One thing BG3 players may not have known about Karsus is that he wasn't trying to become a god for the hell of it. His homeland of Netheril was at war with the phaerimm, a race of extremely powerful magical aberrations. Multiple cities had already fallen to them by the time he had developed his spell Karsus's avatar.
(Side note: High Netherese civilization was located on flying mountain tops that were severed from the ground and flipped upside to serve as a base for the city. So when I say fall, I mean fall.)
Karsus developed his spell to steal the powers of a god so he could destroy the phaerimm and save his people. The spell was actually only temporary in nature (though he didn't appear to know this), and he picked Mystryl (Mystra's former incarnation) as he reasoned the powerful goddess of magic was the best target.
The problem that Karsus didn't realize until it was too late was that Mystryl maintained the use of all magic in the universe. As her powers were lost, all magic in the world began to fluctuate wildly and she was forced to sacrifice herself to stop Karsus, which caused all magic to briefly stop, sending Netheril and its floating cities crashing to the ground.
Karsus wasn't some megalomaniac wizard who saw godhood as his birthright and killed Mystryl to get it - he was a person with good intentions who wanted to save his home and his family but ended up causing an unimaginable amount of destruction, and in his last moments his heart broke over how he had accidentally doomed them all.
Anyways, here's an unrelated Gale quote about Lorroakan seeking godhood:
I handmade this book to go with my Gale cosplay. The cover is EVA Foam. The pages I put together myself and the sketches inside were done by me and my dad. I hand dyed the pages with coffee as well. Tried to get it as close to any reference images I could find, and all the symbols translate accurately to the same language that's in the in-game book.
The Dark Urge and how their chosen Class(es) may echo Bhaal. A VERY long and detailed Insight
I am bad at creating titles so bear with me.
As a sucker for parallels in fiction I thought quite a lot about how the original Dark Urge is a storm sorcerer. My own Durge is mostly a Cleric/Paladin of Lathander but I tend to play around with the classes and often think about how they may have developed.
Many in the Bg3 fandom are rightfully confused at the fact that the original Dark Urge is a storm sorcerer because there is nothing in Bhaals own lore that would explain why and how he made one (he has zero connections to the literal kind of storms in any way). I was too, which is why I took a look at the Dark Urge and went down a rabbit-hole trying to explain how their class may, in any way, connect to their father.
Classes are detailed in alphabetic order, so if you have interest in only one class, feel free to skip ahead! Let's get into it.
Barbarian: Quite an easily one to answer to be honest. Barbarians in the Forgotten Realms Lore are known to be aggressive, loud and incredibly strong. They thrive in the chaos of combat and can fall into a blind rage. For a Bhaalspawn, especially the Dark Urge, such a habit would be very helpful when it comes to commiting mindless slaughter. Is it subtle? No. But the Bhaal in Bg3 seems to have changed from his pre Time of Troubles self and no longer cares for subtlety that much (I still think he is Malar in disguise but that is a post for another time). I can see the Dark Urge becoming a Barbarian either becauss they truly exult in the loss of control and the death they causd or because they had to find a way to stop the Urges they suffer from clamoring inside their head.
BUT.
There is a tiny little detail about Bhaal that makes a Barbarian Durge very interesting. And I am not speaking about Bhaal himself being at constant risk of losing control of himself, but about one of his "avatars". In one of the two backstories Bhaal has been given he was Tharlagaunt Bale, a Netherese Archmage and peer of Karsus, who was exceptionally powerful even by netherese standards. In this backstory Bhaal is given two Avatars (I copied the description of him directly into this post):
1. "The other depiction of Bhaal is that of a cloaked figure wearing a steel harlequin mask. He carries twin curved daggers but is otherwise dressed and cloaked in fine, dark clothing. He stalks opponents relentlessly, increasing their fear and terror until the final blow falls. This depiction is most like the Bhaal of history known in Netheril and Jhaamdath."
While I prefer the aforementioned avatar of him it is actually the second one that reminds me so much of a Barbarian gone mad.
2. "He is most often depicted as a hulking brute covered in bleeding wounds, and armed with a wicked, curving dagger. His head is flayed of flesh, taking on the visage of a bone white skull surrounded by a halo of blood. In this form Bhaal is supposed to be an unthinking brute that slays without thought or question. It is believed this depiction derives from the last days of Bhaal’s life where he was half mad from poison and torture and rampaged across Calimshan and Tethyr before being slain."
And also this passage:
"...Ultimately Bhaal was betrayed by his former companions, poisoned and mutilated by magic until he resembled a hulking behemoth consumed by bloodlust."
So, to me, that sounds like the behavior of a Barbarian gone astray. Obviously his class (in this backstory) was wizard but it would be very interesting if he reverted to this part of himself after the Time of Troubles and a barbarian Dark Urge is, in a way, a reflection of this Avatar. They were, after all, made from Bhaals own flesh. Maybe when Bhaal cut himself and sacrificed his flesh for Durges creation he was reminded of the mutiliation he himself had suffered when he was still mortal and that pain, and maybe even fear, seeped into the Dark Urge.
Bard: Honestly, a bard Durge is one of the most intruiging classes for them. Because fun fact: Bhaal is most likely of Talfiric origin. Who are the Talfir? Glad you asked! The Talfir were the first, slightly nomadic orientated, humans that settled along the Chionthar River in the region that would later be known as the Western Heartlands. Yes, they predate Baldurs Gate, which is why Bhaal is so obsessed with this city because Baldurian literally "invaded" his homeland, drove out his people (in a way) and destroyed his culture. And then he tore down Bhaals first temple and built the city of Baldurs Gate there! So yeah, I get Bhaal for being pissy about this. But do you guys now what the Talfir were known for? Bardic Traditions! Bhaal was raised among Bards, which honestly explains his slightly theatric behavior and his obsession with art (kudos to Orin for keeping up the tradition of creating instruments out of mortal remains). So a Bard Durge would very much echo this part of Bhaals life, especially if they are a swords-bard, because those that are able to weave stories while also being able to kill someone quickly are among Bhaals favorite people. The man has hobbies, alright? A bardic Dark Urge is a solid 8/10. (Though Bhaal, apparently, only likes music that isn't accompanied by singing, so one better doesn't talk to much in his presence... unless you are Bane. Then you will be fine. Mostly.)
Cleric: Playing a cleric Durge has always been my most favorite thing to do, mostly due to the Divine Drama and custody battles I can imagine taking place. Especially if you play a cleric of Selune (I may touch on her later). Funny thing is however that in the backstory where Bhaal was Tharlagaunt Bale he pretty much did fulfill an almost cleric-like function at one point. Wanna know to which god? Jergal. Here is what I mean:
"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 (remember Selune? Nydra is her daughter). With the hidden aid of the Lord of the End of Everything, these individuals grew rapidly in power, with the younger ones soon matching the prowess of Ioulaum."
Also this part: "By the Year of Mortal Consequences (-421 DR), Jergal had completed his seduction of the selected archwizards, convincing them to undergo the transformation to lichdom and putting them firmly in the grip of the Lord of Bones."
And this one: "In -408 DR Karsus uncovered the secrets of heavy magic, a crucial ingredient in Jergal’s planned ritual and by the Year of Good Courage (-345 DR), all the candidates could wield heavy magic and Jergal’s preparations could commence."
And definetly this one: "Jergal regularly dream-visited his chosen archwizards, outlining the expansion of his divinity and their role in making him the pre-eminent deity of death and necromancy throughout Faerun while attaining immortality and a fragment of divinity for themselves."
It is to say that the ritual Jergal had planned went awry because of Karsus and only three of Jergals champions survived: "Alithar lived on for centuries more, having struck an alliance of sorts with the somnolent deity Moander, until he fell afoul of the elves of the Wolf Woods of present-day Cormyr and fell in battle against them and was buried there. Elah nurtured her divine spark with the blessing of Selune and became the minor deity known as Bright Nydra to the Marsh Drovers of the Tunlands. It is thought that she struggled with ore frelinquished her mantle of divinity and was wholly subumed by Selune prior to the raising of the Standing Stone. 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."
Tell me Bhaal, how do you feel about a Durge that becomes an indirect champion of Jergal? Or even of any other god? Honestly, that makes Jergal having calmed down over the centuries since his abandonment of godhhood so much funnier. Because not only is Jergal one of the reasons Bhaals mortal life was pretty shitty, but then he decides to give him a headache as a god aswell? Just because he has calmed down, looked at Bhaals child and was like: "Mine now."? Jergal does seem to have a sense of humor.
In Bhaals other backstory, the one where his original name was Arabhal and he served the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz as Spymaster and Chief Assassin (kudos to the Lord of Murder for being good at his job), Jergal was also his patron deity. Until the god decided to steal the god-slaying daggers of Rdiuz and transform the sorcerers (and their cults) into ravenous ghouls. Really makes me wonder if mortal Bhaal, in this version of his mortal life, was so pissed off at the fact that his own patron deity rendered him unemployed that he just decided to take his job in return. What a classic revenge: Getting fired and then deciding to just buy the company that fired you and throw out your old boss (becoming a god). I do like the idea of Bhaal being this petty. Also, Jergal does seem to set the Dark Urge up for taking their fathers job. Seems to run in the family. Can we say that the Dark Urge was fired by Bhaal when they were killed by him in the temple? And Jergal looked at the situation and was like: "No. They (Durge) are better suited. You, Bhaal, are once again, unofficialy, fired. Shoo." I am sorry but this is hilarious. It really adds flavor to Bhaal just watching it happen. He is dumbfounded!
Druid: I'll be honest, I have found scarcely a thing that could tie Bhaal to druidic orders, which means drawing a parallel between a druid Durge and their father is rather hard. The only thing I did find out was that Bhaal had a preference for changing his own shape and choosing, most of the time, to disguise himself. He also has a thing for tentacels (remember the implied romance between Durge and the Netherbrain? Yeah, they got it from father dearest. Also the little Intellect devourer you can pick up), Gnolls (also a thing the Dark Urge seems to have inherited), owlbears (Bhaal approves of the owlbear cub in Bg3) and Displacer Beasts (He disapproves of killing Nessa in Shars temple). But then I remembered the Moonshae triology and one of Bhaals avatars (one that is also tied to Malar): Kazgoroth, who is simply described as a shape-shifting monstrosity. I suppose Bhaals general disdain for life and his preference of changing his form could tie Durge to a druidic order like the Shadow-Druids we meet in Bg3. But honestly? I am grasping at straws here. It be amusing though if Jaheira managed to get so much on Bhaals nerves that he just decided to make a dark mirror to her, one that could lead and inspire people for all the wrong reasons: "Do you see this Jaheira??? You nature-coddling Druids suck! Embrace the savage side of nature!" He is to ashamed to face his two allies when Jaheira becomes Durge indirect mother. My apologies towards all Druid fans who got disappointed, but Bhaal is not really a Druid friend.
Fighter: One of the easier classes to make sense off because in general a fighter is a warrior who focuses on direct combat by using material weapons. There are some subclasses in DnD that use magic but most don't. The Dark Urge as a fighter is, personally thinking, boring. But I think fighters in general rather boring. Because what do you mean you can become a wizard, a cleric or even a bloody bard any you choose the simple sword??? Why??? No matter, I am not here to judge. Bhaals only ties to the fighter class are:
1. He travelled together with Bane for decades as a mortal and probably picked up a few things himself.
And 2: In 2e his Avatar has 27 levels in fighter, which does make me believe that he definetly took a page or two out of Banes book. Probably merely to spite him (which didn't work because Bane has 35 levels in fighter).
So the idea I went with is that Bhaal looked at his failure to one-up Bane, then looked at Durge, and decided to have them best every follower of Bane when it comes to direct material prowess. Let's face it: Pre-lobotimy Durge would wipe the floor with most characters in the game (gods obviously not included). Bhaal walked up to Bane, grinned, and proudly announced that their pureblooded child is better than any follower of Bane (we ignore Xyvim here). Once again, the idea that the Dark Urge is a representation of Bhaals petty nature is rather funny if we ignore how brutal Bhaal becomes when he feels slighted.
Monk: I admit that the first thing I thought of when I tried to draw a parallel between a monk Durge and their father was the Avatar Triology, in which Bhaal quite literally beats the crap out of people with his bare hands. You think Bhaal is only scary with knives? Think again. He can and will use his hands against you to make you suffer. Then I considered the fact that Bhaal praises individuals who have mastered the art of impulse- and self-control (looking at you Bane, because you suck in those things) and how these two things are very much an important part of Bhaals doctrine. He won't accept people in his clergy that behave like rabid beasts and cannot reflect upon themselves (at least pre Time of Troubles, because Larian seems to have changed that). Monks constantly practice self-control, their very bodies become weapons, those are aspects Bhaal would very much want to nurture in his perfect child.
But.
I found out something very interesting about monks: The Order of the Long Death. These monks, while not venerating Bhaal as one of their patron deities (Myrkul was faster in asserting himself), very much are fascinated with death:
"The Order of the Long Death, also known as the Way of the Long Death, was a monastic order devoted to understanding every aspect related to the process of dying and the nature of death itself."
Bhaal is the god that represent the process of dying more than any other god, he stands between Bane (who, in a way, represents life) and Myrkul (I don't think I need to elaborate). This was his whole argument for why he was the actual ruler of the Dead Three:
"I choose death...I can destroy your kingdom, Bane, by murdering your subjects, and I can starve your kingdom, Myrkul, by staying my hand."
But there are three other aspects about the Order of the Long Death that reflect Bhaal:
"They cared little for the afterlife, and sought no deeper understanding of a soul's place in the greater cosmology, but rather the effects of death on intelligent beings and the achievement of 'perfect death'. They saw this as the ultimate offering they could bestow upon any being who was deemed truly ready."
1. Effects of death: Bhaal wants his followers to slay with grace and skill. He wants for them to kill in a way that impresses bystanders and witnesses. He wants them to wield Death not as a means to an end, but as a form of art. Bhaal demands passion and joy. He wants others, whether they like him or not, too acknowledge the power in being able to snuff out a life quickly. He is not Bane, who thinks bludgeoning someone into the ground with a hammer while making a sloppy mess out of everything counts as a good kill. To Bhaal a death must be a prove of skill, which means that those that claim to follow him must set out to slay those stronger than themselves. Death is art in Bhaals eyes. And art must impress others. That is the effect he wants bystanders to feel: Fear, but also respect and admiration for a murder/assassination skillfully carried out. You won't earn Bhaals respect by killing those that can't protect themselves (he won't say no to it, but he also won't respect it).
2. Perfect death: Do you guys know what a Peryton is in the Forgotten Realms Lore? No? It is this thing:
I had to pull out my Moonshae Triology books for those fuckers again, because in them we actually learn that those things were created by Bhaal. Do you know what they have in common with the Dark Urge? They hate the fact that they are alive (Bhaal has great parenting skills) and they are also cannibals. But to get back unto the matter of achieving/delivering the perfect death:
"...yet they were driven by a desire to kill others and someday ascend to a higher form of existence by the eating of a "perfect heart". The perytons believed that the perfect heart must always be eaten fresh, which was why they tried to tear it from living prey with their sharp talons."
It is not a 100% accurate parallel but you can see how I came to the conclusion that delivering a perfect death could result in one being able to harvest the perfect heart? Once again we get a slight insights into Bhaals view on death: Perfection, a higher dimension. People often tend to forget that Bhaal and his assassins view themselves as liberators from life (because they view life as a cesspit of anguish. Yeah they are mad. There is also a line in Bg1 or Bg2 where Bhaal quite directly tells the player that "Life is pain").
3. Ultimate offering: This part parallels with what I already mentioned before: To Bhaal, life is pain. Misery. It is a curse which he lifts by taking life, quite literally, away. He doesn't necessary believe himself to be a bad person, even if he knows others view him as such, it's just his fucked up philosophy. And honestly, his mortal life seemed miserable enough for me to understand how he came to the conclusion. The ultimate gift he can grant is death, because to him Death equals Liberation. Does this mean he wants to die himself? Not really, although Bg3 certainly put suicidal undertones into his doctrine (the whole Dark Urge thing with dying atop his altar etc.). Yeah. The man has issues.
Also, do you remember Sceleritas lines about how "every man kills what he loves most in time?" Certainly puts Bhaalist marriage customs into another view. Maybe they believe that the unavoidable hardships of life are a taint on their love? Which is why the kill themselves together on Bhaals altar? Bacause he will take them away from the agonies of life and grant them rest in death? Durge, why do you want to condemn Gortash to your father? Bane will not be happy about that.
Getting back to the topic of monks I can definetly see the Dark Urge becoming a monk for the aforementioned reasons. A Way of the Shadows Monk or even Open Hand monk would also fit nicely.
Paladin: Oh boy, have I waited for this one, because a paladin Durge is so interesting to me: To look for a purpose in life and swear yourself to it. It is a shame that Larian changed the Dark Urges original class to storm-sorcerer. Obviously the whole "giving yourself a purpose in order to fight back against a dark influence that tries to use you for its own purpose" is so tragic. And, in a way, it is reflected in both Bhaal and Durge.
The Dark Urge can fight against Bhaal, it is even implied by Sarevok that they originally took up their oath in order to fight against Bhaal (which is why Bhaal consumes your oath if you play a Durge paladin and become his chosen). They made a vow in which Bhaal had no part in order to lead a life on their own. They pledged themselves to something they believed could help save them (or at least guide them into the right direction). And they tried this again and again and again. The Oathbreaker paladin confirms that Durge has broken their oath multiple times before. Yet here they are: Still trying. And if they become an Oathbreaker, if they give up? This is just tragic because, in a way, Bhaal wins. Sure, the Dark Urge is not necessarily evil just because they become one, but they still abandoned something that they once hoped would help them stand against him.
Now on to the matter on how this parallels Bhaal, two things:
1. Dedication and the Belief in something, an oath in a metaphorical way: By now everyone is probably aware of the fact that Bhaal is not really sane. He "suffers" from an unquenchable hunger (the blood of living beings, which he straight out tells Durge if they loose the duel with Orin. It is also mentioned in the Moonshae triology. Multiple times.) and is always just one step away from loosing control of himself. In the very beginning of the Avatar Triology the gods are summoned by Ao and confronted with their greatest fears. For Bane it was unconditional love, for Mystra a spiral of senseless chaos. We are not directly told what Bhaals greatest fear is, but if we look at his whole lore one can determine that is the very same thing that the Dark Urge fears the most: Loss of Control. Madness. Which is sad for both of them due to the fact that they are already insane. Jergal and Astarion both point this out. AND YET. They may be mad, but they are still in control most of the time. I mean, if we look at how much Bhaal hates loosing control of himself, how important a thing self-control is in his doctrine and how the greatest punishment he can and will inflict upon the Dark Urge is to make them loose control over every aspect of their life, it doesn't seem so far fetches that he fears this as well. He doesn't want to go off the rails because an assassin that cannot control themselves is worthless. So the promise he made to himself, and demands every follower of his to make, is that they learn patience. That they find ways to distract themselves instead of going crazy. It is not a real oath, but both (The Dark Urge and their father) still try to hold unto the belief that they are not rabid beasts (Bhaal still is one, but he thinks that just because he commits attrocities while being completely aware of the fact that he is doing it, doesn't make him one). It is also intruiging if we consider that both Bane and Gortash seem to admire the both of them for it (Bane with Bhaal, Gortash with Durge). Ah, parallels, I love you.
2. An Oath in the literal way, a promise to do something: Bhaal, as a mortal, was no paladin. Yet he did make a vow: To become a god or die trying. For anyone wondering, yes, Bane and Myrkul made the same one.
We don't know of this was a blood-pact or if it was written somewhere or whatnot. But the three of them did make one.
Bhaal pledged himself to a purpose as well. Sure, it was rather a self-serving one but I never said he was a good man. Do you guys remember the whole "Jergal manipulated Bhaal his (probably) whole life and fucked him over"? Which can count for both backstories? Yeah? Good, because in a way one could read into it (which I did) and determine that becoming a god was also Bhaals hope of freeing himself from whatever influence Jergal still had over them. And also taking revenge in the process (Nice parallels between Karsus/Mystra/Gale here, if we consider Bhaal as Tharlagaunt Bale). Also, as I mentioned in the Cleric section of this post:
"...putting them (Bale and the other Archmages) firmly in the grip of the Lord of Bones."
So, he definetly would have a reason to try to get away after he had realised that Jergal had betrayed him and the others (which happened to late).
Kinda sad how Bhaal was fucked over by Jergal and then proceeded to use the same manipulation tactics that were used on him on the Dark Urge. And no, I am not excusing Bhaals behavior here, but as a mortal he was not half as deranged as he is as a god. I think. Welp, Paladin Durge and Bhaal have a few parallels that make the situation between them very interesting. Especially if you add Jergal to the mix.
Ranger: The Dark Urge being a ranger makes a lot of sense actually. Many of Bhaals most trusted Deathstalkers are either Rangers or Rogues (and sometimes clerics). And given that the Talfir (check back on the Bard section of this post) are implied to be somewhat nomadic it comes to no surprise that Bhaal wpuld want his pureblooded spawn to be aquainted with the wilds. Because Deathstalkers (which Durge was at some point) mostly travel from city to city and spread word of Bhaal. So yeah. Makes sense.
But I also want to speak about another aspect I came to thunk off while writing this: Avarice. Bhaal is a god that loves gold. He is obsessed with it, really: Silver cutlery, Butlers, the scene in the Moonshae triology where he treats the lavafalls outside of his home like a whirlpool. He gives me self-made man vibes. And the Talfir were probably not people of grand wealth. Let's be clear: I don't think he grew up quite as poor as Durge (which I also view as a method of Bhaal to ensure that they become hardier) but he definetly didn't know what it was actually like to not worry about food or clothes. Rangers know how to live of the land and it is a skill Bhaal himself would have had to have learned.
If we go with the backstory in which he was Arabhal (the Spymaster) he left his people at some point (he was most likely still very young) in order to actually be able to have something that he can call his own. And he succeeded: He became one of the most important people in Rdiuz. It would put Bhaals obsession with gold into perspective and also why he seems to tolerate the Dark Urge giving away a single gold coin to a beggar (Is he pleased? No, because this gold belongs to him. Will he express dissastisfaction at this? Also no, because maybe he somewhat understand why).
Rogue: I am tired and I don't think I need to explain this one. Bhaal is an assassin (even in godhood. Yes, he served as Banes blade for a time) and Durge is too. Also the whole Deathstalker thing. To all rogue fans: A thousand apologies but I am not "creative" enough to draw parallels that are not already obvious.
Sorcerer: Heavily circling back towards the Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz. More details: The Crown-Sorcerers of Rdiuz were seven of the most powerful sorcerers in all of Netheril. Among them was a man called Jathiman who was also the leader of them. (Ara)bhal served them as Chief Assassin as Spymaster and was later joined by Bane, who somehow managed to escape Maram and got employed by them.
I know, I know. Who is Maram? To make it quick: Maram is one of the Seven Lost Gods of Abeir and a Primordial Evil. He was also Banes master (yes, Bane started out as a slave who came from Abeir to Toril). Very powerful being who later got himself banished and imprisoned by the Dead Thred (when they were still mortals) and then served Bane when he became a god (Kudos to Bane for hitting his old slaver right into the face).
The Crown-Sorceres of Rdiuz pretty much held the mindset of the netherese people being equal to gods (which is probably one of the reasons why both Bhaal and Bane decided that pursuing this path was a viable career option) and crafted god-slaying daggers by plundering a divine graveyard. Which pissed off the guardian god of that place (Say hi to Anubis) and worried Jergal (welcome back) because he wanted to rewrite his own divinity. The sorcerers succesfully crafted the daggers and were then transformed into ghouls by Jergal, who stealed said weapons and ran away. The Jathiman dagger was later found by Bhaal and Bane with the help of Myrkul and used to slay Bogrem of the boiling Mud (another lost god of Abeir) and some other primordial I don't remember.
Fast forward a few thousand years and we have sorcerer Durge. A storm-sorcerer one at that. A divine-spul sorcerer would make sense for obvious reasons. A draconic-bloodline one I can also explain because the netherese were closely tied to dragons and Bhaal seems to have a thing for dragons in general. Wild-magic sorcerer? I mean... Bhaal can be composed but if he is not? I can see it happening. But STORM-SORCERER? How the fuck did that happen? I will just assume Bhaal thought back on his time as a servant to those seven ambitious other sorceres and decided that his child would be a far better magic user. Maybe Jathiman was a Storm-Sorcerer and Bhaal still had some old keepsake or so lying around from that time. I don't know, don't ask me.
But yeah. Sorcerer Durge can definetly make sense.
Warlock: Honestly, the only minor parallel I could draw was one you only have if you squint hard enough. Remember Tharalagaunt Bale? Of course you do. Here is another part of this backstory I will quote:
"It is also believed that they travelled into the lands of Jhaamdath following the Fall of Netheril, and then into Calimshan following the Fall of Jhaamdath. Along the way they are thought to have allied with and betrayed other companions, such as Malar and Talona."
The only thing I can say for a Warlock Durge who, in any way, echoes Bhaals own mortal life, is that maybe the Dead Three made some sort of pack with Malar and Talona which may have been very similar to a warlocks pack. But that it is really all I could find on that matter. Sorry.
Wizard: Two answers, very short, because my fingers hurt:
1. Once again, Bhaal as the wizard prodigy Tharlagaunt Bale. The Dark Urge (if you make them a wizard) definetly was a powerful magic user as well. I wonder what Selune and Mystra would think about this? Makes a romance with Gale and/or Shadowheart definetly more interesting because technically Bhaal worked not only alongside Selunes daughter for quite a few years, but also alongside Karsus. Did he ever offer some ideas on the matter of the whole crown-forging business? Would make it funny. Especially because Bane, his oldest ally, hates Mystra.
2. Myrkul. Somehow I can see Bhaal wanting to have a powerful wizard of his own (no, some half-blooded children won't do). Was the Dark Urge some passion project of theirs? Bhaal and Myrkul are definetly besties and I wouldn't be surprised.
That's it. I have written for three hours now. I don't know if anyone will actually read all this, but hey! I had fun.
Also, I am not invalidating anyones oc Durge and their class. I simply wanted to take a look at the possible parallels the Dark Urge and their father could have. Please, don't start throwing things at me.
If you have other ideas, want to correct me on something, or just want to share your own Durges and the reason for their chosen class, feel free to do so in the Comments or through Reblogs. Your choice!
Gale/Karsus as a rarepair has consumed my brain. So here, a fic about it.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Gale started hearing voices after the orb entered his body. Once the affliction was stabilized, he began having visions, too. At night, he inhabits another world, another life, as someone else who in his final moments commits deicide.
There is a bit of that someone left in the orb lodged in Gale's chest.
With Gale's help, that someone comes crawling back out into the world.
What happened to netherese magic and Karsus's Weave?
I read an very interesting post by @bladesingerlily, but I don't agree with everything. I'll add something. Maybe someone will be interested in this :)
Let's begin.
Gale says that the magic hidden in the Sphere is dangerous. He senses it, but does not fully understand it. But Mystra explains it much better. She says that the magic of the Sphere is literally raw magic (which is what Karsus was working with), that it is an unstructured weave, and therefore extremely UNSTABLE and consumes everything it can reach.
Yes, raw magic gives great power, but it also affects its bearer, destroying them. It is dangerous and unpredictable, which is why most wizards prefer Mystra's stable weave.
About Netheril.
There is another version of events, from the author of Jergal (I won't go into detail, you can read about it in the book)*.
Jergal is essentially the founder of Netheril; he brought magic to the first settlers of the villages from which Netheril grew. His own magic. He is a deity of death, and his magic has a strong necrotic basis; it is literally destructive. This is precisely why many of Netheril's magicians simply went mad.
Spellweaver
And we remember that Jergal is not a deity of this universe at all. He is a spellweaver, an alien, the last of his people who was able to obtain a spark of divinity by sacrificing the rest of his kin. And now his task is to bring back his people by destroying human civilization.
He was probably also behind the scrolls of Nether, which gave a powerful boost to the development of all Netheril Arcanists. It was a standard spellweavers tactic to give slave races (which they considered dangerous) powerful magical artifacts or knowledge that served to destroy them.
Jergal is the main villain of this universe (no, don't even remind me about BG3, we have a separate, funny version of Jergal there). Why would he give people something that would elevate them? He gave them something that would destroy them.
Note: By the way, the Absolute crisis is most likely the work of Jergal, and not the Dead Trio or Durge at all. It wasn't fatigue that made him hand over power over his domains to some idiots. He foresaw their potential as new evil gods.
His magic made the Netheril turn away from the gods, fueling their ambitions against the backdrop of universally accessible magic. It caused a literal stratification of society and slavery. And later, because of this same magic, a war with the Phaerimms began. And that same magic became their end.
Thus, Netheril magic is magic based on necromancy, enhanced by Mythallars and mixed with raw magic (especially during Karsus' lifetime). But it is still magic controlled by Mystra. And as with shadow weaving, Mystra wants to have complete control over it. And not without reason.
In the game, Mystra has no aversion to Netheril magic as a whole; it exists in some form even now (Halruaa). She has no tolerant of what lives in Gale—the remnants of Karsus's experiment, which threatens the integrity of her weave and is a dangerous entity that can be transformed into something even more harmful. Her main goal is to protect the Weave. And she fulfills it.
Karsus tried to create his own weave by usurping Mystryl's domain. But he didn't succeed. He found a way to take control of the weave, but he had no idea how to manage it. He was talented, but he lacked fundamental knowledge and relied too much on chance. (And these aren't my words, Greenwood said this.) That's not to mention that by the time Mystryl was overthrown, Karsus was practically insane from experimenting with heavy magic.
Note: Gale the God is essentially weaker than Gale the Chosen because he doesn't have access to Mystra's Weave, only his own divine power.
And the Weave of Karsus never existed.
Yes, there are the beginnings of Karsus's weave, in the form of the entity that settled in Gale. But they are just the beginnings, not a full-fledged weave. Perhaps Karsus would have failed completely if he had had more time. Аnd Faerûn's magic would have become uncontrollable, causing a powerful cataclysm across the entire planet.
Ascending.
"But canon Gale, without player intervention, ascends."
I wouldn't say that Gale must ascend. That's a strange stereotype. And there is no such thing as a “canonical Gale.”
In any case, he interacts with the player—that's how the game is designed. And his storyline ALWAYS includes two paths. Examples of this are here (scroll to the very bottom).
Moreover, Gale KNOWS that the path of the Karsus is destructive, and he says so himself. Several times throughout the game.
In addition, as the chosen one, Gale should know perfectly well WHY mortals (!) cannot access magic above level 9. But alas, Larian made so many mistakes in the lore that it is impossible to piece this story together into something logical. Otherwise, Gale, with all his talents, would not have such shameful gaps in his memory.
Summary.
Of course, you can disagree with all of this and come up with your own theories. But it is in this version of events that I see a connection and at least some meaning in this whole epic. And explanations for what the game itself could not explain.
* Eric L. Boyd “Jergal: Lord of the End of Everything.”
writing my current series of cut content from early access made me think a lot, especially about how curing gale of the orb might have originally worked out if larian had kept to what had been set up in early access. it's no secret that a lot of things were changed or cut entirely, big and small, like for instance halsin's involvement with ketheric's fall, isobel and the shadow curse.
gale's condition, too, seemed different then.
what exactly was different in early access?
while only a few body models were unique in early access, gale's key art showed his left arm in bandages.
in early access, auntie ethel had vicious mockery lines, which hinted what might be beneath those bandages:
Auntie Ethel: I can smell what's under those bandages, wizard. You're all rot and ruin. Come to greet death early? You'll be a lovely spectacle.
we also had information from gale directly as to what happened to karsus in the aftermath of casting his spell:
Player: I was wondering about that “mighty lord” you told me about in your story.
Gale: Ah, yes. Karsus Karsus was perhaps the most powerful wizard that ever lived. The child-who-would-be-a-god, the elves called him. And he tried. With a spell of his own devising he endeavoured to usurp in one fell swoop the power of the goddess of magic. Mystryl, she was called then. Imagine what it must have felt like. To be a god. To know yourself to be untouchable. To be mistaken. As Karsus aimed his spell at her she began to unravel, and with her, the entire Weave. Too late did he realize what he had unleashed. It would have been the end of everything had not Mystryl sacrificed herself.
Gale: The goddess of magic is all magic. By dying, the entire weave was lost, and the spell that challenged a god failed. It was the end of Mystryl, the end of Karsus, and the end of an entire civilization. As the child-who-would-be-a-god was turned to stone, his empire came crashing down around him. The floating cities of Netheril were no more. An event that came to be known as Karsus’ folly.
which is in accordance with the lore:
Unfortunately, his choice was a terrible mistake, for one of the responsibilities of the deity of magic was to regulate the flow of magic to and from all beings, spells, and magic items in the world. Lacking the ability to do so properly, magic surged and fluctuated. With her last remaining bit of power, Mystryl sacrificed herself to block Karsus's access to the Weave, causing all magic to fail. The flying cities of Netheril plummeted to the earth. The severing of the link also killed Karsus and transformed him into stone, and the last thing he saw was his entire civilization being destroyed because of his actions. This was to be known as Karsus's Folly. The stone form of Karsus eventually landed in a part of the High Forest, now called the Dire Wood. The city of Karse was built around its base.
Karsus was never accepted as a petitioner by any god, nor did he go to the Fugue Plane when he died. Instead, his soul was bound to the Material Plane. Those with experience in pact magic could call up his vestige, where he appeared as a giant blood-red boulder, like the one found in the High Forest where his petrified form landed. Blood burbles up from the top of the stone, trickling down the side facing the summoner, pooling at the base. When he spoke, the pool fountained upwards, its height varying on the volume of his voice.
the netherese orb then seemed to have a immediate visible physical effect on gale, in addition to the ones that carried to the full release version of the game.
so putting these clues together, i think it's safe to say that the orb caused gale in early access to be afflicted with some form of corrupted petrification, which makes sense given that it's a piece of magic unleashed during karsus's folly.
at that point, this corruption seemed to be affecting his left arm the most, perhaps either from opening the book containing the netherese magic with it, or trying to shield himself with it - but that's just speculation on my part.
so what did the early access set up in terms of curing gale from his affliction?
gale in early access showed a great interest in the astral plane, especially in the absence of time there. he has several banters with lae'zel, which are still in the game now and showing his vested interest in the astral plane as well as any knowledge or insight lae'zel might offer on it:
Gale asks Lae'zel about the Astral Plane. Has she been there?
Gale: Tell me, Lae'zel, what is it like on the Astral Plane? Your home realm intrigues me.
Lae'zel: Githyanki lay their eggs on other planes. They cannot mature in the Astral.
Lae'zel: I will only be welcomed once I obtain a mind flayer's head.
lae'zel notices gale's interest and initiates a banter of her own:
Lae'zel asks Gale what his interest is in the Astral plane, and he equivocates
Lae'zel: Tell me, Gale: what is your interest in the Astral Plane?
Gale: Time. Or rather: the absence of it. In the Astral Plane, everything is eternal.
Lae'zel: It will be my home soon enough, should Vlaakith will it.
in addition to these banters, which clearly show gale's interest in the astral plane - which now in the full release seems merely academic - hinted at another solution to ridding himself of the orb.
what points to that quite conclusively is gale's dialogue when he reveals the truth about the orb to the protagonist.
this reveal differs quite significantly from the full release version. most notably, the protagonist was able to ask him about his own ideas for a what might be able to cure him from the orb.
gale had something very interesting to say to that question:
Player: What would permanently rid you of the orb?
Gale: The orb was kept safe and inert in a pocket of Astral Plane, suspended in time. If I can somehow manage to expel it from my body while in the Astral Plane, it will be rendered inert again.
Alternatively, I could learn to control it’s chaotic magic, that is; to succeed where I failed before. But without Mystra’s favour, I don’t see how that may come to pass.
Of course there could be different answers as well. Faerun brims with more magic than any one wizard could fathom, let alone comprehend. Who knows what outlandish solutions may yet present themselves?
so what does this all mean?
in conclusion, i believe originally there were either more ways to cure gale from the orb - or maybe even in a different manner entirely - than there are in the full release version of the game (begging mystra to remove it, ascension, or accepting/keeping the orb).
perhaps even one that would circumvent having to beg mystra for forgiveness entirely, without gale having to sacrifice his mortality to do so.
i think these banters and lines of dialogue show that the astral plane, which would have rendered the orb inert and stopped the corrupted petrification of his body, would have played a bigger role in gale's quest.
Some of the dialogue tree available when you speak to Karsus (or a part of him, at least) in Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide.
Screen grabbed from this playthrough video. This is probably not the whole dialogue tree but it is some. And I think you interact with him again? Research continues.
