Recent Forgotten Realms changes- lead in to Baldur's Gate 3? (Unmarked spoilers)
Eldryth
Member Posts: 56
So, one of the biggest arguments against Baldur's Gate 3 is that the Bhaalspawn story is over. However, recent events in the official ongoing campaigns changed that- for several months, it was at the forefront of D&D pen and paper gaming.
In the recent campaign, 100 years after ToB, Duke Abdel Adrien (yes, he's canon now, sadly...) rejected Bhaal's essence and was thought to be the last of the Bhaalspawn-up until he was murdered by Viekang. Viekang was afterwards killed by adventurers, only to have the world discover that Bhaal's plan was a success- with the last of his essence released, he was able to resurrect himself. He spread his influence throughout the city and grew in strength for weeks, built up a new cult, and the campaign ended with the current era's Duke Silvershield (managed to forget his first name...) becoming Bhaal's Chosen.
Does anyone else think this seems like a great setup for Baldur's Gate 3? The Bhaalspawn saga has a lasting ending, and brings in a new threat: Duke Silvershield and Bhaal himself. Would take a new protagonist, but given the power creep in ToB and the amount of time that's passed, that seems like a given anyways.
Plus, this may be a bit of a conspiracy theory, but the timing seems a bit too perfect. The Baldur's Gate story is finally continued, right at the same time we get the remake which we have been told for a while would ideally allow the Beamdog team to continue on to Baldur's Gate 3? Just seems to fit too well.
In the recent campaign, 100 years after ToB, Duke Abdel Adrien (yes, he's canon now, sadly...) rejected Bhaal's essence and was thought to be the last of the Bhaalspawn-up until he was murdered by Viekang. Viekang was afterwards killed by adventurers, only to have the world discover that Bhaal's plan was a success- with the last of his essence released, he was able to resurrect himself. He spread his influence throughout the city and grew in strength for weeks, built up a new cult, and the campaign ended with the current era's Duke Silvershield (managed to forget his first name...) becoming Bhaal's Chosen.
Does anyone else think this seems like a great setup for Baldur's Gate 3? The Bhaalspawn saga has a lasting ending, and brings in a new threat: Duke Silvershield and Bhaal himself. Would take a new protagonist, but given the power creep in ToB and the amount of time that's passed, that seems like a given anyways.
Plus, this may be a bit of a conspiracy theory, but the timing seems a bit too perfect. The Baldur's Gate story is finally continued, right at the same time we get the remake which we have been told for a while would ideally allow the Beamdog team to continue on to Baldur's Gate 3? Just seems to fit too well.
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Comments
A god and his Chosen One, the protoganist would require some serious heritage. Divine? Beastly (dragon)?
Unless they do a mass effect 2 necromagic antichickonator spell and resurrect the essence of said Player Character, but having all level progress wiped (IE starting at lvl 1). Which may or may not be lame.
There has to be some kind of character created to replace the player... what is it about Abdel that rubs you the wrong way?
Just a pipe dream...
It would be better if Beamdog made their own original story, It can be set in the Forgotten Realms by all means, but a new story with new characters in a new time.
Maybe if it's good enough Wizards can ruin it as well, seems to a sign of success.
The only way to avoid a retcon of some sort, that I can see (not having abdel), is to be very very vague in referring to the quintessential bhaalspawn that rolfstomped all (aka the charname)... I think I'd be disappointed with a scenario in which the previous story lines are brushed aside.
...either that or get used to Abdel as your charname in the next BG 1 & 2 playthrough
So when you decide that the ending of a good story wasn't the ending, you're also jeopardizing the quality of the entire story. Why can't it end with ToB? These twists don't excite me, they just feel like lame attempts at milking the hype of BG. Kind of like Fast and Furious 6...
Official canon also has a giant Minsc statue in the middle of the city;
Abdel isn't just hated by me, take a look at the Amazon reviews that talk about Abdel's character and the quality of the novels that he emerged from. He's a terrible, completely unlikable character that's largely the product of terrible, unlikable books. People hate those books (and that character) for a reason.
A: Viekang managed to teleport through a barrier that was erected to prevent natural teleporting(A to
B: I would refuse to touch a game that acknowledged Abdel as the Charname.
C: Bhaalspawn plot is dead, and should have been left as such in canon.
1: "I believe Abdel Adrian is the canon bhaalspawn." (0 votes)
2: "Pfft! I'd rather the entire saga was just one of Winthrop's drunken dreams!" (49342 votes)
But really, I never follow canon too much or it just makes your actions feel pointless in the end.
In World of Warcraft you can kill over a million things, save the entire world by slaying godlike bosses, and become loved by every single faction... but compared to the "canon" characters you're not worthy of mention.
The Fallout games did it better. The previous characters aren't referred to by name or sex(most of the time), but there's always someone in the wastes that knows the story of the Vault Dweller, the Chosen One, the Warrior, etc.
It'd be a mistake to add Abdel Adrian.
Interesting stuff sir. Sounds like quite the coincidence (which is to say, it likely isn't).
So, I really don't mind that they make him canon. To me, they just made my paladin canon.
And he was murdered by a low level coward bhaalspawn. Well, that is unacceptable. But it is a whole different matter, so let's leave that for now.
The point here is: The character in "Murder in Baldur's Gate" is just named Abdel. That doesn't necessary means that they made the character of the books canon or the story of the books canon. Hell, if you actually completely erase those books from your mind it really doesn't matter the name they chose for CHARNAME.
It wouldn't make much sense if they release "Murder in Baldur's Gate" and named the main NPC as Charname since they are trying to create a plot line for a major saga and need npcs with personality and influence. In that way, they couldn't even make the art for that character. It's only not an option. But that DOESN'T mean that you cannot replace Duke Abdel for you character in "Murder in Baldur's Gate", of course. So, whatever.
And if they made that hateful story entirely canon, well, it really doesn't matter. In my Forgotten Realms I just need to ignore that awful piece of trash and use the story of the games... And I think that is the way that Baldur's Gate 3 would be made by anyone that would make the game. No one likes those books, you know.
A whole different plot but following the consequences and timeline of the first two games, probably.
One reason I'm not opposed to it, is the fact that the story of the games themselves have already departed from the mentioned title, IE BG2 has nearly nothing to do with the city involved.
Instead, the games revolve around the rather problematic heritage of a bunch of people, and some very disturbing prophecies, as well as a lot of mystic and political power grabs.
This would seem to leave amble room for a BG3, either set in the same time frame, or later. The problem remains that, as has been said, the story is over. Whatever the outcome, the Bhaalspawn aren't a real 'threat' any more, and should not become so again.
I can think of one premise that could make sense, at least pertaining to player choices.
If CHARNAME became a god, have the story center around a Chosen of him/her
Granted, it's hardly optimal, and might be deemed lacking in continuity, but it would still be preferable, methinks, to just ignoring the events of ToB.
Still, I think I'd prefer that the duo remain a duo, and that the shadow of a BG3 was banished to the shadow plane rather than haunting us.