens of Doom and Despair."
Edranka was winning the battle against the priest-king up until that very moment. Hargut defeated her in combat, which had been Myrkul's, Bhaal's and Bane's plan all along. They used this distraction (cause, let's face it, two primordials clashing must be quite the sight) and snuck into Ironfang Keep to there ambush Haask:
"In the wake of his victory over Edranka’s goblinoid armies, Haask returned triumphantly to the keep to feast and rest. Inside, the priest-king was stunned to discover two grim looking humans — Bane and Myrkul—sitting nonchalantly upon his giant-crafted throne. Before Haask could react, Bhaal appeared behind the priest-king, driving the Yurax dagger — procured from Darkhold in the Sunset Mountains — through his back and into his heart. As his life energy pumped into the enchanted dagger, Haask’s form began to shift revealing his true nature as a batrachi-doppelganger."
And the batrachi are a creator race. So very old and very powerful. Also kinda ugly:
The batrachi, also called amphibioids, were an ancient amphibious race that were counted as one of the creator races native to Abeir-Toril,
I would add a picture but Tumblr only allows to add ten per post. So don't throw things at me.
So, Hargut is bleeding out while his life-essence is slowly consumed by the Yurax Dagger. The right course if action would be to slay that malignant creature, but the Dark Three are unknown to have a sudden turn of heart:
"The dark three — a shadowy assassin, the brooding necromancer, and the dour warlord — presented an offer to the dying priest-king, vowing to spare his life in exchange for his undying fealty and command of the Gray Pestilence. His life blood trickling away and not fully appreciating the ramifications of his decision, Haask readily agreed. The three then dragged Haask outside the keep to lay prone before Hargut the Grey Pestilence."
I wanna take this moment to appreciate the hilarity of the image of them dragging a dying man through the whole keep only to throw him at the feet of a primordial. They could have just carried him, but no. It was probably Bane who wanted to savour this humiliation. Moving on:
"Producing the scepter of the sorcerer-kings, Myrkul pointed the artifact first at Hargut then to Haask while speaking three arcane syllables. Great was roar of the Gray Pestilence as he
was forcibly dragged down toward the fallen doppelganger. When at last they met, the two became one, and Haask, Voice of Hargut was reborn."
Hm. Yeah. They should have killed both. Funny thing is, they confined Haask, Voice of Hargut into the keep and never returned. I mean, why? They made use of the other primordials, but this one they just imprison? Stupid, but allright.
Oh. Myrkul also stole various things from the Ironfang Keep to indulge his interest of grafting:
"Although he made all but the last few preparations for his own lichdom, and experimented with cloning magic to create spare organs for himself, and even spare arms (having seized notes on magically-assisted grafting and sinew and tendon creation from Haask of Ironfang Keep), he never became undead nor augmented his own body (beyond personal protective magics) ere ascending into godhood."
Jup. Myrkul also convinced Bhaal and Bane to consider lichdom, but, at some point, the three decided against it (which is good, because I feel like thwy would have caused even more trouble as liches):
"...all of them seeing divine power being preferable to fighting off slow decay as undead (a view reinforced, in Myrkul’s case, by the relative ease with which he and his adventuring companions destroyed great numbers of undead)."
...I am just gonna move on. Alright?
So...
Next thing.
With all Seven Lost Gods dealt with they decided to go after Jergal, yet they only ascended in -335DR. As for how they ascended:
Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul excited Ironfang Keep and in one of the documents Myrkul had stolen had been hints towards an ancient fortress that lay far beneath the ice of the Glacier of the White Wyrm. The fortress was called 'Careekar' and once belonged to the batrachi empire of Boitumelo (which is probably why Haask knew about it).
Deep in the depths of this stronghild they found the sprawling portal network called 'Garuut-Omrum'. It took decades of work to figure out how they work and it was Myrkul who actually managed to work out the details.
In -339DR, during the exact moment of Karsus's folly, the seal that kept the gates closed was broken and the location of three pyramids, most likely similar to the Monuments of the Ancients, was revealed. It is at this point that Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul split up.
Bane made his way towards Garuut-Ar, Bhaal to Garuut-Au, and Myrkul to Garuut-Cu, all of them with the intent to steal the magic hidden within.
In another version those three stole the magic within the pyramids, located within Jhaamdath, Calimshan and Tethyr and created cults set on worshipping them. They had hoped that the worship would power them enough to ascend to divinity. Each of those three claimed one region for themselves, though who exactly took which I don't know. Anyway, Bane and Myrkul betrayed Bhaal in this one before starting to be at each others throats. Why? No idea and I am also only tacking this lore with a grain lf salt. It irks me.
Well, back to the lore that makes actual sense.
Once each of them had stolen the magic within their respective pyramids they returned to Careekar and made their way into Jergal's domain:
"Then, in the Year of Seven Spirits (-335 DR), drawing
forth the primordial power they had invested in the Cenotaph of the Lost Gods, the trio traveled to Jergal’s Court of Bone using the power of the Garuut-Omrum. (Myrkul’s scepter of the sorcerer-kings could not travel beyond the Material plane and was unintentionally left behind.)"
I think almost everyone know the rest: They battle through legions of undead, get tricked by Jergal/Jergal is too bored (depending on which version we are going with) and fight each other, go bowling up until the point Malar ruins the game and then decide to have a few rounds of knucklebones.
Bane won, Myrkul came second, Bhaal lost. I don't know how Bhaal managed to loose a game of dexterity against the elderly necromancer and Bane, who is as subtle as a living volcano. I can see Bane cheating in order to win and Myrkul using magic. Poor Bhaal really got the short stick.
There are few minor other things that those three did, but I am done for now.
I also realized that I actually wanted to analyse their personalities and backstories more. But I am tired. My brain and fingers hurt. And I cried like three times writing this. So I am probably gonna make another post. When? No idea. These three idiots are stupid.
If I got something wrong or you just wanna add something, feel free to comment.
Imma go sleep because I have to work from 4am - 12am tomorrow. Without a bloody break.
I think I just figured out why tf Bane has his black hand. And it took me only three mental breakdowns and two hours of sleep.
@aureliaen I think you might enjoy this, cause I know you're Bane's number 1 fan😌
For everyone who doesn't know:
Bane, the God of Tyranny and Strife, accuratly called 'The Black Lord' and 'The Black Hand' is, according to 'Heroes Of Faerun' unable to change the appearence of his right hand (meaning it will always appear as black):
"Whatever form Bane takes, he is marked by his jet-black right hand. If he wishes to conceal his identity, he wears a gauntlet or glove over this hand."
Bane is a god. He shouldn't need to wear a gauntlet or glove to hide his black skin. He should just be able to, literally, will it away.
This also makes me wonder if his right hand stays black even if he takes on other forms. Like that of a dragon or whatnot. Could he turn into a dragon? Probably. Would the right 'paw' also be black? Possibly.
So, I looked at this and threw myself down another rabbit-hole:
In 3e Bane is assigned the following classes:
•Wizard (10)
•Rogue (20)
•Fighter (15)
•Cleric (10)
and •Blackguard (10)
In 3e Bane also possesses a pet raven called 'Koravis', which caught my attention. Koravis is described as such:
"Koravis was the fiendish raven companion of Bane, the god of tyranny... Bane and Koravis could speak to each other and were connected by both an empathic link and a powerful blood bond, which enhanced the raven's might and skill whenever he witnessed any threat or harm to Bane. The raven's reflexes, will, and fortitude were also closely tied to those of the dark god."
For anyone who wonders about the source: It's "Faiths and Pantheons".
Quite the powerful little beast.
So I wondered why exactly Bane has a pet and how he got it. To figure this out I scoured his classes (yes, of every edition) and compared their different attributes to one another.
During this I stumbled upon a certain spell that fits Koravis quite nicely: Summon Monsters.
"This spell functioned just as all summon monster spells. It could summon a badger, dog, giant fire beetle, monkey, owl, or porpoise from one of the celestial planes or a dire rat, hawk, medium-sized monstrous centipede, small monstrous scorpion, small monstrous spider, octopus, raven, or small viper from one of the fiendish planes." -Summon Monsters as a lvl 1 spell.
Koravis is specifically called a fiendish raven. So that fits.
The only classes this spell is avaiable too, that Bane is attributed with, are wizard, blackguard and cleric.
The spell is also only avaiable to Chaotic Evil/Good or Lawful Evil/Good aligned characteres.
Bane, in every edition, is a Lawful Evil aligned god. So he could cast the spell without problems.
Then I tried to figure out which of his three classes was the one used to cast the spell, which is not easy due to the fact that it is a lvl 1 spell. So anyone with the most basic understanding of magic could summon a creature.
Which actually leads me to believe that Bane summoned Koravis when he was still a mortal. Bane, as a god, is someone who vies dor the greatest power. Why would he summon a mere raven? He could upcast the spell and actually, in so doing, gain a wider variety of creatures to call upon:
"It could summon a couatl, leonal, or celestial roc from one of the celestial planes; an elder elemental from one of the Inner Planes; a green slaad from the plane of Limbo; or a hamatula, fiendish dire shark, gargantuan fiendish monstrous scorpion, night hag, bebilith, colossal fiendish monstrous spider, or hezrou from one of the fiendish planes. It could also summon a monadic deva, firre, moon dog, quesar, sword archon, or ursinal from the Upper Planes or a farastu or Wastrilith from the Lower Planes." -Summon Monsters as a lvl 9 spell
Compared to the lvl 1 variant this is quite a difference. Especially if we look at the fiendish creatures that can be summoned.But Bane didn't choose a hezrou or hamatula, he choose a simple raven. That threw me off.
Given that it is a mere lvl 1 spell I believe Bane already had Koravis as a mortal. Which means I looked at the descriptions of mortal Bane in order to discern which class he made use of.
And in almost every text he is described as a dour Warlord. That is not the description of a wizard. Not really.
"The dark three — a shadowy assassin, the brooding necromancer, and the dour warlord — presented an offer to the dying priest-king, vowing to spare his life in exchange for his undying fealty and command of the Gray Pestilence." -Dragon Magazin 361
And here:
"This bizarre alliance was led by
three equally improbable heroes hailing from lands beyond the Moonsea North: a shadowy assassin, a brooding necromancer, and a dour warlord." -Dragon Magazin 170
Why exactly can't Bane be a wizard as a mortal? Because of this:
"The first was a human slave warrior in the service of Maram whose skill and prowess was so puissant that he was known as the "Bane of the Ancients" on the world of Abeir. The second was Arabhal, who served the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz as chief assassin and spymaster." -Rise of the Dark Three
Yes. All of you can say hello to Bhaal (who will also play a role). There is also this little part:
"The trio, who came to be known as the Dark Three, agreed to work together to defeath Mezeketh, which they did through a potent combination of clandestine investigation, brute force, and powerful magic, leaving his tower in ruins." -Rise of the Dark Three
And there is also this:
"Eventually they reached the object of their lifelong quest - the Bone Throne.
"I claim this throne of evil," shouted Bane the tyrant.
"I'll destroy you before you can raise a finger," threatened Bhaal the assassin.
"And I shall imprison your essence for eternity," promised Myrkul the necromancer." -History of the Dead Three
Allnof this just screams that Bane wasn't much of a magic guy. He is wildly accepted as a fighter (as mortal). Which makes sense. But there are two other classes I would grant the description of a warlord: Paladins and Blackguards.
But let's get first back to his cleric class. Because cleric does make more sense than wizard. As mentioned before, Bane was a slave to Maram. Who is Maram? Well, he is called an Elder Evil, a Primordial/Dawn-Titan and a Lost God. So a very powerful being.
Primordials are not gods, however, even though their powers rival that of gods. Whereas gods reside in the Astral Sea around Toril, Primordials hail from the Elemental Chaos around Abeir (Bane's home plane). They are polar opposites to one another and had a whole war going on before the Days of Thunder. The war was called "The Dawn War" for anyone who wants to read up on that.
Bane could have had functioned as a cleric to Maram. But I don't believe that.
"The only magic that worked normally on Abeir was that a creature could create on its own, such as the inherent elemental magic a primordial had in its body or a dragon's breath."
That also is one more reason why I don't believe Wizard was the class Bane used to summon Koravis. Cleric? No. Clerics are usually, specifically, servants of gods and although Maram calls himself a god, he isn't one. Primordials and Gods are two different races. You cannot be both.
“Maram of the Great Spear!” the startled Opanrael exclaims in a high whisper.
“Though that name is unknown to most living today, in centuries past its very mention would bring about
an involuntary shudder and a momentary vision of
unconscionable acts of violence and brutality. Maram is
one of the Seven Lost Gods—a misnomer, of course, as he
was in fact no god at all, but a prince of elemental evil, a
primordial scion of the Elemental Chaos. The primitive tribes of the Moonsea North, human or otherwise, venerated the Lost Seven. In exchange, their debased sorcerers and shamans were granted power of raw elemental fury.
In the end, Maram was driven back to the Inner Planes, locked away from the mortal world by a powerful Imaskari ritual known as Divine Barrier.” -Dragon Magazin 170
For anyone wondering, yes. It were Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul that sealed Maram away in that ritual. And Myrkul, most likely, was the one to banished Maram.
Which leaves only the Blackguard class for Bane and Koravis. And Blackguard fits him quite well:
"They led armies of dread forces such as undead, fiends, and other extra-planar beings, often in the name of the more malevolent deities."
"...They acted as killers, led as commanders, and even served as agents for more forces that were even more malignant than they."
"Blackguards possessed a distinct auras of evil and despair, carrying blessings bestowed upon them by the forces of darkness."
While Maram's and Bane's relationship was that of a slave and a master, Bane was special compared to the other slaves. Callback to this"
"...whose skill and prowess was so puissant that he was known as the "Bane of the Ancients"..."
Bane is not his real name. It is derived from the title he earned in service to Maram. A slave earning a name is a proof of skill, renown and reputation no one can question. This means Maram knew him and was aware of him even before he managed to escape his direct control. So yes, Maram would definetly bestow powers upon Bane for two reasons:
1. To make use of a promising warrior and use him as a weapon. 'Sharpen him', so to say.
2. To have it easier to keep track of him. A slave that is known is someone who is recognized, which means they can't just disappear unnoticed.
Bhaal probably had a hand in helping Bane get away from Maram and his skills as a rogue (chief assassin and spymaster at that) would definetly come in handy if you want to "hide" from your slaver. They most likely made a bargain of sorts: Bhaal helps Bane escape Maram and, in turn, Bane starts working for Bhaal's employees (the aforementioned Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz).
So I believe/assume that Bane summoned Koravis as a mortal through a lvl 1 spell. Bane's blackguard lvl as a god is 'only' 10. He probably was a fighter at the same time and only had like two lvl's in blackguard with the rest in fighter. But those are mere speculations on my part.
Were am I going with all of this? During my research about Blackguards I stumbled upon this:
"Due to their proficiency with shadow magic, Blackguards were often found in the service of the deity Shar."
Primordials, like Maram, are usually associated with a element. For Borem (a primordial slain by the Dead Three) it was fire. Maram is not really given an elememt but I would dare take a bold guess and say it is darkness/shadows.
Not only would that fit with Bane's blackguard theme, but also with his affinity with darkness in general:
"Bane often manifested as eyes of red blazing flame surrounded by darkness, whether it was night or not. Another favored form was that of a black, taloned hand whose touch was like ice (and was, in fact, a chill-touch) reaching out of a cloud of darkness." -Faith and Avatars
"He appears to mortals in dreams as a powerful, shadowy figure..." -Faiths and Pantheons
Then there is also the whole thing of him being 'The Lord of Darkness', the 'Dark One, and so on.
If we replace Shar with Maram we can determine that one of the powers Maram imbued within him was the ability to use shadow magic.
Shadow magic, not to be confused with shadow-weave magic (Shadowfell) was derived from the Plane of Shadow, home to elementals associates with that element. In 3e the Plane of Shadow was part of the Elemental Chaos (in 4e many things changed but Forgotten Realms Lore often conteadicts itself so we have to work with what we are given). Maram was of the Elemental Chaos!
And there is one thing about shadow magic that make sit so incredibly dangerous: It corrupts practitioners who are unprepared or simply overwhelmed when using it.
And by corrupt I mean that not only the physical body is altered, but also the state of mind begins to suffer. Hells, even the soul can be weakened to the point that entities from the Plane of Shadow can take control over the practitioners body. It is not magic that you should just use.
If I am right and Maram allowed Bane to use shadow magic I would also assume that he made sure that Bane is protected from its harmful influences while simoultaneously never actually allpwing him to learn on how to control/handle it on his own without the protection/guidance of a more powerful being (Maram).
So the stage is this:
1. Bane, unwillingly, serves Maram as warlord and is imbued with the power to use shadow magic (Blackguard). He also gains the ability to summon a minor servant (Koravis). Maram protects Bane from the harmful influences.
2. Bane escapes Maram, most likely with Bhaal's help, and starts to serve the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. Maram withdraw his protection from Bane/can no longer reach him to protect him from the harmful effects of this magic.
3. Bane continues to use shadow magic and the first signs of corruption begin to be noticable (his hand blackens).
From where did I get that shadow magic blackens the skin if used too much/not correctly? Here:
"As some practitioners tapped into shadow magic they were confronted with their "shadow self", a reflection of their personality that existed in absence of their "true self". The shadow self of a person that was kind and loyal would appear as cruel and treacherous, often in the form of some monstrous humanoid creature."
I read this and was reminded of one of the most powerful practitioners of shadow magic that ever existed: Verraketh Talembar.
Verraketh Talembar was once a Talfir Monarch and possibly the most powerful mage they evwe produced. He was later called the 'Shadow King' due to the fact that his use of this magic corrupted him completely. Wanna know what his corrupted form looked like? Here:
"Muscles and veins writhed like serpents beneath his skin as dark and smooth as night. Its legs were thick as columns, ending in cloven hooves. It flexed it powerful arms; long, dark, talons sprang from its fingertips, a tail lined with saw-toothed barbs cracked like a whip in the air. Two batlike wings unfurled from its back. The Nightstone pulsed vividly in the center of its chest as hot and red as blood. Its face was that of a beast, fangs like obsidian knives protruding from its maw, oozing dark ichor."
There are multiple things in this passage that parallel Bane:
"...he is marked by his jet-black right hand."
"Another favored form was that of a black, taloned hand..."
"The Black Lord often warped his hands into talons..."
"This transformation was soften accompanied by his face warping into a bestial visage, his eyes lighting with living flame, and his skin transforming into blackened and charred leather stretched tight against his skull..."
"Bane often manifested as eyes of red blazing flame..."
No one can tell me that all of this is a coincedence. But if you're still not convinced, let me add this little detail:
"Shadow magic, also called cold magic or Talfirian magic..."
Shadow magic is often acvompanied by a freezing chill. And whose presence and touch is registered as cold? Banes.
"...taloned hand whose touch was like ice (and was, in fact, a chill-touch)..."
And he is also completely immune to cold damage to begin with:
Once again it just fits perfectly.
But there is even more! And it connects to Verraketh (the Shadow King of the Talfir) as well.
Do you all remember how Bane returned to life after he got killed by Midnight/Torm? He burst from the corpse of his son Iyachti Xvim:
"Those who let down their guard, however, did so rashly, and far too soon. On Midwinter night of 1372 DR, Xvim burst in a conflagration of diabolical green light. From the smoking husk of his remains emerged a newly reinvigorated Bane, his right hand ablaze with-green fire."
You know who did the same thing? Reviving himself by bursting out from a corpse? Yes. Verraketh:
"When Ravendas took up the Nightstone, she was killed by its magic, as she did not possess the ability of the shadow magic.
The Shadowking burst out from her corpse."
The Nightstone was imbued with the essence of Verraketh in a way very similar to how Iyachtu was imbued with Bane's essence.
It could, of course, be a mere coincedence. But it just makes sense too me that Bane, while obviously also relying on his divinity, also used some shadow magic to make this happen.
So. Were was I? Right, here:
1. Bane, unwillingly, serves Maram as warlord and is imbued with the power to use shadow magic (Blackguard). He also gains the ability to summon a minor servant (Koravis). Maram protects Bane from the harmful influences.
2. Bane escapes Maram, most likely with Bhaal's help, and starts to serve the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. Maram withdraw his protection from Bane/can no longer reach him to protect him from the harmful effects of this magic.
3. Bane continues to use shadow magic and the first signs of corruption begin to be noticable (his hand blackens).
So, Bane's hand starts to blacken, the magic corrupts him. Do you guys know who has ties to the Talfir? The people from whom Verreketh hailed? The ones that practice shadow magic through bardic traditions? Bhaal.
Bg3 tied Bhaal to the Talfir here:
"The Lord of Murder wasn't always a lord. He was once just a petty killer. When Bhaal first drew blood in a Baldurian back-alley, it dropped to the ground and lingered. When he ascended, this dried blood-drop grew, warped - and became sharp."
Heroes of Faerun tied him to it as well, mainly here:
"Scions of the Three are most common in Baldur's Gate, where the Dead Three lived as mortals before ascending to godhood."
Now, there are a few problems with those two sources, but I did mention that Forgotten Realms Lore often contradicts itself.
The Dead Three became gods before Baldurian was even born. They ascended before Baldur's Gate was turned from a simple fishing village into a proper harbor city.
And Bane doesn't even hail from Toril. He comes from a completely different world: Abeir. And Myrkul originated from Murghom, a ki gdom on tje other side of Faerun:
"Etched upon a mausoleum wall within Valhingen Graveward:
The necromancer was the most reserved of the three dark heroes, a gangling man of advancing years, speaking in a high whisper and largely keeping to himself. His emaciated form was shrouded within dark robes, the man’s cold eyes bespoke of malign intelligence and eldritch might. His given name: Myrkul Bey al-Kursi, Crown Prince of Murghôm."
It is plausible and very likely that Bhaal came from the fishing village that stood at the Chionthar River (the place where the Talfir settled) and lived there. The undercity does exist in Baldurs Gate and if Bg2 lore is too be trusted it is constructed of the ruins of Bhaal's old home (which is why he is so obsessed with Baldur's Gate; this place is his home). So yes. Bhaal most likely has a talfiric backround. Which means he is familiar with shadow magic, which further means he would know about the harm it can cause. He would also have heard about Verraketh Talembar. Because that monarch caused immense trouble.
If that is true and we consider the fact rhat Bhaal and Bane began to work together shortly after Bane escaped Maram (and he became vulnerable to the harmful effects of shadow magic (because he never actually learned how to control it, he was merely protected)) Bhaal would undoubtly notice the corruption that began to eat away at Bane's hand. He would recognize the signs.
Given that only Bane's hand is blackened (although there are like one or two other sources that claim his whole arm was black (don't ask me which, no clue where that was)) it is safe to say that he didn't practise shadow magic for a long time after he became vulnerable to its influence. Most likely because Bhaal warned him about the consequences. Given that those two admired each other it's very likely that Bane would heed his words.
As for why his hand remains black and he can't change it: Shadow magic corrupts the very soul. Maybe his soul is too damaged and he simply can't reverse the harm.
But yeah. I went on way longer then I intented too.
As always, if I got anything wrong or forgot something or you would simply like to add your own theories/thoughts, feel free to do so!
The Dark Urge should get a restraining order against Bhaal. I am surprised that Bhaal isn't the god of incest/grooming/necrophilia and whatnot.
Like his whole incest thing is just worrysome:
"Mad guilt swills in your swooning, sick body. Today you became the tart of a false God, and your evil pride revolts." -After becoming Boooals "chosen". Why tf is Bhaal calling Durge a tart here? There are a dozen other things that Durge could have been, like a traitor, a heretic or whatnot. But no, he uses the word tart. Someone should tell him that there are other ways too ruin your child's life. This might be a tad much.
"You failed to bring forth issue while you helmed our cult. It is a mortal sin for a Chosen. I even hoped you and my daughter might one day create a new blood-lamb for us, but it is not to be..." -Thank you, Sarevok, for wanting Durge to sleep with their sister/niece/daughter. I am sure Bhaal is giving you the thumbs up from wherever he is.
"I'm a disappointment to my father. Maybe we can work with that." -Sharess Caress dialogue after loosing the duel with Orin (yes, the fucking Brothel). Durge clearly thinks of Bhaal in a sexual manner. And knowing Bhaal, he is propably happy about that.
"...Only one face haunts your dreams each night..." -I could excuse this if it weren't happening in the middle of a love test. Orin! You need to learn to time this shit!
"Your memory of last night's act is absent. In the moment of mounting, your mind emptied itself, and you could think only of Bhaal. The gnoll's rump seemed to become his Temple's graven altar where you once led worship." -Hm. Yeah. Totally normal behaviour to force your child to think of you during the deed.
"You and the Urge are wedded, now. One body, one mind." -Bg3, Sceleritas Fel. And there is the whole Bloodwedding theme in general. Do other gods annoint chosen through wedding ceremonies??? Why does Bhaal want to marry his children (I am pretty sure Bloodwedding is a Bhaalspawn only thing)?
"I love you father. I'm a good boy, a good, good boy." -Bg3, Feral Ending. As if their relationship could get any more fucked up.
"Special, yes, special aren't you? Ssh, don't fight it." -Why is he talking like that??? What is Bhaal's issue??? I know it is not inherital sexual but the "Ssh" disturbs me.
"You are his dear Sovereign." -Thank you Gortash, for making this weird.
"It must feel good to be the favourite." -Once again, the wording is irking me.
"Father claws into your heart and stops it for a single moment. As you begin to fear for your life, you know his love is close." -...I mean, it doesn't have to be sexual here, but looking at how Bhaal interacts with Durge in general really makes me worry.
"Never before has a Bhaalspawn left a Blood Wedding at the altar. What were you doing, coward, not facing your sister?" -I really had hoped that 'wed' referred to something different, but no. The whole 'altar' thing just confirms it: This is a fucking wedding ceremony between father and child.
"Glance piteously upon your false bride." -Apparently, Bhaal wanted to be Durge's bride. And he considers every other true lover 'false'. Dear lord of Murder, what exactly is your problem?
"You're Bhaal's stallion..." -stop. Just stop.
Aside from Bhaal grooming the hell out of Durge he also inflicts his own (supposedly) necrophiliac tendecies upon Durge. Great parenting, isn't it?
"Your body feels aroused imagining a broken twisted neck, and a thrill thinking of a trailing intestine." -I will leave this here.
"I feel the most intense pleasure. Arousal, even." -I believe them.
"The masterful painting the Drow depicts of the massacre awakens you hungrily."
Durge: "Stop! I'm growing aroused!"
-At least Durge has no qualms about admitting it openly.
Durge: "How delightful, I'm very eager to begin."
Nightwarden Minthara: "Control yourself - you are as uncouth as the goblins."
-I wanna thank Minthara for her service here. More people should tell Durge that they are being weird (Minthara, why do you wanna sleep with them??? What am I missing here?)
"I am a contemptible blood-pervert." -Yes. I've noticed that.
"As he joins your side, your mind dances with thoughts of a perfect pretty corpse." -I am sure it does. Poor Astarion has zero clue about what he is getting into.
Durge: "Hot."
Astarion: "You couldn't wait ten seconds before being an absolute freak."
-Sure. Bring the mass-murdering lunatic with a long history of violence and questionable sexual habits to a graveyard. What did you expect to happen, Astarion?
"Sprinkle and stamp goes the soil, piling on top of the coffin packed cosily back into the earth." -I might be reading too much into this, but the 'cosily' just makes me question everything.
"Within your sick heart you know: in gravedigging, you have had quite the body count." -Yes, I also refer to digging up corses as 'increasing my body count'. Totally normal behaviour here.
"But something stirs, with your hand close to this body." It's probably the killing instinct that is stirring here, but who knows?
"My, my. We will be reintroducing necrophilia to your schedule in no time." -Really Sceleritas? Did it need any pointing out? But wtf do you mean SCHEDULE???
"The hivemind allows you to feel each kill as if it were your own. The pleasure is almost too much to bear." -I am starting to wonder if Bhaal really participated in the Absolute plot for the chance of world-domination. To me it seems like he just wanted a quick way to get multiple orgasms at once. Can someone tell him to stop?
"The raw hate of life, reared from the miracle of death..." -...I swear this is about some fucked up breeding kink of Bhaal. He needs to stop putting Durge through this.
"You draw her closer, with all the vim of a lover's first embrace." -Honestly, Minthara might be a little at fault here. She knew Durge is completely deranged. But, I suppose, she does feel safe with them (big mistake). Also, don't romance Durge/Bhaal and let your guard down. They may calm down after a second lay, but you NEVER know. (This is about you @awwright. Yes, I am looking at you😑)
I also had hoped that Bhaal's weird behavior is a Bhaalspawn only thing, but it is not. Is anyone surprised? That man is also a touch invading with his own clergy. And other people as well.
"Slay with pleasure, but never with anger..." -I am sure this refers to joy, but after Durge and the Ecstasy of Murder I am no longer sure.
"Once Bhaal's favour has quickened within one oh his beloved murderers, the bliss of his love is nigh-indescribable. For he blesses his loyal with a new sensation: a mindless, instinctual, primal sensation that comes within the bowels, an erotic spasmthat washes over the killer, in the moment of murder. It is said that in that instant, his Divine Essence can almost be tasted. Forsake all other hedonisms, acolytes, for nothing can compare. Until the true ecstasies of murder wash over you, initiates, this scroll contains a prayer, you may say after a kill, calling for the Lord's disgrace to find its course in your body." -This just enforces me in my belief that that man is beyond help. Why, exactly, did Ao allow him to return to godhood? Although Cyric really is a problem.
"These children you speak of... the children of a god. The thought of them brings me pleasure. I, too, shall create children—the Children of Bhaal. They will stalk the land beside you and bring death to all the corners of the world!" -Apparently, Bhaal suffers from Child fatigue. Can someone give him some medication to make that stop? That condition has become a problem
"The god of death, lover of all murderous acts, was in fine fettle." -It could be read as sexual, even though I don't think it is supposed to be. But why not just use the word 'admirer'?
"Perhaps a wife who has been true and faithful for many years suddenly seeks passion in the arms of a stranger. Maybe a man who has been good and kind his entire life suddenly lashes out and kills several of his best friends." -Ah, yes. Because sex and murder are his favorite things.
"In the Time of Troubles did Bhaal, himself, come and whisper in mine ear. I was to give birth to one of the Children. To you. I rose my arms up and hailed my Lord of Murder with great joy at my fate. Others of Bhaal's order took me away, to hide us in the darkest temple away from prying eyes." -Bane has a habit of touching people's faces. Bhaal will murmur things into your ear. Is Myrkul the only one who has ever heard about the concept of 'personal space'?
"As of late, my friends, I have felt a calling when my fingers meet each other around a windpipe. As if there is a voice whispering sweet nonsense into my ear as I tear the breath from my quarry's lungs. I think I am chosen by our Lord of Murder. Perhaps even related." -Can someone tell him to stop?
Bhaal even has a special spell unique to his clergy. Wanna know what it does? It makes you attracted to the caster.
"Attraction replaces any negative emotions the target has toward the spellcaster with opposite positive emotions... Repulsion becomes attraction, hatred becomes love, etc..."
The opposite of the 'Attraction' spell is 'Disdain', which is also unique to Bhaal and his clergy. That one is used for murder.
At least Jaheira is nice to the Bhaalspawn. Mostly. Because they need a parental figure that is not completely fucked up. Sadly, Bhaal and his clergy aren't the only ones who will abuse his children. Remember Irenicus? Hells, even Gale is being problematic.
Jaheira: "So you wish to be a god, Gale? You know the wizard Irenicus attempted the same thing, by leeching divine blood from a Bhaalspawn."
Gale: "Aha, transfusion! An interesting strategy. Hard to get hold of a god's blood, of course, but if one could..."
Jaheira: "He managed it. After murdering my husband, and torturing my friends and I for half a year."
Gale: "Did I say interesting? I meant terrible, of course. A terrible strategy..."
There is also this line Jaheira can tell Durge:
"...There will be crusaders who will wish to rid the world of your taint. Or jealous minds who believe themselves more deserving of the power in your blood..."
She knows they will never be truly safe. Irenicus was but one of many who seek to poach Bhaalspawn, for good or ill.
She even tells that Charname in Bg2:
"You are still a valuable commodity. There are those that know of the children of Bhaal, and they may desire... services from you."
Every single child of Bhaal should be alllwed to stab him once a month. All of that just screams "I have issues and I am making everyone pay for it."
And I won't even start about what Bhaal did through Kazgoroth with Tristan. I am done with that man.
I don't even know why Bhaal want's more children.
"You failed to bring forth issue while you helmed our cult. It is a mortal sin for a Chosen."
He doesn't like them:
"Our Father does not feel pride. He bore the disgrace of creating life in his Spawn. We can but atone for the shame of birth."
Is Amelyssan the only one who has a grasp on what a murder cult is supposed to be about?
"For devotees of death, you of his line are so basely fascinated with propagating new life. It ever seemed to me an impurity in the doctrine."
I can't even blame her for betraying Bhaal. Cause wtf is his issue??? He should set his mind on what he wants, for once in a while. But given that he constantly shifts his alignments, I suppose he is incapable of making up his mind to begin with. Which is a surprise, cause I expected that to be Bane's issue.
Is Bhaal in constant denial of his own habits? Because I am beginning to believe that.
I cursed my brain with thoughts about the Dark Urge and Bhaal. Naturally, I will have to share them because I refuse to suffer alone.
Even though I already talked about Durge and their weird connection to tentacled aberration I wanna add something that makes the relationship between the Netherbrain and Durge even more awkward: In one of Bhaal's backstories he was Tharlagaunt Bale, a netherese Archwizard. He was also a peer to not only Karsus, but to Ioulaum as well.
"Towards that end, the Lord of the End of Everything began identifying candidates among the most powerful of the Netherese archwizards that could serve as vessels for a portion of his deific power and act as his champions, proselytizing his faith and spreading it into surrounding lands. By the Year of Great Rains (-696 DR), Jergal had identified the infant Karsus as the planned focus of his scheme, along with eleven other individuals with great potential or mastery in the Art. These individuals included the famed Ioulaum Halargoth, as well as names such as Alithar Chonis (said by some to be a descendant of the fabled Jeriah Chronos), Tharlagaunt Bale, and Elah Nydra... Tharlagaunt Bale became a feared assassin in and around the lands south of the Dragonmere ere he came together with two companions and sought his revenge on Jergal, rising to full-fleged godhood as the deity Bhaal in the centuries that followed the fall of Netheril." -Lord of the End of Everything.
I still prefer his other backstory because that one makes actual sense, but I still thought about putting this here.
And what is Ioulaum in modern times? An undead Elder Brain lich.
Granted, he only became one in 329DR when Bhaal was already a god, but he must have become a Mindflayer somewhere after -340DR, else I am not so sure if he would have been able to transform into a giant brain-squiddy. In -371DR he became a lich and around -339DR he created the first Alhoons (mindflayer liches). In -339 Bhaal was busy hunting down two Elder Evils (together with Myrkul and Bane) and trying to figure out how to enter Jergals domain. It's not unreasonable to assume that the trio would seek out Bhaal's old (and very powerful) colleague to gain some kind of help.
I am sure Myrkul would be happy to be surrounded by liches. Hells, I can even see Bane having the time of his life. This also makes me wonder if the Absolute Plot was somewhat inspired by Ioulaum... probably not, but I like the idea.
The timelines are an utter mess but so is Larians. So that checks out. Also, it's so ironic that Durge is the one to steal Karsus crown, imbue the brain with netherese magic and place it upon its head...
*Bhaal approves
I already talked about Durge and Bhaal both liking tentacled aberrations, Gnolls and cannibalism... but now I realized that necrophilia might also be something he and Durge have in common.
At first Durge's tendecies towards cannibalism and necrophilia confused me because neither of those two things are part of Bhaal's dogma or domain. But he definetly does display some cannibalistic characteristics in the Moonshae triology. As for necrophilia, Bhaal can only posess people he is currently murdering, undead, or murder victims:
"He must personally slay the owner of a body to take possession. The victim gets no saving throw to avoid being possessed. Possession takes one round; it does not require Bhaal's physical contact, but he must be able to see his victim."
"Bhaal can possess undead to serve him as bodies, in the same way that he possesses living humans in the act of killing them. To do so, Bhaal must "slay" the undead (reduce it to 0 hp). Undead possessed by Bhaal lose all of their non-physical attacks. They last only 1d6 turns before disintegrating, destroyed by the divine energy within them."
So he can't inhabit a living body and, like Myrkul, if he does manage to take control over living subject, they begin to rot away within a few minutes and die.
So...
That means he had to inhabit either a corpse or an undead while siring his children (the Bhaalspawn). And I am pretty sure that can count as necrophilia.
Like:
"In the Time of Troubles did Bhaal, himself, come and whisper in mine ear. I was to give birth to one of the Children."
He can not just go to his priestesses and sire children. I really wonder if his clergy murdered some unfortunate fools and then Bhaal took posession of that body and did the deed with whatever woman was commanded to do so.
I mean, during the Time of Troubles he went on quite a few mass-murders and had an amp supply of possible bodies to possess and use... did I ever mention that he has issues?
Yeah. Suddenly Durge being into this and thinking of Astarion as a "pretty corpse" is no longer as weird as I first thought.
And Bhaal, at least in Bg3, is unhinged. Completely. And he does force orgasms upon his own clergy:
"...For he blesses his loyal with a new sensation: a mindless, instinctual, primal sensation that comes within the bowels, an erotic spasm that washes over the killer, in the moment of murder. It is said that in that instant, his Divine Essence can almost be tasted..."
Why tf is his divine essence regarded as sexual? It's murder, and the literal process of dying in general. Why is it sexual??? Answer: Because he, apparently, gets somewhat off on it.
And you know who I blame for all of this? Aside from Jergal and Ao? Hobarth. The idiot who told Bhaal about Chauntea's children in the Moonshae Triology.
"Hobarth told his dread god of the Earthmother's Children and how they'd fought for her in the past. Bhaal then created three Children of his own. Unnatural, foul corruptions of true animals, these beings came to be known as Thorax the owl-bear, Bhaal's flock of perytons, and the king of Bhaal's Children, Shantu the displacer beast."
He also developed some form of Child fatigue:
"These children you speak of... the children of a god. The thought of them brings me pleasure. I, too, shall create children—the Children of Bhaal. They will stalk the land beside you and bring death to all the corners of the world!"
At least Hobarth had the realization that he might have fucked up here. Did that stop him from serving Bhaal in any way? No.
Given that Durge and Bhaal are eerily similar (in some regards), I am beginning to wonder if I can find out more about why exactly Bhaal advocates for incestous relationships in Bg3... like Sarevok and Orin, the implications between Orin and Durge... horrible. All of it.
Did he have siblings as a child? And if so, did he decide to murder them only to then develop both necrophiliac and incestous tendecies??? I need answers, even though they are gonna disturb me.
Also, no one can blame me for any of this. It's @awwright fault. She put the ideas into my head. Go complain to her
Everytime I look at Astarion and Wyll I am reminded of Bane and Torm.
Because honestly? They are so similar, it's not even funny anymore. Just tragic, really.
For those that don't know, both Bane and Torm were mortal once and lived during the many years of Netherils slow collapse before ascending to godhood around the same time.
And for those that don't know Torm: he is the right hand of Tyr, a patron deity to paladins, and the god of duty, courage, self-sacrifice and loyalty.
And I can't help but compare Wyll to Torm and Astarion to Bane. Like I really can't.
Bane, like Astarion, was a slave once, beholden to a being that they could not help to face alone. They both struggle with intimacy of any kind (especially the healthy, non-sexual one), fear others having power over them and have questionable morals. Astarion, like Bane, shows glee when you make others grovel before you (goblin camp), exults in shws of force and domination (tadpole, goblin-camp etc.) and will mock those he perceives as helpless and weak. Both also show a conflict regarding their moral compass: They want to be treated with kindness, yearn for affection, yet are afraid to show it to others. Because that would mean making yourself vulnerable. And weakness is something they have been taught to avoid. They had to else they would have never survived the years of slavery they suffered.
Torm and Wyll on the other hand fight for what they call the "greater good". They have a purpose, they know what they want and they are not afraid to stand for that. Nor will they lie about it. Wyll will never, under any circumstances, stand with cruelty. Slaughter the tiefling groce and he will turn against you. Become Bhaals chosen in his presence and he will fight you no matter how high your approval is. Insult him and he will take it in stride. Mock others, especially thise that can't defend themselves, and he will tell you that this was wrong and cruel. Torm, as a god of self-sacrifice, who views Tyr, the god of justice, as his spiritual father, is much the same. He will always be on the side of those that can't protect themselves or have been wronged. And both, as mortals, are beholden to a "higher power": Wyll to Mizora through his pact, Torm to Tyr through his oath.
And yes, warlock pacts are usually eyed with suspicion, distrust even, and called evil because fiends are classified as lawful evil. But Wyll makes the best of it. He has to serve but he also fights against it. Constantly. The sheer fact that he is bold enough to argue against Mizora, straight up curse her name even, is both admirable and baffling. Usually warlocks that dare, in any way, act against their patrons don't survive for very long. Especially if you are bound to a devil. Torm apparently made an Oath towards the king he served as mortal (in Chalsembyr). I would guess it was a Oath of the Crown but I cannot say for sure, before joining a paladin order dedicated to Tyr. Like Wyll he is bound by whatever tenets his oath hold. Do you guys remember the Oathbreaker paladin? Paladins, while generally regarded as more good-aligned, can stumble and break their vow. They can turn towards darkness. And warlocks can be easily swayed towards evil as well. Yet neither did it. Wyll kept to his morals and Torm never seemed to have allowed himself to be "blinded by his lords light" (like the Oathbreaker did), else his relationship with Tyr would, probably, be a lot more strained. And it's fascinating to me that Wyll clearly invokes the Triad from time to time (no, he is not a godly man) while Torm and Tyr are part of it.
Astarion views Wyll as a hero, even if he despises that. He tells himself, during act 1 and half of act 2, that the pursuing of glory and honor are selfish acts and completely forgets that most of the time those are just byproducts of your actions. Wyll isn't a hero because he wanted to be one, he is a hero because his choices made him one, even when almost all odds were against him. And the line in which Astarion says that he once dreamed to be loved by a man like Wyll or even just be saved by one like him during his slavery just breaks my heart and makes their dynamic very interesting as well. Theoretically speaking Wyll should kill Astarion once he finds out that he is a vampire. He is a monster hunter who has vowed to rid the sword-coast of all evils and guard its people. Astarion is clearly a threat. He is a vampire, he can be pretty ruthless, and is only concerned with his own safety (in the beginning). But he doesn't, because he knows that that wouldn't be justice. It would be cruelty. Wyll recognizes that this is the first time in 200 years thst Astarion has the chance to choose for himself, to be someone different then what Cazador made him to be. And he encourages him as well, especially in an origin playthrough. He wants for Astarion to be free and will attempt to, somewhat, guide him as well. He will stand at his side.
Wyll can succeed in that. Sure, Tav pulls their weight as well, but undoubtedly Astarion noticed Wylls behavior, listened to what he says. He may never acknowledge it openly, but Wyll does influence him. Wyll is the living proof that anyone can turn an evil sitting upon their shoulder into something good.
That being said I cannot help but look at Torm and Bane. Bane is similar to Astarion, Wyll to Torm.
We do not know if Bane and Torm ever met each other during their mortal lives, but I would not say no. Bane was once, together with Bhaal and Myrkul, hailed as a hero, albeit shortly. And the Dead Three performed incredible feats together and Torm, as the head of a paladin order and one of Tyrs most trusted worshippers, would definetly hear about the trio that slays ancient evils and assembles an army to strike against them.
I truly do wonder if they ever crossed path when there was still hope for Bane, and the thought of how Bane could have turned out if he had been accompanied by Torm during his mortal years instead of two other, completely ruthless, men, saddens me. If Wyll influenced Astarion, at least to a certain degree, could Torm not have done the same?
Astarion, when he ascends, just follows Banes path down to ruin: He gains power and influence, true, but pays a price far worse. He looses himself completely, while his insecurities remain. And Astarions spawn ending very much reflects what Bane could have had, if he had allies that weren't also seeking power out of fear.
A Tav that urges Astarion on to go through with the Ascenion ritual just represents both Bhaal and Myrkul. But Wyll? He will always speak against it. And Torm would never have endorsed Banes search for power if they had known each other and actually spoken about the reasons behind that (which might even have happened. Bhaal and Myrkuls voices would just have been louder).
And Bane and Toem mirror each other so perfectly as well:
Black Gauntlet vs. White Gauntlet
A man that served a god unwillingly vs. One that served a god out of his own choice
Strife vs. Loyalty
Tyranny vs. Duty to another
A man that us loud vs. Obe that is always calm
A man that wants to serve no one at all vs. One that has no reluctance doing so if he believes the cause just and rightious
Torm is everything Bane could have been. Just like Wyll is everything Astarion once wanted to be.
This is just tragic, although I am glad that we, as the player, can help Astarion make the choice that would save him from himself. It's a pity that Bane, most likely, never had anyone who told him that seeking divinity would ruin him. And if he did, maybe even Torm, then that Bhaal and Myrkul were more convincing.
Thinking about the Dark Urge and their "obsession" with Gnolls and tentacled creatures. And like... it makes sense?
Bhaal himself seems to have a thing for both. Which makes me simoultaneously glad and disappointed that we don't really get him in Bg3.
Like, Bhaal likes tentacled aberrations. They are among his favourite servants:
"The Lord of Murder often acted through a variety of violent monsters, including (...) many species of tentacled monsters, from darktentacles to grells."
(I don't have my books with me right now, but the quote did go something like that) The line was in Faiths and Avatars.
And looking at how Durge can just adopt an Intellect Devourer, romace a floating squid and is implied to have a somewhat sexual relationship with the fucking Netherbrain, I am really over here wondering if that should come as such a surprise.
"The slimy thing in the Moonrise crack called you its fallen star. It was very reverent. It must have known you when you were still in one piece. See? You are worse than everyone else. Filthy hierophant of the broken and the damned. And apparently good at playing with tentacles. The illithid tide can be dominated by you."
It's not like father dearest cares about whom he is bedding. And Bhaal also encourages Durge to swallow a few more tadpoles through Sceleritas Fel... he is wearing his kinks on his sleeves, isn't he? And also projecting them on the Dark Urge.
Bane also seems to like tentacles but for the sake of my sanity I am going to ignore that, because Durge and Bane already are too similar to each other.
There was also something somewhere that said that Bhaal preferred the company of tentacled abberations. No clue where that was though.
As for Gnolls:
"Led by the mortal Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul, a coalition of Horreb artificers, war wizards of Barze, horde nomads of Varm, gnoll warriors of Flindyke, goliath hunters of Mount Akoro, and gnome hammers of Forharn unite to defeat the primordial Maram. Though thousands were killed, the army succeeds in reaching the Monument of the Ancients and driving Maram back into the Elemental Chaos, resealing the Anchor of Chaos."
Seems like Durge inherited that as well. I mean, Gnolls were also recruited for the Absolute plot and we can even meet three of Durge's former "pets" in Moomrise Towers.
And Larian, at least, drew quite some similiarities between Bhaal and the Father of Gnolls, Yeenoguh, as well as between Bhaalspawn and Gnolls. Whether or not that was intentionally I don't know.
Like:
"It is believed by some that gnolls had traces of demonic blood, which may be evidenced by unusual features found among some of the gnoll bloodlines. These may have included talons, gleaming red eyes, or black fur with fiery orange spots."
Durge and Bhaal are both depicted with gleaming red eyes as well. And they have talons.
"Gnolls were natural predators and savored the thrills of the hunt."
Bhaalspawn are, in a sense, natural predators as well, because they are born to kill and die. As for the thrill of the hunt, in one of the memories Durge can reclaim they sre shown playing tag, yet the wording clearly puts them into the position of a predator hunting his prey.
"Though gnolls were not necessarily evil, the craving for the hunt and primal bloodlust that inhabited the gnoll's mind made many of the race lean towards a chaotic evil alignment by reflex."
Bhaalspawn are not always evil either, yet they also hunger for blood and death. And spells that detect their alignment will always categorize them as evil as well.
"...although gnolls as a whole have had a strong affinity for family and blood ties, this friendliness was not often extended to those who belonged to a different pack;..."
Definetly something Bhaal tries to nurture not only in Durge, but in other Bhaalspawn as well.
"Gnolls were most often worshipers of the demon lord Yeenoghu, who some claim created them. Though some paid only nominal reverence, many gnolls were fanatically devoted to their dark overlord, his influence having been the primary cause of their savagery. Some gnolls believed it was their purpose as Yeenoghu's servants to cleanse the weak from the world, serving a higher purpose through the slaughter they had spread."
Yup. Replace Yeenoguh with Bhaal and Gnoll with Bhaalspawn and we have an accurate text about Bhaal and his own children. No wonder Durge likes Gnolls that much.
As for Bhaal and Yeenoguh, I'd like to point out that Bg3 is the only source we have in which Bhaal suddenly decides that mindless slaughter is a good plan. And Yeenoguh:
"Dedicated only to destruction, the Ruler of Ruin sought the collapse of civilization and he would brutally butcher all that stood between him and his rabid slaughter."
Fits Larians depiction of Bhaal quite well, no?
"His demands are simple: kill. Follow his commands, and you shall know blessings beyond your dreams."
And this:
"He (Yeenoguh) has few ambitions beyond the visceral thrill of rending the soft flesh of his enemies and drinking deep the hot blood from their bodies."
In the Moonshae Triology Bhaal is shown as leering over the Earthmothers corpse as well. And he also wants his followers to smear the blood of their victims on his altars so that he can taste it.
"Despite his savage nature, Yeenoghu was not stupid, being capable of subtlety and trickery, but merely choosing not to use it in most circumstances."
Look! Something else Bhaal and Yeenoguh have in common. How nice.
"Where Yeenoghu differs, however, is in his ability to turn the business of killing into a breathtaking spectacle. With him, it is a form of art if you can stomach the screams and noxious odors issuing from the dead."
Well, one could say that Bhaal is also very much into the business of killing, given that he is the patron deity of assassin's. As for the "breathtaking spectacle" and "form of art" part:
"Kill with swift skill, not by torture, forced suicide, falls, or collisions. Do it personally, with ever-greater deftness and elegance, and teach others the skills and the delights of slaying. Deathbringers are to slay with enough skill that witnesses are impressed."
That's a part of Bhaal's Dogma. Sounds very similar to Yeenoguh, in a way, does it not? Oh, and Bhaal and Yeenoguh both like cursing/insulting people:
"The insults he (Yeenoguh) hurled at his opponents were rumored to be dangerous curses he used to weaken his enemies."
And for Bhaal:
"Bhaal rose and glared at her, cursing in a language no human could duplicate."
Or this one:
"Bhaal stood in the middle of the landing and stared at the closed door, venting his anger in a stream of guttural curses."
And my favorite one:
"...Bhaal once drop hammer on big godly toe. Jump around and swear for days, he did. Kicked poor me all the way to Baator. Very bad week, that."
The both of them have anger issues.
Oh. Larian also gave Bhaal cannibalistic tendencies (although the Moonshae Triology certainly helped with that). And Durge has them as well, somewhat. You know who also eats others? Gnolls and Yeenoguh.
"As my connection to my lord deepens, I leave my old concerns behind. His hunger is all that matters. It is greater than me; it is greater than us all. It is His mark. He made us. He drives us. He eats what we eat. He kills what we kill. He will come if we eat well. He will come if we kill well. He will come if we eat well. He will come if we kill well. We will kill and He will eat, and we shall be He and He shall be we, never alone, never afraid, never hungry."
I am surprised to find out that Bhaal's bestie is still Myrkul and not Yeenoguh. Would have expected for this to change after the Time of Troubles.
As someone who was quite taken aback by Bhaals depiction in Bg3 I am starting to wonder if he is being impersonated by Yeenoguh. I had considered Moander or Malar as well, but Yeenoguh works pretty good as well.
Him being impersonated would also make sense, because he is a demipower in 5e and demipowers have to walk the material plane. Which means that Durge could very much stumble upon Bhaal while walking the streets of Waterdeep. Let's hope that doesn't happen, because they would get a heart attack.
If Bhaal really is being impersonated by either of the aforememtioned deities, I'd dare say Myrkul and Bane are too.
But I went on for too long. This was supposed to be four to five sentences.
Extensive summary of the mortal life of the Dead-Three
Just writing this down so I stop confusing myself. And posting it because others might be interested as well. I dunno.
1. -489DR: The Cat's Gate, a portal that leads into the Outlands, is opened by the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. Said gate is located in the floating city Meigg. The Crown-Sorcerers seek to conquer the Outlands and the rilmani protect their own home (the outlands) by invading Netheril. The Archmages of Netheril, especially the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, manipulate the Anchor of Chaos within the Monuments of the Ancients and allow primordials to walk on Toril in order to have a way to fight back against the invading forces. Maram of the Great Spear (a primordial) and Bane (who is part of Maram's slave army) come to Toril. The Seven Sigils War begins.
2. -461DR: The phaerimm cast their life-drain spell in order to stop the destruction of their underground lairs, which are being desteoyed by the abuse of magic the netherese people practice. Netheril begins its collapse.
3. -450DR: Many of the netherese people flee Netheril due to the phaerimm's life-drain spell. Around that time Bane escapes Maram and starts to work for the crown-sorcerers of Rdiuz.
4. -449DR to -440DR: Bhaal (who is the Chief Assassin and Spymaster of Rdiuz, back then still known as Arabhal) and Bane work together and scout the rilmani armies periodically. The crown-sorcerers invade Anubis domain, a divine graveyard, and steal the remains of gods in order to craft god-slaying weapons. Jathiman, the leader of the sorcerees, is ablw to deduce how to craft god-slaying weapons and each of the crown-sorcerers founds a cult that worships them.
5. -439DR: The Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz have assembled enough power through the worship of their cults to craft seven god-slaying daggers. Jergal starts noticing both Bhaal and Bane.
6. -438DR: Jergal steals the Daggers and turns the cults into ghouls, while also almost completely destroying Rdiuz.
7. -371DR: The Seven Sigils War ends after the netherese wizards managed to banish most of the summoned primordials back to the Elemental Chaos. Maram escapes towards the Monument of the Ancients. The phaerimm life-drain spell continues. Bhaal and Bane flee Netheril together with many others. Arabhal (Bhaal) becomes known as Bhaal.
8. -365DR: Jergal begins to torturd both Bane and Bhaal in their dreams in order to get them to slay the primordials. He gives them hints towards the location of Jathimans Dagger (one of the seven weapons crafted by the sorcerers) to them in their sleep.
9. -359DR: Bhaal and Bane follow the clues to Mezeketh Island, where they encounter Myrkul. They team up, slay the lich Urgund, and claim the Sceptre of the sorcerer-kings, the Jathiman Dagger and Urgund's phylacthery. The three travel to Okloroum and bargain with the Dragonking Kisonraathiisar for save passage through his lands. The dragon blesses them and sends thwm against Borem of the Boiling Mud (a primordial). They travell to Rezamark and into Borems domain where Bhaal pierces the primordials heart with the Jathiman Dagger. They leave the dagger in the heart and return to Mezeketh Isle, where they bury it.
10. -358DR: The three makw thwir way towards the ruins of Myth Rhynn in Wealdath and retrieve the second of the Seven daggers of Rdiuz: The Morden Dagger. They track down Camnod the Unseen in the plains of Ride, north of the Moonsea, and slay him.
11. -357DR: The three make their way to Barze and convince the sorcerer-king to pledge his wizards to the Dead Three. They assemble a host of 50.000 men and march against Maram towards the Monumenrs of the Ancients. Maram is banished back to the Elemental Chaos and the Anchor of Chaos repaired. Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul stole a part of Marams divinity. Less than 2.000 men survived.
12. -357DR to -356DR: The Dark Three stay behind and study the Anchor of Chaos. Myrkul constructs the Cenotaph of the Lost Gods in the empty wastes of Lee-wai, while Bhaal and Myrkul retrieve the Yurax-dagger. They free the primorfials Tyranthraxus, Edranka and Torath and steal a small part of their power before the primordials manage to flee.
13. -356DR: Bhaal assassinates Barze and they leave the kingdom unchallenged. Tyranthraxus and his army of Twisted Ones is sent to overrun the kingdom.
14.-351DR: The Dark Three command Torath to lead an kuo-toa army against the duergar settlements amongst the Lost Ways of Sarphil. At the same time they command Edranka to march against Hargut of the Gray Pestilence, though she fails.
15. -350DR: Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul ambush Haask in the Ironfang keep. Bhaal drives the Yurax-Dagger into Harguts back and Bane reveals Haask to be a batrachi. They force the two of them into servitude. Myrkul binds them together in a ritual, creating Haask, the Voice of Hargut, and confines him to the Ironfang Keep.
16. -349DR to -339DR: They discover a vast network of underground portals beneath Careekar, likely the nodes of the spellweavers, and at some point Myrkul figures out how to safely use them.
17. -339DR: Karsus folly happens and unlocks the Garuut-Omruum seal, revealing three ancient pyramids similar to the Monument of the Ancients. The three split up: Bane travels to Garuut-Ar, Bhaal to Garuut-Au and Myrkul to Garuut-Cu.
18. -335DR: Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul ascend
There. That's it. I summarized the most important things.😃
The Dead Three as Mortals: A VERY, VERY long analysis and summary of their origins, motivations and personality.
It's long. Very long. Braze yourselves.
The Dead Three are Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul: Three of the most feared and cruel gods in all of the Forgotten Realms. Especially Bane. Funnily enough they only earned the name "The Dead Three" after they perished during the Time of Troubles. Before that they were known as "The Dark/Dread Three", a name that originates from their mortal adventuring days.
So, let's start with our favorite impulsive tyrant: Bane.
Bane was a mortal battle-slave born in Abeir. When or how he became a slave we do not actually know. Sadly. But we do know that he was enslaved by Maram, a primordial from the beginning of the universe who was also counted among the Seven Lost Gods of Abeir and among the Elder Evils. So he is someone you don't want to encounter.
What are primordials? This:
"The primordials, or Dawn Titans, were god-like beings made of manifest entropy and elemental energy whose domains were the Elemental Chaos and Abeir, unlike the gods (Estelar), whose domains were the Astral Sea and Toril."
The primordials are older than the gods and were for a long time unaware of the fact that they existed. Yet when they did found out they invades the Astral Sea and tried to destroy the worlds that had already formed within both Shar and Selune, specifically those two, rose against them and even called other gods to their side.
"They (Selune and Shar) defended the new worlds from the primordials, naturally as the primordials were beings of entropy and destruction. Thus began the Dawn War and other gods were created from the residue of the conflict or summoned from other dimensions to help the native gods of Realmspace."
The Dawn War was a very violent and long conflict that created various other realms. During the conflict many gods and primordials died, were born and also betrayed their own allies. So a very, very messy time. So messy that the nature spirits had to interfere:
"Concerned by the unparalleled destruction caused by the gods and primordials to the worlds of Material plane, the nature spirits enacted the "primal ban", a powerful magic that bans outsiders from the Material plane unless they are summoned by its inhabitants."
There was also somewhere something that said that during the Dawn War a Primordial named Bane was slain and that the soul of the god Bane (or the mortal who would become him. Yeah, the Tyrant) was born/created from the wound that had slain the primordial. So... that's interesting, but I have no clue where I saw that and whether or not it's even true (I don't think it is but it would make a funny crack-fic (ancient Bane clowning on an old Myrkul before both troll a young Bhaal)). Still, I wanted to put that out here.
Now to the Seven Lost Gods:
"The "Seven Lost Gods", or simply the "Lost Gods", was a collective term used at different times for several different sets of deities and primordials."
Which sets are we talking about. Those three:
1. The Gods of Antiquity, who were seven Ancient Evils and/or Primordials that had all been slain or enslaved by Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul during their mortal adventuring days. Those include:
1. Maram of the Great Spear; (I will get back to him)
2. Haask, the Voice of Hargut;
3. Tyranthraxus the Flamed One;
4. Borem of the Lake of Boiling Mud;
5. Camnod the Unseen;
6. Edranka of the Smoldering Haze
and 7. Torath of the Obsidian Vault
The other set is called the "Seven Lost Gods of Westgate" whose worship was banned in 927DR and include:
1. Garagos, the netherese god of war.
2. Ghaunadaur, a god touched by the Far Realms (think of Hermaeus Mora from the Elder Scrolls)
3. Jergal, the Lord of the End of Everything
4. Moander, a netherese god of corruption (Very evil bastard)
5. Savras, who was later replaced by Azuth through Mystryls interference
6. Silvanus, the celtic god of wild nature
And another god lost to history. The seventh is speculated to be Auppenser, who is associated with psionics, enlightment and personal autonomy.
The oldest set of the seven lost Gods are the seven archwizards manipulated by Jergal to aid in his Ascenion Ritual. They are, as followed:
1. Bale the Spellslayer (in another version this was supposed to be Bhaal as Tharlagaunt Bale, there called the "Deathbringer")
2. Karsus the Mad
3. Arlochar
4. Mystra of the Seven Stars (the mortal that would become the goddess of magic after Mystryl's death), who replaced Telamont Thantul
5. Elah Nydra, the daughter of Selune
6. Nakasr
7. And an avatar of Jergal himself
Let's move on to Elder Evils, who are said to hail from the Far Realms and are wholly malevolent entities. They are divided into three categories:
1. Eternal Evils, to which there is no real info about what exactly qualifies them.
2. Aboleth Evils, who were worshipped by the aboleths and care only for madness and destruction
And 3. Far-Realm Infested Stars, who were once stars that were infested with malignant forces and now no longer have a set course.
I have no clue to which category Maram belongs, but I suppose he could be an Eternal One, given that it seems that he cannot die. Kezef and Dendar were also considered Eternals Ones, though no longer.
Given that Maram is classified as a Primordial, an Elder Evil and a Lost God it is safe to say that you really, really, really don't want to encounter him. Which sucks for Bane, because that man suffered years of slavery.
Which sucks even more for Bane is the fact that he was not just another nameless slave. He was a mortal that excelled in combat, seemingly even becoming a warlord under Maram, and displayed such a prowess in battle that he was called "The Bane of the Ancients" in Abeir. Given that the primordials seem to be set on killing each other I would dare say that Bane was sent into the field when Maram encountered harsh resistance. Bane can and will use violence in its most brutal forms. And I can't really blame him for that... because can you imagine what horrors Maram would inflict upon one of her favoured slaves? And favoured in this context is not the "oh I like you which is why I will treat you better" thing. It's more like: "You are a valuable tool and I will use you in whatever ways I see fit and if you think about turning against me I will make an example out of you." Bane was known in Abeir, which means Maram definetly was aware of him. He was not just another slave. He had purpose. Which is so, so, so much worse if that means that an wholly evil being watches every step you take. It's a wonder Banes hair didn't fall out from the fear, pressure, stress and expectation he was constantly under...
But yeah. Miserable past. And I don't even want to think about what punishments Maram would be capable of inflicting. That being has zero morals, no pity and will do things so much worse than whatever we can think of if he feels slighted.
Banes past as a slave also heavily influenced his personality. He is loud, impulsive, impatient, afraid of kindness and affection and constantly overestimates his own prowess:
"The summons had come wearing the face and form of that which each of the gods feared most... To the Black Lord, Bane, the summons came in the guise of absolute love and understanding, its light searing his essence as it carried him from his kingdom."
It's tragic that Bane fears genuine and healthy emotional connections more than being powerless. Because the moment someone is kind to him he becomes almost completely incapable of harming the individual that showed him mercy. He becomes "soft" (because he doesn't know how to handle kindness or affection), which he views as a weakness, something that will allow others to manipulate him: to have any kind of power over him.
Do you remember Blackthorne? Who saved Bane after he was heavily wounded from his fight with Mystra during the Time of Troubles? This is how he reacts after accidentally killing him:
"I will not grieve," the god decided coolly. Blackthorne was merely a human. A pawn. His loss is regrettable, but he can be replaced.
Then Bane thought of his endless talks with Blackthorne. He remembered the strange emotions that coursed through him when he had realized that Blackthorne had saved him, and aided in his recovery. The Black Lord looked at his hands and noticed he was trembling. Then the God of Strife screamed a cry of grief, loud and long. All over Bane's Dark Temple, people covered their ears and shivered at the sound of the Black Lord's pain.
When his scream ended, the God of Strife looked down through tear-clouded eyes and saw a figure standing before his throne.
"Blackthorne?" Bane said, his voice harsh and rasping.
"No, Lord Bane."
Bane wiped his eyes and looked down at the red-haired man who stood before him. "Fzoul," he said. "All is well."
"Milord, there are dead men surrounding you in the temple-"
Bane raised his taloned hand.
The red-haired man hung his head. "Yes, milord." Then Fzoul picked up his god's scattered armor and helped Bane to his feet.
"All is in readiness," Fzoul said as the Black Lord finally put on his bloody armor again. "When shall we begin to prepare for the battle?"
A fire crackled in the eyes of the Black Lord and Fzoul stepped back from the angry god. Then Bane's lips curled back in a frightful grimace. There was fire behind the God of Strife's pointed teeth, too, as his eyes narrowed and he said, "Now."
The fear, the confusion, the sheer denial. He can't handle his own emotions because he never learned how. The only affection he ever got as a mortal were probably from Bhaal and Myrkul (who are also completely emotionally stunted) and mayhaps from his family and friend (if he even had any and wasn't born into slavery) before Maram most certainly brutally murdered them and forced him into his servitude. And how does he respond to feeling grief and confusion? With rage and violence. And that's not surprising. Because confusion and grief, the pain that comes with it, are so often perceived as threatening. And how do you answer a threat you don't really understand? You lash out.
There is also this passage from Stormlight:
"...the shame and the trembling fear he so hated, that made him seek tyranny over others. This fear tasted like the tang of iron in blood, but came from a place weirdly different than Faerun. The mortal who had become Bane, so long ago, had come from... somewhere else... He was slaying himself, to keep from yielding to her.''
It's not just fear. It's trembling fear. And shame because he feels weak. And it's very important to me to point out that it's specified that it were exactly those two feelings that made him seek tyranny. Because he endured Marams tyranny for a very long time. Bane slays his own Avatar just so that he can tell himself that he wasn't actually defeated. It's also worth pointing out that Bane was the only god who kneeled only on one knee instead of two when Ao forced all gods to kneel before him, which happenend in the prologue of Shadowdale.
As for Bane being loud:
"I AM THE LORD OF LORDS AND THE PRINCE OF DARK PRINCES. MY BLACK HAND SMITES FROM ONE END OF FAERUN TO THE OTHER, AND BEYOND. BEHOLD ME, MORTALS, AND FEAR ME! FOR FEAR AND TYRANNY ARE MINE TO BESTOW, AND THE RUIN THEY DO IS MY EXULTATION. I AM BANE THE UNDYING, AND NONE SHALL ESCAPE ME!
As he shouted, red fire burst from the dark-skinned, many-tentacled figure that stood on the bed. The blaze seared draperies and clothing to hurl Shayna against the bedchamber wall. She struck it heavily, slid down it, and did not move again. Storm and Broglan were thrown to their knees, and as they struggled to rise, thunderous laughter rolled around them, and that terrible mind-voice spoke again.
STAY DOWN IN HOMAGE, WHERE YOU BELONG . . . FOR THE LAST FEW MISERABLE MOMENTS OF YOUR LIVES.
Bane exulted, slaughtering hapless creatures at random in a wild orgy of death as he celebrated his glee."
Or this scene, in which he managed to annoy Myrkul again:
"The God of the Dead shrugged and held the statue next to the snowflake. As before, there was a brilliant flash of light as the shard disappeared into the figurine. This time, however, the statue continued to glow brightly, pulsing red and black in a quickening pattern. Myrkul narrowed his eyes in pain as a loud, high-pitched shriek tore through his brain.
"I am alive!" the God of Strife screamed in Myrkul's mind. "I am whole again!" A pair of burning eyes and a leering, fanged mouth suddenly appeared on the smooth face of the statue.
"Please, Lord Bane, not so loud. You are giving me a splitting headache," the God of the Dead rasped.""
He is giving Myrkul a headache. While Myrkul inhabits an undead. That shouldn't be possible. And if you think Myrkul asking Bane to keep his voice low will make him silent, you're wrong:
"The voice inside Myrkul's head was growing loud again, and the God of the Dead winced at the noise."
Yeah, very loud. Myrkul should be allowed to hit him once per day. And Bhaal should be allowed to stab him. He is also impatient:
"Not dumb, but... we mortals have seen that Bane is rash, impetuous, and arrogant. He's no patient, long-term schemer, but lives in the present moment (he wants results NOW). And his pride often makes him over-estimate his own prowess, and ignore his own faults."
And gods, he is arrogant beyond measure:
"As my high priest pointed out, none of the gods live in the Border Ethereal, so Ao had no reason to stop us from entering it. Of course, with magic being so unstable, three of my wizards died trying to locate all the fragments of your being and send me here to recover them." The God of the Dead bowed slightly, and all the vertebrae in his back cracked. "But I could not let you suffer here."
"Please, Myrkul, spare me your flattery. After all, you need me to force my way into the heavens so you can follow."
Myrkul scowled. For a moment, he considered journeying farther into the Border Ethereal and dropping the statue into the Deep Ethereal, a place of swirling colors and mighty vortices. Bane would never make it back to the Realms - or his home- from there. But the thought lasted only a second.
Bane was right. Myrkul did need him. But not because the God of the Dead lacked courage or initiative. Myrkul wanted the God of Strife to lead the assault on the heavens because it was very dangerous, and it wouldn't do at all for the God of the Dead to be destroyed.
So Myrkul grinned obsequiously and again gave a slight bow to the obsidian statue. "Of course you are correct, Lord Bane. Let us exit this place so that we may find you a new avatar and proceed with your plans."
Kinda funny that Myrkul, who from the Dead Three seems to be the one least affected by emotions, can read and play that man like a fiddle. Also:
"I am intrigued, Myrkul," the Black Lord said as he paced back and forth. "As you have delighted in reminding me, our last collaboration was hardly a crashing success. Still, after my battle with Mystra, when I asked for your assistance, you all but laughed. I, on the other hand, am polite enough to answer your summons in the middle of the night."
And this one:
"If you feel so strongly about this matter, then I will help you to recover the tablet," Myrkul said, nodding slowly.
Bane tried to act confident. With a shrug, he noted, "I had no doubt that you would aid me."
"You had every doubt," Myrkul rasped harshly. "That is the only reason I chose to help you. I am pleased to note that you are no longer blindly stumbling into situations that you know nothing about." The God of the Dead paused and fixed Bane with an icy stare. "But there is one thing you must consider: You may not have my assistance the next time you need it, Lord Bane."
The God of Strife nodded, dismissing Myrkul's threat as so much pointless rhetoric. Then the Black Lord mocked a look of concern and noted, "Bhaal will not be pleased if you kill all his worshipers."
"I will deal with the Lord of Murder," Myrkul said, rubbing his hand across his decaying chin once more. "I will contact you when all is in readiness." The Lord of Bone s paused for a moment then added, "Have you given thought to what form you will use to hold the soul energy my spell will channel to you?"
Bane said nothing. Rage danced in Myrkul's eyes."
This whole interaction makes me believe that Bane was like this even as a mortal. Even Fzoul is done with him:
"Our overconfidence cost us everything!" the red-haired priest muttered aloud, although he was alone. "And your greed, Bane. Your madness and your greed..."
Kudos to Fzoul for having the balls to call Bane mad.
And Bane being this way makes sense. He had to find a way to assert himself, to make sure that others didn't get any funny ideas with him while he was a slave. Bane, while still serving Maram, was constantly in danger, which is why he is as loud as he is. Because being loud while also being able to commit great violence makes you look threatening. It makes others afraid. And Bane definetly wanted to make sure that others don't think about threatening/hurting him. It's not like he had much of a choice. Also:
"Serve no one but me. Fear me always - and make others fear me even more than you do. The Black Hand always strikes down on those who stand against it in the end. Defy me and die - or in your death find loyalty, for I shall compel it."
Again this whole theme of wanting to make sure that others won't come near him.
And his arrogance? He was a slave who killed and subdued other primordials with the help of Bhaal and Myrkul while he was still a mortal. And then he became a god himself. It's not really surprising.
As for how and when Bane came from Abeir to Toril:
"In the Year of Endless Song, −489 DR, the Netherese haphazardly summoned Maram and other primordials to serve as participants in the Seven Sigils War, but Maram escaped after the conflict ended."
Do you guys know who exactly broke the bindings that kept Maram away? The Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. And then they tried to recruit Maram for their purposes. Which says a lot about them.
But.
It also explains how Bhaal and Bane met. Because Bhaal, at least in one of his origin stories, served the Crown-Sorcerers as Chief Assassin and Spymaster. And then Bane got employes by them. How did he escape Maram? No clue. Maybe he heard that the sorcerers wanted to work together and risked running away. Maybe Bhaal had a hand in helping him escape. No clue. But definetly possible:
Let me clear some things up.
What was the Seven Sigils War? Here:
"The conflict began in the Year of Endless Song, −489 DR at the Netherese domain of Rdiuz, which was located along the Gods' Legion Mountains (later known as the Desertsmouth Mountains). The Netherese had built a mighty floating citadel they named Meigg* and were preparing to send troops into the Outer Planes through a massive portal called Cat's Gate, seeking to conquer communities in the Outlands."
*Meigg was a flying enclave specifically designes for war. It was built by the Crown-Sorcerer Meigg Inzarath
You know what happened? The portal they created, the Cat's Gate (created by the Crown-Sorcerer "Cathala 'Cat' Akri"), which was located at the Godswater Ravine, was insecure. Which means that Toril, especially Netheril, was invaded by extraplanar beings from the Outer Planes. Yeah. You don't want that. What was their answer to this problem? Bring a primordial into Toril by sabotaging the Anchor of Chaos within the Monument of the Ancients.
The Anchor of Chaos was an artifact that kept the Elemental Chaos away from Toril. What is the Elemental Chaos? It's the birthplace of the primordials and the "mirror" to the Astral Sea, which is the birthplace of the gods.
By sabotaging that artifact the netherese, especially the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, managed to bring two primordial into Toril for the first time since the Dawn War. Say hello to Maram, who also brought her slave-army (which Bane was part of) to visit, and Camnod the Unseen. The Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, especially Morden Tereshayn and Yurax Rasendol (who had also been the ones to lead the expedition towards the Monuments of the Ancients to begin with) tried to employ Maram's services against the extraplanar beings from the Outer Planes, which I presume were the rilmani. This obviously didn't work. Instead it got worse because they were incapable of closing the rift between Toril and the Elemental Chaos. So more primordials got loose. Great, isn't it? How did the Seven Sigils War end? Here:
"In the Year of Bruins, −371 DR, after over a century of bitter conflict, the Netherese managed to banish most all of the extraplanar entities that they had accidentally and deliberately summoned into Toril. Notably, one primordial, Maram of the Great Spear, escaped their attentions and fled into the wilderness."
Hm. Maram escaping is not a good thing. But let's get back to the rilmani first.
Rilmani are classified as "Outsiders" most commenly encountered in the Outlands, and are the living embodiment of True Neutrality. Their greatest goal consists of keeping the Balance between Chaos and Law, Good and Evil. Given that the netherese people were fucking up everything it's not surprising that they wanted to correct that behavior. Through violence, it seems. They are divided into three subraces.
The aurumachs, who are the most powerful:
The cuprilachs, who rank beneath them:
And the ferrumachs, who were the most numerous:
Pretty, aren't they?
After the Seven Sigils War had ended the lands of Netheril continued to be drained off all life, which was caused by the phaerimm (malevolent abberations that had nested beneath the surface of the netherese lands) and their powerful life-drain spell. Said spell had been cast a few years after Maram and other primordials had been summoned through the Anchor of Chaos, specifically in -461DR. Despite the phaerimm being very old, slave-driving beings, their life-drain spell was a form of self-defence, not of cruelty:
"Unbeknownst to the Netherese, their enormous usage of magic was destroying the underground home of the entire phaerimm race, which depended on the inherent magic of nature to survive."
As for what a phaerimm looks like:
If you want my opinion, those things are the stuff of nightmares.
Anyway. In -450DR many netherese people fled their home and migrated into safer lands in order to escape the life-drain spell.
Let me summarize real quick, because this is getting confusing:
1. -489DR: The Cat's Gate is opened and the rilmani protect their own home (the outlands) by invading Netheril. The Archmages of Netheril, especially the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, manipulate the Anchor of Chaos and allow primordials to walk on Toril. Maram and Bane come to Toril. The Seven Sigils War begins.
2. -461DR: The phaerimm cast their life-drain spell. Netheril begins its collapse.
3. -450DR: Many of the netherese people flee Netheril. Bhaal and Bane probably begin to work together for the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, scouting the rilmani armies. How Bane escaped Maram? No clue.
4. -439DR: The Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz, who had plundered a divine graveyard (in which Bhaal and Bane most likely had part) to craft god-slaying daggers in order to kill the primordials, succesfully craft them. Jergal starts noticing both Bhaal and Bane.
5. -438DR: Jergal steals the Daggers, turns the their cults into ghouls and almosts destroys Rdiuz completely.
6. -371DR: The Seven Sigils War ends and Maram escapes towards the Monument of the Ancients. The phaerimm life-drain spell continues. Bhaal and Bane flee Netheril.
Source for the crown-sorcerers:
"Jathiman set about creating a method to kill gods and seize their power, both in order to kill Anubis and in preparation for the planned conquest of the planes. By studying the fragments of the dead god that had been seized, Jathiman was able to deduce how such divine entities might be slain. Under Jathiman’s leadership, each of the seven crown-sorcerers then founded a cult among populace of Rdiuz designed to worship them. In the Year of Chilling Laughter (-439 DR) the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz used this nascent worship, combined with the fragments of the dead god they had recovered, to create the god-killing seven daggers of Rdiuz. It was at this point that Jergal, the Lord of the End of Everything intervened, concerned that the Crown-Sorcerers might interfere with his plans for the revised Ascension ritual. Under cover of darkness in the Year of Dripping Daggers (-438 DR), the Pitiless One stole the seven daggers of Rdiuz and murdered all the cultists, transforming them into ravenous ghouls."
So. Bhaal and Bane dash off and are left to their own devices. Which most likely didn't end well for many innocent people. Let's move on.
Hm. Hmmm.
The seven iron daggers described in this part are, as you may have already guessed, the god-slaying weapons crafted by the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. I dunno why Jergal stole them and then decided to throw them away. Or maybe he lost them... Also very nice of Jergal to torture both of them in their sleep.
Now you gonna ask me: "Who are the three primordials mentioned in the text?"
Obviously, I am gonna answer this. Because that's what I do. I answer things. (Oghma should hire me)😌
Let's start with Camnod the Unseen because he is the easiest one to answer: Camnod the Unseen was, together with Maram, one of the first Primordials that were unleashed by the Crown-sorcerers of Rdiuz who fled towards the plains of the Ride, north of the Moonsea, where he was worshiped as a wind god by the Horse Nomads of the Golden Stepps. He was also an ally of Maram.
I also already talked quite a lot about Maram, although I will get back later to her. Patience. This takes time and research.
As for Borem:
"Borem of the Lake of Boiling Mud was a primordial and one of the mysterious Seven Lost Gods."
He was also called the Patron of Anger (I am sure Bane was somewhat sad that he ended up serving Maram and not him. This is a joke).
But before Bane and Bhaal could hope to slay a primordial they needed to lay their hands on one of the seven daggers.
What is the scepter of the sorcerer-kings? A very powerful artifact crafted by the netherese arcanist, and one of the seven Crown-Sorcerers, Glaeros Lhaerimm. He also sacrificed many of his own followers to do so. And read a Nether Scroll. Yeah, I am also wondering why the netherese wizards always mess with things they should just leave be. The scepter was never finished because the netherese gods made sure that Glaeros was murderes beforehand (due to the fact that the sceptre was already capable of disrupting a gods power and slaying them as well. How did it end up in Urgund's hands? Well, Urgund was also another of the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. In -371DR Glaeros was murdered by divine emissaries to keep him from finishing the scepter of the sorcerer-kings. Urgund was with him and tasked to protect him, yet failed to do so. During the fray he claimed the scepter and fled by means of a portal network. Mo clue though how he got the Jathiman Dagger. But I am blaming Jergal, cause it's always him.
Moving on.
So, to summarize: Jergal tortures Bane and Bhaal during their sleep until they obey and set out to find the daggers. Six years later they found Mezeketh Isle and encounter Myrkul, who had come for the sceptre. Those three look at each other and decide that killing the lich together is a good plan. Which they do. They also ransack the entire tower and leave it in ruins. Then they run off to Okloroum and ask the Topaz-Dragon Kisonraathiisar to be allowed to cross his lands unhindered, if they, in turn, slay Borem. The dragon agrees, blesses them and sends them off. They kill Borem (or more over: Bhaal delivers the killing blow with the dagger, even though Bane had originally claimed it for himself), leave the dagger in the heart and also sail all the way back to Mezeketh island, where they than bury the heart with the dagger still in it... okay. Works for me.
But.
I also wanted to share this:
ELB, an abbreviation used by Kisonraathiisar, wrote that story upon one of his own scales. In modern times said scale can be found in on of Banes temple-vaults (don't remember which one though). As for how exactly they buried the heart:
"In those days, we three sought power, prestige, and eternal persistence. The planes had opened to us, revealing their terrible secrets. On the fields of fetid Rezamark, in the Lake of Boiling Mud, we took a step away from mortality. Borem, patron of anger, breathes no more. His indestructible heart is buried on this forlorn rock, where it must rest for eternity. We shall keep watch over it forever."
Like... I guess it was written by Bane himself. How the fuck did they put an entire stone pillar on top of the heart? I guess Myrkul could have used the Shape-Stone spell... and I dearly hope Bane did not carve the inscription into that stone with his own two hands, because I can see Myrkul and Bhaal getting pissy about how long that takes. But Bane is Bane and he is stubborn...
But I definetly love the last part: The promise to keep a primordial evil at bay forever. Makes me wonder if they still make sure that no one digs Borems heart up even as gods.
Moving on!
Because now those three decide that killing one primordial is not enough, no! They wan't to end all of them and take their powees for themselves (greedy as fuck if you ask me). Their next victim? Camnod.
In -358DR those three are guided, by their nightmare visions, towards the ruins of Myth Rhynn in the Wealdath (the Forest of Tethyr). While scouting this forest they stumble upon an ancient tomb guarded a baelnorn of Keltormir and retrieve the Morden Dagger (one of the seven god-slaying weapons, wielded by the Crown-Sorcerer Morden). With this dagger they make they track down Camnod and slay him, absorbing a part if his divinity. The primordial was buried by thwm beneath the tallest peak of the Zef Mountains... and I really do wonder how they did that.
Like, did they carry his corpse all the way up there??? Why not disintegrate the body, or throw it into the sea? Why did they bring it all the way up to the tallest peak of a whole mountain range? What was the thought process here?
They are weird but I love them for it. So moving on.
Of course killing two primordials is not enough. Which is why they go after Maram, Bane's old master. And for that they travel to Barze, a kingdom that lay north of the Moonsea and had been created by the netheres Archmage Barze (I don't know why the netherese put their names on everything. But Bane seems to have liked the idea).
Maram had spent fourteen years building a stronghold in the Monuments of the Ancients and terrorizing the people around him. What else did we expect?
In -357DR, two years after killing Borem (and apparently after having some pirate adventures) they made their way to Barze in order to convince the lord to ally with them:
"The sorcerer-king was happy until the Year of Sycophants, −357 DR, when the threat of Maram of the Great Spear prompted Barze to pledge his wizards to an alliance led by the Dark Three."
Those three idiots actually managed to assemble a giant force and marched against Maram into war:
"Led by the mortal Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul, a coalition of Horreb artificers, war wizards of Barze, horde nomads of Varm, gnoll warriors of Flindyke, goliath hunters of Mount Akoro, and gnome hammers of Forharn unite to defeat the primordial Maram. Though thousands were killed, the army succeeds in reaching the Monument of the Ancients and driving Maram back into the Elemental Chaos, resealing the Anchor of Chaos. Many more die on the journey away from the battle; of 50,000 troops fielded, less than 2000 return."
Yeah. 97% of their army was wiped out. And they didn't even manage to kill Maram! They only managed to banish him! Sucks for Bane. I believe it was said that Myrkul banished Maram back to the Elemental Chaos, using the scepter of the sorcerer-kings, while Bane closed the seal. Bhaal... I don't know. He was probably busy keeping their foes away from his two allies to make sure that they could proceed with the rituals undisturbed. Kudos to all three of them!
I also wanna point out that those three are idiots. Jergal actually did reveal the location of the Yurax Dagger (yes, Yurax was another Crown-Sorcerer) to them before they ever went to Barze, they just didn't retrieve it beforehand. Which means they could have slain Maram if they possessed a sliver of patience. Though I am also side-eyeing Bane here, cause I don't put it past him to act the fool and convince the other two into attacking before being ready. I had expected Myrkul to be intelligent enough to realize that without a god-slaying weapon they can't do that much, but I was wrong.
So. Maram is gone, having lost some of her divine power to the Dark Three, and their army is shattered. What to do next? This:
"The warleaders who defeated Maram abandon their weakened army. Magic-resistant diseases kill many more as the soldiers trudge back to their respective homes."
The three also stayed behind and continued to study the Monument's of the Ancients. Why? Because Jergal thought that the primordial threat had been dealt with and abandoned them, meaning they were left to their own devices. And, of course, they got the bright idea that unleashing even more primordials into the world and steal their power was the right way to go about it.
Myrkul was the one to construct the Cenotaph of the Lost Gods in the empty wastes of Lee-wai (nowadays known as the Tortured Lands), on which he inscribed the names of the seven primordials they confronted during their lifes. I presume while Myrkul was busy playing architect Bane and Bhaal retrieved the Yurax Dagger (which they should have done a long time ago, but they don't think things through).
Well, after they were done those three attempted to summon Hargut of the Gray Pestilence in order to steal his power and subdue him. They also wanted to unleash a terrible plague upon the land. This, thankfully, failes due to the fact that Hargut had escaped towards the Far Realms a long time ago. Myrkul did, however, manage to figure out that Hargut was linked to a single worshiper of his in the eastern Moonsea region. I will return to this later.
It would have been better for everyone if they had not managed to summon any primordials, but, as luck would have it, they did: Tyranthraxus, Edranka and Torath were subdued by them and unleashed upon the world.
You know what they did afterwards? Had Bhaal assassinate Barze:
"It was by the hand of one once hailed as a hero that the sorcerer-king Barze was laid low; executed silently and without a struggle. The assassin and his dour companions left the kingdom that very day; the murderers unchallenged as they passed."
I mean... Kudos to Bhaal for managing that without raising the alarm but why? Did Barze refuse to pay them because so many of his people died against Maram? Now that I think of it, that is probably true. And if you think that those three were fine with just killing Barze you're wrong. They are petty:
"Less than a year later, the kingdom of Barze would lie in utter ruin, its cities overrun and set aflame by the Twisted Ones (formorien giants) and their demonic general Tyranthraxus. Some whisper that the Dark Three had a hand in unleashing this new menace against their former allies, but that is a tale for another adventure."
No, that is not a tale for another adventure. They subdue Tyranthraxus, then kill Barze and then have Tyrantgraxus slaughter the whole kingdom!!! It's not the fault of some poor barber that Barze refused to pay them! But I suppose because Barze was well loved by his people the Dark Three took offense to that:
"It was not long after that the Twisted Ones came to finish off what was left of the grieving realm."
Those three have serious issues. Like damn, chill. Anyway, I am not yet done.
While Tyranthraxus was busy slaughtering innocents Edranka was commanded to amass an army and march against Haask (the worshiper of Hargut, a greathorn-minotaur). She did that by bringing the goblin tribes of the Tortured Lands under her yoke, some 100.000 men strong. She then clashed with Haask's armies in Grong-Haap.
During the same time period the primordial Torath was commanded to raise his own army by the three idiots. He did that by creating a strongold in the depths of Mount Throndor, located in the Eastern Dragonspine Mountains (now known as the West Galena Mountains) and brought a massive army of kuo-toa's to worship him (which may explain the Kuo-toa worshiping "Bhaal" in Bg3. Someone should tell Durge that their father likes fish-people). What did he do with that army? Conquest, what else?
"From there he marched south and east in
the Year of Dark Roads (-351 DR), leading an army of kuo-toa from Sorath-Nu-Sum to conquer the isolated duergar settlements amongst the Lost Ways of Sarphil (Modern: Beneath Mulmaster) until he was felled by a covey of night hags who forced him into icy cold water, transforming him into a flame-tinged pillar of stone (Modern: Pillar of Fire)."
You already know what is coming next.
They decide to go after Haask, who had summoney Hargut. Who, exactly, is Hargut? This:
"Hargut was an antediluvian horror from the Far Realm that manifested on the Toril as a colossal worm-like creature with a giant-sized mouth filled with layer upon layer of razor sharp teeth. Hargut ’s skin is sickly green and semi-transparent with red sores visible beneath the surface. Haask, once an elder doppelganger, is now a symbiont (Fiend Folio) fused to the outer flesh of the undying Hargut. Through their symbiotic relationship the former priest-king grants a degree of lucidity and intelligence to the otherwise mindless Hargut. It is unclear if the two would survive if they were separated for a period of time, if possible at all."
So, let's circle back to Edranka. Edranka marches with a 100.000 headstrong army against Haask, who, in his despair, summons Hargut:
"Issuing an utterance in a tongue not spoken on Toril since the Days of Thunder, Haask summoned forth an elder manifestation of absolute evil and sick malevolence. Hargut of the Gray Pestilence surveyed the battlefield before turning his undying gaze upon the priest-king. Speaking a powerful recitation of command, Haask then ordered the Gray Pestilence to scatter the invaders and defend the keep. Tens of thousands died that day before the walls of Ironfang Keep, their flesh fed into Hargut ’s voracious maw and their souls consigned to an eternity in the Barrens of Doom and Despair."
Edranka was winning the battle against the priest-king up until that very moment. Hargut defeated her in combat, which had been Myrkul's, Bhaal's and Bane's plan all along. They used this distraction (cause, let's face it, two primordials clashing must be quite the sight) and snuck into Ironfang Keep to there ambush Haask:
Anyway, the batrachi are a creator race. So very old and very powerful. Also kinda ugly:
"In the wake of his victory over Edranka’s goblinoid armies, Haask returned triumphantly to the keep to feast and rest. Inside, the priest-king was stunned to discover two grim looking humans — Bane and Myrkul—sitting nonchalantly upon his giant-crafted throne. Before Haask could react, Bhaal appeared behind the priest-king, driving the Yurax dagger — procured from Darkhold in the Sunset Mountains — through his back and into his heart. As his life energy pumped into the enchanted dagger, Haask’s form began to shift revealing his true nature as a batrachi-doppelganger."
I wanna have a moment of silence to appreciate Bane actually sharing the throne with Myrkul here. Although I suppose that Myrkul, as a crown-prince, would never have allowed Bane to act all high and mighty alone. For anyone wondering: Yes, Bhaal is the least egoistical out of the three of them. Which is an incredible sad statement.
The batrachi, also called amphibioids, were an ancient amphibious race that were counted as one of the creator races native to Abeir-Toril,
I would add a picture but Tumblr only allows to add ten per post. So don't throw things at me.
So, Hargut is bleeding out while his life-essence is slowly consumed by the Yurax Dagger. The right course if action would be to slay that malignant creature, but the Dark Three are unknown to have a sudden turn of heart:
"The dark three — a shadowy assassin, the brooding necromancer, and the dour warlord — presented an offer to the dying priest-king, vowing to spare his life in exchange for his undying fealty and command of the Gray Pestilence. His life blood trickling away and not fully appreciating the ramifications of his decision, Haask readily agreed. The three then dragged Haask outside the keep to lay prone before Hargut the Grey Pestilence."
I wanna take this moment to appreciate the hilarity of the image of them dragging a dying man through the whole keep only to throw him at the feet of a primordial. They could have just carried him, but no. It was probably Bane who wanted to savour this humiliation. Moving on:
"Producing the scepter of the sorcerer-kings, Myrkul pointed the artifact first at Hargut then to Haask while speaking three arcane syllables. Great was roar of the Gray Pestilence as he
was forcibly dragged down toward the fallen doppelganger. When at last they met, the two became one, and Haask, Voice of Hargut was reborn."
Hm. Yeah. They should have killed both. Funny thing is, they confined Haask, Voice of Hargut into the keep and never returned. I mean, why? They made use of the other primordials, but this one they just imprison? Stupid, but allright.
Oh. Myrkul also stole various things from the Ironfang Keep to indulge his interest of grafting:
"Although he made all but the last few preparations for his own lichdom, and experimented with cloning magic to create spare organs for himself, and even spare arms (having seized notes on magically-assisted grafting and sinew and tendon creation from Haask of Ironfang Keep), he never became undead nor augmented his own body (beyond personal protective magics) ere ascending into godhood."
Jup. Myrkul also convinced Bhaal and Bane to consider lichdom, but, at some point, the three decided against it (which is good, because I feel like thwy would have caused even more trouble as liches):
"...all of them seeing divine power being preferable to fighting off slow decay as undead (a view reinforced, in Myrkul’s case, by the relative ease with which he and his adventuring companions destroyed great numbers of undead)."
...I am just gonna move on. Alright?
So...
Next thing.
With all Seven Lost Gods dealt with they decided to go after Jergal, yet they only ascended in -335DR. As for how they ascended:
Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul excited Ironfang Keep and in one of the documents Myrkul had stolen had been hints towards an ancient fortress that lay far beneath the ice of the Glacier of the White Wyrm. The fortress was called 'Careekar' and once belonged to the batrachi empire of Boitumelo (which is probably why Haask knew about it).
Deep in the depths of this stronghild they found the sprawling portal network called 'Garuut-Omrum'. It took decades of work to figure out how they work and it was Myrkul who actually managed to work out the details.
In -339DR, during the exact moment of Karsus's folly, the seal that kept the gates closed was broken and the location of three pyramids, most likely similar to the Monuments of the Ancients, was revealed. It is at this point that Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul split up.
Bane made his way towards Garuut-Ar, Bhaal to Garuut-Au, and Myrkul to Garuut-Cu, all of them with the intent to steal the magic hidden within.
In another version those three stole the magic within the pyramids, located within Jhaamdath, Calimshan and Tethyr and created cults set on worshipping them. They had hoped that the worship would power them enough to ascend to divinity. Each of those three claimed one region for themselves, though who exactly took which I don't know. Anyway, Bane and Myrkul betrayed Bhaal in this one before starting to be at each others throats. Why? No idea and I am also only tacking this lore with a grain lf salt. It irks me.
Well, back to the lore that makes actual sense.
Once each of them had stolen the magic within their respective pyramids they returned to Careekar and made their way into Jergal's domain:
"Then, in the Year of Seven Spirits (-335 DR), drawing
forth the primordial power they had invested in the Cenotaph of the Lost Gods, the trio traveled to Jergal’s Court of Bone using the power of the Garuut-Omrum. (Myrkul’s scepter of the sorcerer-kings could not travel beyond the Material plane and was unintentionally left behind.)"
I think almost everyone know the rest: They battle through legions of undead, get tricked by Jergal/Jergal is too bored (depending on which version we are going with) and fight each other, go bowling up until the point Malar ruins the game and then decide to have a few rounds of knucklebones.
Bane won, Myrkul came second, Bhaal lost. I don't know how Bhaal managed to loose a game of dexterity against the elderly necromancer and Bane, who is as subtle as a living volcano. I can see Bane cheating in order to win and Myrkul using magic. Poor Bhaal really got the short stick.
There are few minor other things that those three did, but I am done for now.
I also realized that I actually wanted to analyse their personalities and backstories more. But I am tired. My brain and fingers hurt. And I cried like three times writing this. So I am probably gonna make another post. When? No idea. These three idiots are stupid.
If I got something wrong or you just wanna add something, feel free to comment.
Imma go sleep because I have to work from 4am - 12am tomorrow. Without a bloody break.
I like the idea that the Dark Urge, in their sleep, sometimes relives Bhaals mortal life. Like they can see his memories because they are so closely tied to him.
Are they aware of the fact that those are their fathers memories? Maybe.
But I love the idea that they told Gortash about some of them, which is why Bhaal fucking hates Gortash. Because how dare they tell their ally (lover) about that?
Bhaal: "Tf are you doing?! Stop telling Banes little snob about my business!"
Durge: "But father! A deeper understanding leads to a stronger alliance!"
Bhaal: "Just kill him. We have no need for an alliance with that upstart tyrant!"
Durge: "...is that about Bane? I once dreamed of you and him-"
Bhaal: "No! Orin! Orin! Ruin their mind - no! Not that much!... Oh... well."
Bane is laughing and waving his LGBTQ flag in the backround, Gortash is not sure what to think, Orin is giggling.
Ketheric and Myrkul have decided that this is none of their business.
Jergal (aka. Withers. Or just Grandpa) is shaking his head in utter disappointment. Somewhere. And later shaming Durge for their choice of partner. Were the two divorces between Bane and Bhaal not enough?
Does Bhaal allowing Orin to ruin Durges mind count as him refusing to bless the marriage? Gortash is crying, Durge is trying very hard to seem unbothered and Bane is screaming at Bhaal to allow those two to be young and foolish.
