Adressing the possibility of future content

Dreis

Something I would like to see to further intergrate SoD into the transition between BG and BG2 would be an earlier dream sequence prior to the initial one in Chapter 2 of SoA. Perhaps we could have something of a sequence if you rest in Irencius' Dungeon as an Easter Egg or maybe just after leaving the first time the PC rests.

Granas3

Have you finished SoD yet? Genuinely asking, cause if you haven't...well there's something that happens that kinda explains why you were having the dreams and why they may have stopped during the first chapters of BG2.

It seemed pretty apparent to me that Irenicus was actively planting/creating the dreams for you, possibly using elements of your and other peoples' subconcious minds, but it wasn't as simple as him just having cast a spell on you, since he needed to be right there next to you when he killed Skie. In the prologue and chapter 1 of BG2, he's either busy dealing with the shadow thieves or being held magically by the cowled wizards. At the start of chapter 2, we see him and imoen sent to spellhold and freed of their little anti-magic bubbles, so presumably that's when he can start influencing you in your sleep again.

Ammar

Granas3 said:

Have you finished SoD yet? Genuinely asking, cause if you haven't...well there's something that happens that kinda explains why you were having the dreams and why they may have stopped during the first chapters of BG2.

It seemed pretty apparent to me that Irenicus was actively planting/creating the dreams for you, possibly using elements of your and other peoples' subconcious minds, but it wasn't as simple as him just having cast a spell on you, since he needed to be right there next to you when he killed Skie. In the prologue and chapter 1 of BG2, he's either busy dealing with the shadow thieves or being held magically by the cowled wizards. At the start of chapter 2, we see him and imoen sent to spellhold and freed of their little anti-magic bubbles, so presumably that's when he can start influencing you in your sleep again.

Irenicus does not influence you in your sleep in BG 2. That is the taint of Bhaal taking his form - after Spellhold it switches to Imoen instead.

That makes the dreams in SoD harder to understand. My personal guess is that he does not create them, but is observed them.

nomadmerc

Makes more sense thematically that the 'cowled one' creates the dreams as he is trying to draw out the Bhaal essence so he can harvest it.

Ammar

nomadmerc said:

Makes more sense thematically that the 'cowled one' creates the dreams as he is trying to draw out the Bhaal essence so he can harvest it.

But you had dreams before. So why should those dreams stop all of a sudden, and thus require him to make them up from scratch?

Wraith_Sarevok

I really don't think there's any more ROOM for future content! Unless you plan on rewriting the ending to Throne of Bhaal.

Granas3

There is some room for more stuff in the future, since canonically, Duke Abdel Adrian, leader of the flaming fists dies some 100 years later when viekang attempts to assassinate him, and one of them turns into the slayer and has to be put down by some plucky new heroes and the flaming fist guards (as told in the opening of murder in baldurs gate)

LiamEsler

Writer explanation for the SoD dreams:

Irenicus is implanting the dreams in order to gather data about you and your responses, as well as psychologically training you to obey. He's testing you in different situations - this is the mental part of what he later does pre-SoA. At the end of SoD, during the final dream sequence, you overcome his ability to control/influence your dreams (the implication is because of your strengthening Bhaal essence), which is why you remember it was Irenicus.

SoA dreams:

In SoA and ToB, the dreams are the Bhaal essence inside of you warring with your soul, and then the Bhaal essence trying to gain hold.