Honestly, the one thing about the Gortash fandom that I don't get, or rather that kinda annoys me, is how people are: "Well, of course we are obsessed. He is voiced by Jason Isaacs." While for me that is like the one thing that really fucking pisses me off about the character, given that Isaacs is still very committed to not say anything against JK Rowling, and the trans stuff.
Like, while I adore Gortash, I am constantly busy trying to just forget about Isaacs voicing him. I would be so much happier if it had been anyone else. Someone who has the balls to actually defend trans people against the billionaire bully - while being in the position where he should do it due to his involvement with the franchise that shall not be named.
But maybe that's just me. You know. Being one of those trans people who Rowling would love to see dead.
I finished her last night, so here they both are. :') Getting consistent lighting for pictures has been a nightmare (Gorty is orange in his original post lmao) but this is close to how they look irl
Bg3 Companions and how they parallel The Dead Three (both the gods and their chosen).
Part 2: Gale
This is part 2 of my little series. Obviously. Part 1 is about Astarion and already up.
1. Gale, Gortash and Bane as a gods ambitious and disposable Champion/Chosen:
Ah, yes. A topic that has been discussed many times within the Bg3 fandom: Gale and Mystra and the power imbalance in their relationship and the fact that Gortash, ultimately, is also just a tool to a god. I will get to Bane later.
Gale obviously, as everyone knows, was Mystras chosen before a part of Karsus weave was trapped inside his chest in the form of the orb we all know about. Gortash is Banes chosen during the events of Bg3 and most likely started worshipping Bane after escaping the House of Hope. And Bane, while he wasn't a chosen, was a slave and champion to the God Maram, who is also a Primordial evil from the beginning of time.
The three of them caught the attention of their respective gods when they were still young. One of Elminsters epilogue letters says that he found Gale when he was a mere eight years old. Minsc also mentions that his people hide young, talented wizards, especially boys, from Mystra. And Mystra definetly has a habit of cultivating pseudo-sexual relationships with those she believes to have the potential of becoming one of her chosen. Two of her more derogatory titles, used by those that despise her, are "The Whore" and "The Harlot". I mean, she also forcibly transformed Elminster into a woman:
"The Lady of Magic transformed him into a woman named Elmara to strengthen his bond with magic and to expand his understanding of the world."
And this part:
"After some time, Mystra appeared to El (aka. Elminster) once again as Myrjala Talithyn and trained her in the ways of spellcasting. The two became dear friends, and fell in love with one another."
Second part sounds familiar, doesn't it? There is another servant of Mystra who is very similar to Gale. Azuth. A mortal that became a god of spellcasters. Do you guys know what his relationship with her looks like? Here:
"In life, and beyond, Azuth maintained a dynamic relationship with his divine superior Mystra; having served as her Chosen, her subordinate, and her lover. Azuth was subservient to both Mystra and later Midnight, having sat as an adviser for and acted as a favored student of the goddess of magic."
And what does Azuth think of Mystra? This:
"There was once a wizard who wanted power beyond all mortal reach. Such stories always end poorly. But luckily for the wizard, the Lady of the Mysteries took a shine to him and became his queen. She granted him powers—such powers—until he was no longer a mere wizard but a god in truth. A god dedicated to his lady and all who wore her crown."
Eh? Doesn't this sound familiar? Being a chosen, subordinate and lover at the same time? The want for power that will always end badly (Yes, this is a reference towards Karsus). That both Karsus and Gale sought her crown, while Azuth did not? And you know what? Karsus didn't even kill Mystra (or rather Mystryl) because he wanted to be a god out of blind ambition. This is the real reason:
"In −339 DR (3520 in Netherese reckoning), the Netherese archwizard Karsus took it upon himself to defeat the phaerimm that were threatening the Netherese empire. He had spent years researching Karsus's avatar, the only 12th-level spell ever created, which was designed to temporarily rob a deity of their power and grant it instead to the spellcaster."
Karsus wanted to protect his home. That's it. He wasn't the scheming, malicious mastermind history makes him out to be. And he didn't even seek to kill Mystryl. He just wanted to take her powers temporarily to destroy the phaerimm and end the life-drain spell that plagued his homeland. Do you remember Gales line about being "someone with the power of a god and the heart off a mortal"? Yeah. It's a shame it didn't really work out for Karsus:
"Karsus chose to rob Mystryl, and when her godly essence poured into him his mind and body were overwhelmed and he found that he was incapable of wielding such power."
This line definetly makes me believe that mortals that become gods definetly get their mind broken.
Kelemvor went from a man who wanted to be fair and just to someone who remains unfazed by whatever reasons a mortal may had to act a certain way. Midnight, who became the Mystra in Bg3, never wanted to be a god, yet when she became one she left Kelemvors side (who had been her mortal lover) and, in time, abandones the love she had held for many little things a god has no time to care about. Bhaals mind was completely sundered apart and he became a bloodthirsty lunatic. Bane was consumed by his aspect of Tyranny. Myrkul got his heart almost completely hollowed out. And Cyric? Let's not even go there, because damn. That man is more crazy than Bhaal (probably due to the fact that Bhaal went to quite some effort to make that happen).
And Gale? Gale loses his passion for poetry, his love for music, his appreciation for books, his dedication towards his mother and the tea-time they shared. He doesn't even visit them anymore. So, if you're living in the forgotten realms: Don't become a god. It will ruin your life.
I realized I lost sight of what I actually wanted to write. Gale, despite being close to Mystra, is only a mortal. He can and will be discarded if he is no longer perceived as useful or loyal enough. And that isn't something unique to only Mystra and her chosen. Gale can straight out tell a Dark Urge who become Bhaals chosen that being a gods chosen is no small thing. Yet he also, correctly, points out that the moment you become one you have no longer a real choice: You must follow your god wherever they go. If Gale goes against Mystra she sets off the orb in his chest and kills him. If Durge goes against Bhaal he rends their mind to pieces and makes a slave out of them.
It's the same with Bane and Gortash. Gortash, while being loyal to Bane, is not as blindly devoted towards him as Gale is to Mystra. He knows that he is just a tool and expects that sooner or later he will want to do something that Bane will disapprove of. Gale and Gortash actually seek the Crown of Karsus for the same reasons: To become a god and free themselves of their own deities. Ironically, Bane also has a pseudo-sexual relationship with his followers. At least in a way:
"Bane prefers to keep to the shadows, allowing his servants to carry out his intricate plans. On the rare occasions in which he appears, he takes the form of a shadowy humanoid figure - often bare-chested."
Bane also has a whole thing going on where he flirts with those he seeks to employ (or just likes/finds attractive), touches other peoples faces constantly, uses a sotty voice and so on. Really. Read the Avatar Triology. It's a wild ride.
As for Bane and Maram. Bane never was Marams chosen, but he definetly was one of his champions. He was also his slave: so once again the whole theme of not really being able to go against the god that picked you. Bane, when he was still in Abeir, actually managed to make a name for himself as "The Bane of the Ancients". And Maram would not just allow any slave to form at least some sort of identity. No. Bane was special to Maram because he was useful. And the sexual aspects... I already mentioned in my post about Astarion (part 1 of the series) that Bane may turned out the way he did because Maram has zero morals and isn't above using sexual violence.
The three of them, Gale, Gortash and Bane, are also very much ambitious idiots who pursue(d) godhood. Gale can become the God of Ambition if the player encourages him to do so, or die trying. Gortash definetly tries, although he fails at the last three steps. And Bane already succeeded in becoming one and now wants to be King of the Gods. Yeah. They are blinded by their ego.
2. Gale, Durge (and Orin) and Bhaal as individuals whose whole Identity is tied to a god:
Mystra is more than just the goddess of magic. She is magic. The weave is an extension of her. And Gale loves magic. He is good at it. His best friend, Tara, was summoned by him through magic. That man spent his entire life studying and practicing it. And that ruined him. Because in the beginning of Bg3 he believes that he is only worthy anything at all because of his prowess in that particular field. There is a line act 2, during the scene in which he summons the illusion of a starry night, in which he straight out tells the player that he only recently found something worth living for again: Genuine connections that have not some giant power-inbalance going on. And it is precisely because of that small hope, this realisation that he is worth more than whatever Mystra (most likely unintenionally) made him believe, which allows us to not only talk him out of activating the orb beneath Moonrise Towers, but also at the end of act 3 during the final. He was reminded that there are more purposes in life than just being a gods chosen. His whole identity revolved around magic and we, as the player charactere, can either help him understand that he is more or let him fall and then proceed to watch how he follows Karsus (something Tara points out in the Epilogue party). As previously mentioned, once Gale becomes a god he is no longer the Gale we came to know. His whole identity, as with all gods, now revolves around their portfolio. For Gale that is ambition and the karsite weave. Congratulations Gale.
I don't think I need to explain the Dark Urge and Orin that much. Honestly. They were both abused and groomed to be Bhaals chosen. Their whole lives revolved around Bhaal and what he wants them to be. When we meet Orin she is already almost completely subdued by Bhaal. Minthara accuratly describes her as being "lost to madness and blood". And when Orin doubts? when she begins to question her purpose? When her whole identity comes crashing down the moment you tell her about her mother and Sarevok? About how she was abused and used? She becomes a burden, a thing to be discarded. Bhaal doesn't waste a second punishing her for it. At least the Dark Urge gets multiple chances to return to their former position.
Let's move on to Bhaal and pick at his own mortal life. Bhaal has been given two backstories, in both of them he was closely connected to Jergal. Like really closely. In the first he was Tharlagaunt Bale, a netherese Archwizard and peer of Karsus (yes, he worked together with him) and in the other one he was Arabhal and served the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz.
Bhaal, as Tharlagaunt Bale, was one of twelve chosen wizards, specifically picked out by Jergal, to inherit a spark of his divinity so that he can redefine it. Spoiler alert: The twelve were actually betrayed. Had Jergal managed to complete the ritual they would have been turned into mindless liches chained to his wilk. Sure, they would have inherited a minor spark of Jergals power, but would also have lost everything else.
Bhaal as Arabhal was a Chief Assassin and Spymaster and Jergal was his patron deity. And what did Jergal do? This:
"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."
The aforementioned Ascenion Ritual very much parallels the one I already mentioned. Both times Bhaal had something to do with it: As Tharlagaunt Bale he was indirectly chosen by Jergal and was supposed to participate in that ritual himself. As Arabhal he retrieved the bone-shards of the dead god which were used to craft the daggers. And Bhaal really dis believe, both times, that Jergal would not turn on him. He was wrong.
In the first backstory he spent his entire life preparing to ascend alongside eleven other wizards, only to get a harsh reality check. In the second one Jergal, as Lae'zel puts it with Vlaakith, sinned against him. Acted against him. By killing almost everyone. Bhaal lost friends to Jergal, people he had known for years - gone. Their lives snuffed out. No wonder he goes against Jergal. He was probably the one to tell Bane and Myrkul that if they were to steal the power of a god it should be him. His identity was ripped out of his hands and buried.
3. Gale, Ketheric and Myrkul as wealthy and influential people, who also have quite some ego:
Gale has a wizard tower, was Mystras chosen and seems to come from a family of spellcasters. His mother was wealthy enough to allow him to attend the best academies a young wizard can visit. Ketheric also has a tower, is a gods chosen and also a lord. That man is wealthy, alright? And Myrkul was the heir to the Throne of Murghom when he was still alive, which means: Money, treasures and gold. Lots and lots of gold.
This privilege also seemed to have nurtured a sense of entitlement and ego in them.
Gale, let's face it, is not as innocent as he likes to portray himself. Was the relationship between him and Mystra unhealthy? Yes. Should she have waited before getting into contact with Gale? Definetly! Is Gale some innocent casuality that did nothing wrong? No. He is ambitious, seems to harbor quite a power-hungry streak, impatient and certainly acts like he is the greatest wizard wandering the realm. I mean, just play a sorcerer or any other magic-user and un thw first conversation you can have with him he is like: "Oh, I meant to ask if you're studied in magic. Which you are not." So, yeah. Or the beginning of act 2 where he feels like he needs to mock a sorcerer that tells him that he doesn't need to describe shadow-magic to them? The ritual-circle in Moonrise Towers? Hm? Any bells? Any arrogant undertones? He definetly acts and acted like he is better than almost everyone else. And he doesn't even realize it. Still love him though.
And Ketheric? Gods. That man murders hundreds, starts wars, curses an entire region and traps and tortures his daughters lover. And he still acts like he is justified in doing so. Did the gods fuck him over? Yes, especially Shar and Myrkul. Did he overstep quite a few boundaries a long time ago? Also yes. I understand that it was grief, the loss of his wife and daughter, that drove him to do these things. But he never even expresses any kind of regret! He is only sorry about the fact that Isobel has turned against him. And if we allow Marcus to bring Isobel to him? He wipes her mind and makes her an obedient puppet. Great parenting. Did Myrkul tell him to take a page out of Bhaals book? Looks like it.
And Myrkul? Honestly? Arrogant, entitled, haughty. You can take the prince out of his kingdom but not the royal sense of superiority out of the man. He views everything and everyone as lesser. More stupid. Disposable. And so on. Unless its Bhaal. Bhaal is fine. He likes him. Everyone else though? Nah. He can do without them.
That's enough for today.
I am going to bed. This time for real.
As always, feel free to offer your own ideas and thoughts! I am always happy to discuss various topics.
