#karsus

[galedekarios]

gale & curing the orb - early access

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.

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #karsus #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 meta #bg3 early access #ch: gale dekarios #vg: baldur's gate 3 #series: baldur's gate #meta: mybg3

[missuntitledblog]

I feel the same guys

#Mystra #wyll ravengard #wyll #lae'zel #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #game #baldur's gate #laezel #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #karsus #crown of karsus

[arambleaway]

Karsus, Mystra, and Gale

ok so. this is a thought that has been nagging at me since i got into the meat of Gale's story. I was listening to Gale explain Karsus's Folly and the destruction of the Weave and suddenly I had the thought that it actually makes sense the Mystra specifically singled him out. and it honestly makes the whole thing a little more fucked up I think.

As Gale puts it: imagine being a god, knowing you are immortal. imagine being wrong. (paraphrase i'm not gonna look the exact words up)

Karsus was the boy who would be a god. He was a wizarding prodigy with an amazing talent for manipulating the weave. who does that sound like? and Minsc mentions hiding young boys from Mystra's attention.

and it all comes together.

Mystra actively seeks out these young children when she sense them. And she ensures their loyalty to her. So when Gale is born a prodigy she seeks him out and ensures that he is molded in her image. And as a god she doesn't quite get human relationships, but knows the lengths people will go to for their love so she preempts any issues there. And, this is pure speculation here, i'll admit, I think she actually stunts Gale's power. Sure she helps him grow powerful, but I feel like she would subtly handicap him. Keep him only as powerful as she could easily control. And then when he uncovers the Karsite Weave, she sees it as his ambitions overcoming his love and drops the facade and him. And nothing more needs to be done. He has neatly ensured his own demise and once she gets her last bit of use from him his threat will be gone and she can continue on with her existence unhindered.

#bg3 #gale #gale dekarios #mystra #fuck mystra #karsus #karsus's folly #some thoughts #me: i've connected the dots! #also me: oh god unconnect them

[boredguitarfish]

The end of the end… Mortal hubris doomed all.

I will get so sick of drawing arcane explosions by the end of this series, jk.

#digital art #dnd 5e art #dnd 5e oc #dndcharacter #astral elf #Netheril #why did we fall? #karsus #campaign fanart #wooosh big scene with a lotta flashing lights and stuff

[almostlookedhuman]

#mtg #karsus depthguard #karsus #jacobson

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Mirrored Depths

Artist: Chippy TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

#mtg #magic the gathering #tcg #chippy #mirrored depths #magic online promos #plane #karsus

[coreene]

Ruined Kingdoms of The North

Many folk consider the start of civilization in the North to be marked by the founding of Waterdeep. More learned folk are aware of the deeper history of the region , and know of at least some of the kingdoms that have been built by the residents of the North down the centuries.

Ruins of these kingdoms are scattered throughout the North, and many present-day cities and towns are built atop their remains, sometimes with their residents ignorant of what lies just beneath their boots.

Eaerlann. The elven kingdom of Eaerlann, a survivor of the ancient Crown Wars, stretched from the High Forest to the Delimbiyr Vale. Weakened by the retreat of much of its populace to Evermeet and by ore attacks, Eaerlann finally fell six hundred years ago to the demons that burst forth from Ascalhorn (once known as Hellgate Keep and now as Hellgate Dell).

Illefarn. Ten thousand years ago, the capital city of lllefarn occupied the site where Waterdeep stands today. A kingdom of elves that accepted both humans and dwarves in its lands, lllefarn stood intact for seven millennia. It was eventually fragmented by increasing human settlement of the area, and repeated ore attacks spelled its doom.

Athalantar. The short-lived human kingdom of Athalantar lay south of the High Forest in territory claimed by its self-styled Stag King thirteen centuries ago. Its rulers were briefly supplanted by magelords, but then reclaimed the throne, only to be wiped out by ores within a few generations.

Phalorm. Dwarf, elf, and human monarchs all shared the rule of Phalorm, also known as the Realm of Three Crowns, which was founded nearly a thousand years ago in the High Moor. Phalorm lasted barely a century before repeated ore and goblin attacks overcame it.

Kingdom of Man. When Phalorm fell, the surviving humans of the kingdom established the Kingdom of Man, formally known as Delimbiyran, which lasted only two generations. Its dissolution left behind a number of petty "kingdoms" that welcomed new human settlers in several locations, leading to the founding of new cities and towns on the Sword Coast and in its environs.

Netheril. For centuries, the legend of Netheril served as a lesson of human hubris and a lure for treasure hunters too prideful to learn from its story. Long before the Dales Compact and the advent of Dalereckoning, Netheril arose as a human empire founded on the might of magic learned from the golden Nether Scrolls, artifacts at least as old as the creator races. Flying Netherese cities drifted through the skies all over the North, but primarily they hung high over a verdant land that is now the desert of Anauroch.

Then Karsus, one of the mighty mages of Netheril, dared to believe that he could wrest control of the Weave and become a god himself. He almost succeeded, but in his failure Karsus killed the goddess of magic, shredded the Weave, and sent the floating enclaves that couldn't flee to other planes crashing to the ground. From the moments after the crash when the spilt blood was still fresh to the present day's moss-covered or dune-buried stones, the ruins of Netheril and its arcane secrets have drawn many to their doom.

source: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide pg. 48

#Forgotten Realms #dnd #dnd lore #dungeons and dragons #d&d #dungeons & dragons #netheril #karsus

[qrowscant]

yeag

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #kind of? #shit fucks me up so bad. bro you were groomed aaaaaaaaauuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #im about to take a page out of karsus' book

[cherriesandsulphur]

"I knew then that the folly of mortals could be the triumph of devils, and that I could use that Crown to unite the Nine under one Archdevil Supreme. Me."

#he looks so beautiful and regal with the Crown of Karsus #it suits him perfectly #prince of the hells #raphael bg3 #bg3 raphael #raphael baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 raphael #raphael the cambion #archdevil supreme #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #baldur's gate 3

[sunsetagain]

WIP of a finished BG3 comic:

Tabula Rasa

#fanart #wip #bg3 #baldur's gate #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #raphael #crown of karsus

[adarlingmess]

𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖊𝖗𝖓𝖆 𝖛𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖆

Raphael is definitely arrogant and narcissistic enough to have himself painted triumphing over an archdevil

Some close ups, as a treat:

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #raphael #raphael the cambion #raphael bg3 #dnd #dungeons and dragons #zariel #archduke raphael #crown of karsus #art #digital art #illustration #digital illustration #painting #digital painting #artists on tumblr

[mujinzzzzz]

UM NO WAIT HOLD ON

okay so patch 6 is now live and I was reading through what it changes and whatnot and i see THIS???? HELLO?2!;_(28&)3-"(28_

larian is tempting me fr

#i have NOT fought the netherbrain yet nor have i even considered letting gale get his hands on the crown of karsus but this... #made me think about it for a second #probably wont do it tho lmao ill wait for a more evil/power hungry playthrough to do it 💀 #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #astarion #astarion ancunin #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #karlach #karlach cliffgate #patch 6 #patch six #also does avatar mean like an origin playthrough or what

[messiahzzz]

i have been thinking a lot about mystra’s relationship with gale, how reducing her to “his ex” really is an understatement. she was and still is so much more than that. moreover, using the term “ex-girlfriend” in relation to her plainly feels wrong and diminishes the influence she has over him, as well as the role she played in his life since his childhood (and it also trivializes the abuse he suffered through her).

there are several instances where gale gets defensive when his companions mention or ask him abt mystra. he claims that their relationship was no less real even though most of their interactions were incorporeal.

we have already established that gale is an unreliable narrator in this particular case, still not having fully come to terms with the fact that he was groomed, manipulated and abused. he ping-pongs between bouts of realization (even in his romance), gaining clarity that he was merely used and eventually discarded and that mystra never truly cared for him, back to making light of his situation, idealizing her once again. realizing the extent of his trauma, that he is indeed a victim in this scenario, unlearning what he has been made to believe from a young age is a slow and painful journey. he is in the process of healing, but it takes time. time he deserves just like anyone else.

which makes me wonder what their relationship really looked like, once the lines between teacher, muse, and lover began to blur. i also feel like one of the reasons why part of the fandom still struggles to identify mystra as his abuser, is because she is a white woman who initially presents herself in a soft-spoken, benevolent manner… and well, the fact that gale himself is ambitious to a fault and a lil insane about the promise of power. he also briefly mentions "crossing mystra’s boundaries” when he confides in tav and tells them about his folly. (“i am, after all, the villain in this story.”) which led to a looooot of misinterpretations.

leaving the overall lore and mystra’s treatment of her other chosen aside — what we can discern from her interactions with gale in-game, is that mystra is civil as long as she remains in control and gale follows her demands, but as soon as there’s even a slight mention of challenging her power or defying her rule, she rather quickly changes her tone.

there is also one particular exchange between them that just won’t leave my head:

“you were many things to me, but never a threat. and never a savior."

even if we choose to blatantly ignore the fact that mystra is a deity, his goddess - there is no possible way that their relationship ever could have been equal by any mortal standards. the power imbalance that comes with her being his teacher and a symbol of his admiration, plus the sheer control she holds over him and his powers are simply too great. don’t even let me get started on how it is a common tactic of abusers to isolate their victims from any outside influences so they can exert full control over them. and how up to meeting tav and their merry band of misfits, every single soul he was close to was inevitably tied to mystra in one way or another. he briefly mentions his colleagues and then there’s elminster, also mystra’s chosen and former lover, and tara, who is a fine wizard in her own right. he spend so many years in service of her, dedicating his life to her, that now there is no one left he can truly call a friend. most of his little anecdotes and stories he tells are restricted to his childhood and university days, everything else was mystra.

evidently, ordering gale to detonate the orb is the most efficient course of action in her eyes. he is just as expendable as any other mortal, after all. maybe once significantly more useful given his status and the extent of his powers, but she doesn’t feel sorrow nor remorse for ordering him to end his life. his death is simply the most convenient means to an end.

another thing i would also like to briefly touch upon is the trigger/detonator itself. a dagger to the heart. it could have been literally anything else, a simple incantation. it is well within mystra’s power to stabilize the orb and also to remove it from his body entirely. but no, what she requires of gale is to stab himself. one might argue that it was simply a cinematic choice meant for a more dramatic effect, but it really leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. especially considering the fact that she is commonly known and referred to as a jealous goddess. it almost makes it seem like yet another form of punishment or mere pettiness. after his long period of isolation, gale is now surrounded by fellow humans. people he cares about, even perhaps people he might eventually consider good friends — which is enough of a reason for him to not want to die, to keep going and try to find another way, rather than to blindly follow mystra’s bidding. now there’s a group of people who support him and are genuinely invested in him staying alive. hmmm...

#baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #bg3 spoilers #baldurs gate 3 spoilers #mystra #yes again ugh #i know we have been through this so many times #also another thing i forgot to mention: #apparently there are several ending variations where gale relinquishes the crown of karsus to her #but mystra only temporarily stabilizes the orb and doesn't remove it #huh #this was a long one sorry #bg3 meta #grooming cw #abuse cw

[almostlookedhuman]

#mtg #invasion of karsus #karsus #boros

[aellyart]

“I was there the day it all fell apart. Entire cities plummeted from the sky, like angels with broken wings. The screams, oh the screams- hundreds of thousands of people watching in horror as the ground came up to meet them.”

Raphael and the fall of Netheril

#fanart #bg3 #bg3 raphael #crown of karsus #bg3 spoilers #art #ref used

[alpacalamamama]

‘Birth of The Weave Eater’

This is from my very self-indulgent AU where a fraction of Karsus’ will remains within the Netherese weave, and thus, within Gale.

(Alt version below)

#basically Gale is host to this not-quite magic and not-quite god -like entity #known as the karsite/netherese weave #and it’s made out of a remaining fraction of karsus’ will #and now that it’s anchored in gale it’s not going to want to let go #my art #bg3 #gale bg3 #gale dekarios #baldurs gate 3 #fan art #weave eater gale #making that a tag jic :>