Anybody who’s performed sufficient of Baldur’s Gate 3 can have encountered Ketheric Thorm — one of many three leaders of the Cult of the Absolute, and probably the most vital villain you encounter throughout 0the Act 2 storyline.
Upon assembly Ketheric for the primary time as my Tiefling Rogue character, he didn’t go away that a lot of an impression on me. At first look, he seemed to be chilly, strict, and hellbent on attaining his objectives – typical villain stuff. I simply presumed in due time I’d kill him off and not using a second thought. In spite of everything, my Tiefling character is a wild chaotic evil herself, so this was roughly the norm when somebody will get in her manner. Nonetheless, I didn’t anticipate Ketheric’s story to unravel in such a refined but fascinating manner through the development of Act 2.
After a number of speeches, confrontations, and even a face-to-face encounter with an apostle of Myrkul, Ketheric had finally been slain, and in basic Rogue trend, it was time to loot his corpse. Upon opening up his stock, I discovered a word. More often than not I don’t trouble with these, however this time, I questioned: What different secrets and techniques might Ketheric probably be hiding in any case of this chaos?
Nonetheless, upon studying this word, my coronary heart sank. I didn’t suppose that this story might get extra emotionally heavy, however right here we had been. This was not a contact from one in all his villainous companions or a necromancy Spell from Balthazar. It was a handwritten word from his daughter, Isobel, telling her father that she loves him. As a result of Isobel addresses Ketheric as ‘Papa’ and refers to herself as ‘Iz’, it appears it is a word from her childhood that Ketheric has stored near him for years.
As soon as dwelling fortunately alongside his spouse and daughter, Ketheric and his household had been devoted worshippers of Selune, deity of the moon and stars. Tragically, Ketheric would lose his spouse at a younger age, and although he by no means was the identical on account of his grief, he raised Isobel as a proud and loving father, discovering immense pleasure as he watched her develop into a wonderful younger lady. Nonetheless, the world was not variety to Ketheric, as Isobel would quickly move away far too younger.
Regardless of being a worshipper of Selune, a deity of sunshine and good, Ketheric had witnessed nothing however intense grief and struggling on the lack of his family members. For Ketheric, the sunshine in his world had been utterly destroyed, and his beliefs shattered. Consumed with gnawing darkness and despair, Ketheric deserted his lifetime of worshipping Selune, turning in opposition to his trusted goddess to grow to be a faithful follower of Shar, an evil deity of darkness and loss.
Ketheric grew to become consumed in his darkness and ache, rising as a trusted Basic of Shar, and started spreading darkness among the many lands and other people he as soon as liked. He reigned with cruelty as a villainous man, till he was lastly subdued by the mixed efforts of Jaheira and the Harpers and Halsin and the Druids of Emerald Grove. Nonetheless, as a ultimate motion, Ketheric unleashed the Shadow Curse on the lands, damning all who stroll too lengthy within the shadows to devastating modifications together with distorted our bodies and corrupted minds.
This demise didn’t final endlessly, although. Ketheric was quickly resurrected from the grave, the place he would proceed to embrace his grief and struggling, additional shunning Selune by devoting himself to Myrkul, God of demise and decay. As a present for his timeless loyalty, Myrkul would then grant a second probability at life to Ketheric’s daughter, Isobel. Sadly, whereas Ketheric nonetheless treasured Isobel greater than the rest, he was a modified man, having strayed removed from the guiding gentle of Selune. This drove Isobel away, which prompted Ketheric to grow to be obsessive about bringing her again to him.
Discovering the letter from Isobel on Ketheric’s corpse was when the devastation of his story actually started to sink in for me. He had all the time liked his daughter greater than something in life, and although his internal self was utterly corrupted by a number of darkish entities, this by no means modified. His strategy of attempting to drive Isobel again to his facet was nothing lower than regarding, however beneath his scattered mind-set and harsh, chilly motives, he actually simply needed to be near the particular person he cherished most on the earth; the daughter he had endured nice pains for, and sacrificed every part to convey again.
In conclusion of his tragic story, the depth of Ketheric’s love for his daughter was theoretically the blade that drove him to madness. His love for her was immense, and regardless of his ache, allowed him to search out moments of happiness all through the grief of his spouse’s passing. Shedding Isobel was dropping himself, and although he did some horrible issues, his deep connection and look after his daughter is rarely questionable.
Although he’s a villain, and he deserted Selune way back, I simply couldn’t assist however really feel that among the many complicated persona that’s Ketheric, there have been nonetheless small glimpses of sunshine inside his coronary heart, faltering and flickering as they fought in opposition to the immense darknesses that had consumed and corrupted him.
Ketheric’s love for Isobel may even be used in opposition to him throughout your ultimate confrontation, opening his eyes to the truth that his actions are doing nothing however pushing her additional away from him. In response, Ketheric will quit on his plans, that are direct orders from probably the most highly effective and evil deities in Faerun. If that doesn’t cement the energy of his love for Isobel and show he nonetheless cares simply as deeply as he all the time has, then I don’t know what else might.
Although he granted Isobel the reward of a second probability at dwelling, Ketheric additionally destroyed the bond they shared within the course of and helped to emerge and construct an incredible darkness on the earth of Faerun. He might have been a nasty man, however the one motive he grew to become this fashion was his immense grief from the lack of his family members and his desperation to be near his beloved daughter as soon as once more.
This has undoubtedly been probably the most fascinating NPC storyline in BG3 that I’ve encountered. The way in which that the plot unraveled as you progressed by means of the Act, and the refined connections to the Thorm household unfold all through the Cursed Lands had been fascinating to uncover. In a manner, Ketheric’s story additionally partially performs into the concept of the butterfly impact, which is an intriguing idea to ponder in a choice-based sport like BG3.
For Ketheric, his one resolution to desert Selune resulted in a devastating net of occasions, after which the choice to commit himself to Myrkul and revive Isobel adopted the same sample, solely on a extra catastrophic degree. Within the phrases of Isobel, might he relaxation in peace eventually, now that he’s lifeless.
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