{SPOILERS} Imoen's backstory...
TethorilofLathander
Member Posts: 427
Writing a fanfiction story I'm trying to work out Imoen's backstory before she came to Candlekeep. I'm just skimming through major facts more than what she had for breakfast most days and this is what I've come up with so far...
We're assuming that Imoen was saved from the same temple as the protagonist in 1348DR, to match up with their ages, with the protagonist being human and the temple planning to ritually sacrifice these Bhaalspawn after Bhaal's demise, 10 years on. The protagonist and Imoen are saved by Gorion and a group of Harpers, Gorion taking the protagonist back to Candlekeep. Imoen is taken by another Harper. The other two major Harpers that spring to mind are Elminster and Khelben, both of which still deal with dark and powerful enemies, so that somewhat rules them out as foster fathers. Plus, if it were to be Elminster, wouldn't Imoen recognise him when the group meet them at the Coast Way. Elminster is known for his shape shifting but in this case bears the resembling appearance that we all (Imoen included) would recognise. So it would have to be someone not linked in with the Bhaalspawn saga games.
Anyway, according to Imoen's biography, she goes to Candlekeep 10 years after the protagonist, at around age 10-11, seeing as they're saved as infants. 10 years after 1348DR is 1358DR, one of the most important times for the whole of Toril, the Time of Troubles. Imoen is sent to Candlekeep for her own safety, as now many more Bhaalyn's will be searching for the Bhaalspawn. And you're probably wondering "why didn't Gorion just take her with the protagonist straight away?", there's a simple explination that I can see...
The nature of a person cannot be truly deduced at such a young age, Gorion had no idea if these children would turn into heroes or villains. Think of the carnage Sarevok nearly brought upon Baldur's Gate, now imagine that x 2 in a small library fortress. It would mean the utter destruction of Candlekeep, even with great mages and clerics among the citadel.
So, to summarise:
- Saved by Gorion and Harpers
- Adopted by another Harper (not sure which one)
- Sent to Candlekeep just after the Time of Troubles
Just want to see if this would be a logical explination to Imoen's past prior to her travelling to Candlekeep.
We're assuming that Imoen was saved from the same temple as the protagonist in 1348DR, to match up with their ages, with the protagonist being human and the temple planning to ritually sacrifice these Bhaalspawn after Bhaal's demise, 10 years on. The protagonist and Imoen are saved by Gorion and a group of Harpers, Gorion taking the protagonist back to Candlekeep. Imoen is taken by another Harper. The other two major Harpers that spring to mind are Elminster and Khelben, both of which still deal with dark and powerful enemies, so that somewhat rules them out as foster fathers. Plus, if it were to be Elminster, wouldn't Imoen recognise him when the group meet them at the Coast Way. Elminster is known for his shape shifting but in this case bears the resembling appearance that we all (Imoen included) would recognise. So it would have to be someone not linked in with the Bhaalspawn saga games.
Anyway, according to Imoen's biography, she goes to Candlekeep 10 years after the protagonist, at around age 10-11, seeing as they're saved as infants. 10 years after 1348DR is 1358DR, one of the most important times for the whole of Toril, the Time of Troubles. Imoen is sent to Candlekeep for her own safety, as now many more Bhaalyn's will be searching for the Bhaalspawn. And you're probably wondering "why didn't Gorion just take her with the protagonist straight away?", there's a simple explination that I can see...
The nature of a person cannot be truly deduced at such a young age, Gorion had no idea if these children would turn into heroes or villains. Think of the carnage Sarevok nearly brought upon Baldur's Gate, now imagine that x 2 in a small library fortress. It would mean the utter destruction of Candlekeep, even with great mages and clerics among the citadel.
So, to summarise:
- Saved by Gorion and Harpers
- Adopted by another Harper (not sure which one)
- Sent to Candlekeep just after the Time of Troubles
Just want to see if this would be a logical explination to Imoen's past prior to her travelling to Candlekeep.
2
Comments
As for what she did before Candlekeep, it could have been anything, really. Granted, I haven't actually read her in-game biography in like ten years, but I don't recall any specifics other than "she grew up with you in Candlekeep".
Mirt the Moneylender is a valid option to raise Imoen, he is a Rogue type so that makes it logical for Imoen to start as thief. In blackstaffs hands she would start as mage for sure.
I'm merely suggesting she was at the temple, it would bring the story closer together rather than her just pottering about and then ending up in Candlekeep. My suggestion is that the Bhaalyn temple was not just for sacrifice, but to teach the children the ways of Bhaal so they wouldn't resist their future sacrifice, it would be more of a duty. Obviously not all the Bhaalspawn were there, but those in that region or area, perhaps even taking place at the old Bhaal temple we find in the Forest of Mir (Throne of Bhaal).
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Imoen
In her bio it just mentions that little was mentioned of her past and that she came to Candlekeep 10 years after the protagonist.
@artificial_sunlight
Does Mirt seem like a possible foster father for the time being? It's a good connection for her to acquire some early rogue skills but she still has to be raised well :P
Nothing about her being from the same cult is mentioned anywhere. There's no info on her past before her arrival at Candlekeep.
@TethorilofLathander -
It makes much more sense to just assume nobody knew of her being a Bhaalspawn. That way you get no obvious plot holes, like why she is left behind at Candlekeep.
If you really, really want Imoen to be from the same cult/temple (though it really turns into a big contrivance that CHARNAME, Imoen, and Sarevok all come from the same place and then also ends up at the the same place as adults), then I would have her be taken away by a fleeing cultist who later dies from wounds suffered during the escape or something like that, leaving Imoen to be cared by some some travelling merchants or entertainers or whatever who happened by and heard her crying.
If you've got any suggestions as to why he might adopt Imoen, definitely lay your cards on the table
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/6392/fan-thoery-the-truth-about-imoen/
I wouldn't *completely* rule out the possibility that Gorion knew Imoen was a Bhaalspawn, though. Partially it depends on how you think Sarevok was tracking CHARNAME and other Bhaalspawn he wanted to eliminate. If he had some magical means of tracking the Taint (A Bhaal-dar, if you will), then yeah, leaving Imoen behind in Candlekeep seems like a bad move. On the other hand, if Sarevok was using alternate means, say evidence recovered from the temple raid linked to CHARNAME, then Gorion could leave Imoen behind and assume that she'd be overlooked. Indeed, the flight from Candlekeep may have been, in part, intended to draw attention away from Candlekeep and the Child of Bhaal still hiding there. Taking Imoen with you would have drawn attention to her that may have caused her nature to be uncovered sooner.
"Originally Imoen did not exist in Baldur's Gate. Her character was a late addition to fill a non-psychotic-thief gap in the early levels. There was no recording budget left, so her lines were scraped together from voice-over left from a scrapped demo. The original character was a guard named Pique.
The model for Imoen's Baldur's Gate 1 portrait was the wife of the team's lead terrain artist, Dean Andersen."
Some harpers/people with connection to the harpers heard about where Imoen was found from the merchants, thereby making them suspect Imoen also might be a Bhaalspawn. Since Gorion was already caring for a confirmed bhaalspawn it was determined to be a good idea to send her there in case she indeed was daughter of Bhaal. This would also make sense as to why Gorion didnt take her along, she wasnt a confirmed Bhaalspawn, and hadnt really seemed anything like it what with her easygoing nature.
My assumption for Candlekeep is based on an either/or situation. Either the travelling merchants were near Candlekeep and did it out of pure convenience, or because Candlekeep is a very strict place in terms of safety. It's no simple place for a thief to get in and out of, it's very safe indeed especially with Tethtoril there, who is considered the safest person in Faerun. But also, if you want one you care about to have a good upbringing you send them to somewhere that's going to do well by them and not influence them improperly. What I mean by this is that in Baldur's Gate or Athkatla etc there's always the other side of the coin, you've got the Flaming Fist but also the Thieves Guild, you've got the Cowled Wizards but also the Shadow Thieves. Whereas in Candlekeep it's just the sages really.
It's your story not mine
Still, I find it implausible that merchants would randomly leave Imoen in Candlekeep. There doesnt seem to be other children in the keep, so it doesnt look like it is common practice to leave children there. It is through Gorion that you are allowed to grow up in Candlekeep after all.
Really, I dont think the monks would accept Imoen as a charge from travelling merchants, there is a difference between coming to visit through book-payment and actually taking care of a child.
Also, if it *was* an accepted practice in Candlekeep to take care of children, it is still unlikely that the merchants would happen to choose Candlekeep of all places. Why would the one other child from the temple incident happen to join CHARNAME there? Why not a temple, some guild or friends of the merchants?
As for Gorion taking being in charge of Imoen through the harpers, I would assume that the Harpers told him everything they knew about Imoen, and him agreeing to use his influence to get her inside Candlekeep. In this telling Gorion would still not be certain about her heritage when leaving - though perhaps suspecting it, or is there some way to determine Bhaal's heritage that is within Gorion's means?
For the record, I still prefer the idea that Imoen was just another Bhaalspawn that the Harpers came across (not in the temple raid, but shortly before she was brought to Candlekeep, 10-11 years later) and was given to Gorion, the closest thing the Harpers had to an expert.
Isn't it up to Ulraunt to decide who resides in Candlekeep? Ulraunt is heavily influenced by Tethtoril, who is a good friend of Gorion's. If Gorion wanted this child to stay in Candlekeep and Tethtoril agreed, then Ulraunt would be convinced somehow through Tethtoril's immense intelligence.
As far as Imoen going to Candlekeep rather than anywhere else, I think it would be quite a beautiful part of the story that they both began their friendship and ended it, so to speak, (when Imoen goes to create a thieves guild along the Sword Coast) in the same place. And that they began their lives in the same place but didn't actually know it until near the end of the saga when it is explained in Bhaal's realm. Why Imoen wasn't sent to a temple/guild/friend(s) there could be many reasons but I'm assuming here, just out of artistic liscence. Maybe the merchants weren't religious, many of them aren't. Guilds can be a secretive and deceptive thing to join, which might not be in the best interest of a foster parent for their child & with friends, maybe they operated in a very competitive business where they couldn't really accumulate friends. If they were travelling people, they would lose contact a lot more considering it's a medieval type setting. Or the simpler reason, that their friends didn't want/couldn't afford a child to look after.
With Gorion trying to determine who Imoen is, I think he would work quite hard to do that. Having a stranger in a place you call home, depending on you solely, you'd definitely try everything within your means to do so. This is where Tethtoril comes in. This is a quote from the Forgotten Realms Wiki page:
"Most Holy Mystra often whispers to Tethoril in his dreams, bidding him to do this or that and in this way has led him to unearth key spells from forgotten tomes; kept Elminster, Khelben, and the Harpers welcomed or at least, tolerated in Candlekeep; and kept Ulraunt from being seduced by darker powers (most recently, Cyric).
Although he doesn't know it, Tethtoril is one of the safest people in all the Realms. Three deities will protect him against any attack:
Mystra; manifesting as whatever spell is needed
Oghma; a wall of force conjured by a shadowy floating harp
Deneir; a suddenly appearing magical symbol (effects identical to the wizard spell of the same name) of one of the known types that flashes and discharges in his defense immediately after it is seen.
All three deities subtly aid Tethtoril in puzzling out the meaning of cryptic, faded, fragmentary, or forgotten script writings."
So he is blessed by having Mystra, Oghma and Deneir to help him determine script writings, I think they'd be able to help him determine Imoen's heritage.