@@lazaroleinier8423 For I am already saved, for The Machine is Immortal. "The Machine" is the Enraged Halfing Barbarian that another equally Enraged Barbarian Enraged Throws at their Enemy. It is Exterminatus made flesh.
Who knows, maybe once we peel back the curtain, we'll find the absolute is just a lil gnome like that Kalah guy in bg2 who trapped people in this circus of illusions.
The composite theory is a good one and very plausible. If it's not that then it's someone new that the dead three are subservient to. If I were to bet, though, I'd be putting my money on your theory over mine.
I happened to stumble on this channel while prepping for BG3 and Im glad I did. I love the style. And way you narrate everything. Chef kiss. Subbed. So excited for Baldurs Gate 3.
One issue to consider, I think, is that when you first attempt to leave the Early Access map and your party is brought to their knees by the voice of the Absolute, you hear the Absolute talk about an upcoming "reckoning"--like she is seeking some kind of revenge on someone or something.
Your theory misses the Mind Flayer angle. It is like a Elder Mindflayer has eaten the Dead Three, and are using their power. Or the other way around, or they are working together.
@@NoName-ym5zj Could be. Either the Mind Flayers are using them, or the failed "Lost Three" are using the Mind Flayers. We will see as it has come out today.
One thing I believe that Swen said is that the main antagonist(s) are not mind flayers. I have thought it was a trinity all along due to the symbol, but I have no more compelling argument than what you presented. It could also be someone meddling, like Irenicus(who has meddled with lesser gods before).
I have some theories based on what we’ve seen so far, a lot of speculation, and the tie in with Shar being so prominent. Needless to say I am CHOMPING to get to Aug. 3. 😂 I’m gonna lore dive so hard. My poor wife is gonna have to hear about it all.
There is an item on the dank crypt of Jergal called the book of the dead. If you pass enough checks you learn the books contain the history of the gods. The end of the book has the list post second sundering and if you pass a check it reads "The last three names in this book sit close together, but are so devastated by the scrawl as to be unreadable."
There is another book you can buy from Omeleum that describes how Ililthids are fascinated by divine power, not out of piety, but out of jealousy. Some individual Ilithid, according to Omeleum's own experience, desire to attain divine power for themselves (mush like the Dead three did when they were mortal). The Mindflayer connection that we get from interogating the Ilithid in Dror Ragzlin's room, could either be the medium through which the dead three are re-asserting themselves (i.e. taking advantage of the desires of rouge mindflayers. As Omeleum says, the changes to the tadpole do not allign with the great work, but serves some other purpose) or the Ilithid are using the Dead Three to attain their own apotheosis (partial deities whose power can be accessed via the subtle control of their servants by psychic domination. Such that the Ilithid are attempting to engineer the same circumstances of the Dead Three's initail deification by challenging, then superceeding, them)
@@jamesdixon5714my theory is the netherese archmage that fled the phaeriim and became an elder brain lich is working with bane,bhaal, and myrkul to get them new followers in exchange for helping raise a new netheril. This is why the tadpole is infested with netherese shadow magic.
Honestly, if you made a video just reading the dictionary I'd listen to whole damn thing since your voice is smoother than butter😂 wonderful theory craft video and I cant wait to see if your theories are right come release!
I like the theory. Personally I'm expecting Cyric, THE PRINCE OF LIES to use the ongoing chaos as a means to break put of god jail; A la "IT WAS ME, TAV! IT WAS ME ALLLLL ALONG!"
I had hunches, but it wasn't until I rolled a Drow Tav that the Gobbos were all but happy to lead me on the belief that 'yea, one of BG's previous incarnations of death, if not all 3, are behind this." It's on-the-nose for previous BG players, but I still respect the story telling they put into it.
what do you think is the role of the illithid? especially considering the cutscene when you speak with the dead illithid in one of the goblin bosses' chambers. he answers "absolute unity, absolute power" when you ask "who is the absolute"
Also Illithids themselves are mind controlled by the elder brains so an elder brain being controlled, aligned, or replicated by the absolute isn't out of the question
"Absolute Unity, Absolute Power" happens to be how the Caverns of Thought, Illensine's realm in the Outlands (Illensine is the Illithid diety) is described by the Illithids.
I am really hoping that the story line is an the player is a protagonist is a war between evil as that seems to be a theme with evil. Sven has mentioned how evil cannibalizes itself. It could be the Absolute is the new gun in town, likely involving Netherese power and Shar and everyone is in search of "absolute power."
I am new to DnD lore, but I have a theory from another fantasy which may be possible, if the dnd system allows it. In that fantasy story, the domain of God can be traded, steal, and merge. For example, the Goddess of Evernight ( also called the Lord of the Red moon, includes domains of moon, dream and peaceful dead) later conspire with the lord of vampire who disguised as Goddess of mother earth to kill the God of war(include domains of dusk and decay). Eventually, the Goddess of Evernight give her domain of moon to the lord of vampire (since than she no longer be called the Lord of the Red moon) in exchange to get all the previous domain of the God of war. In another case, the god in the name of Almighty Father(Domains corruption, fallen, and flesh) slowly spreading the believes that he is also the sun God, and eventually when enough believers hold this belief, he just steal the identity of the Sun God. So, my theory is that mind flayers may start to create the identity of absolute, which can eventually steal the power and identity of the death three.
Don't we already know for a fact that Absolute is a circle of mindflayers? A good question to ask is why are the mindflayers cooperating with the Dead Three.
I'll note that while the Absolute's voice is female, and a lot of characters refer to them as "her", others also refer to the Absolute as male pronouns.
@@Kaz7. I don't remember their names, but i it was some goblins at the camp, near Minthara. Maybe it's an oversight? I just though Larian was trying to make it more ambiguous.
The dead three are using the mind flayers to build a perfect cult and netherese magic to hold back the transformation. Shar controls the shadow weave so she finds out about the cult scheme and decides to use it in order to absorb the dead three just before their plot succeeds.
I remember first watching these lore videos and hearing The Absolute mentioned, it always confused me. I always thought it was just an Elder Brain based on the Illithid presence in the game. I don't know enough about the setting to speculate. A good mystery going into the game would be cool.
I want to know who is the woman that the Drider runs up the tower to see when he arrives at moonrise. He speaks of her like he speaks of the absolute, which makes me wonder if the female identity of the absolute is actually a follower of the dead three acting as the Godess, if the Drider can physically go to her.
Does anyone know the song that's playing in the background? I really like the ambient and atmospheric tone of the song. Edit: Found it! It's "Children of the Omnissiah" by Guillaume David. :)
I theorised this after seeing the Dark Urge, and I think it could be right, save the fact it isn’t an actual trinity. I’d wager it’s all a Front, that ‘The Absolute’ isn’t real, and instead is the three of them making a fake mask to hide behind as they rise to relevance again
I think "The Absolute" is just a front for the Dead Three in the same way "The Elder Elemental Eye" was a front for the mad god Tharizdun (see the AD&D module The Temple of Elemental Evil and 5th Ed Princes of the Apocalypse). Just like in TOEE it's possible that most of the worshipers of "The Absolute" don't know who they are actually serving. Princes of the Apocalypse is set in the Forgotten Realms so there's precedent for this being possible in the Realms. Though there's still the question of the Mind Flayers and the Netherese shadow magic used to alter their tadpoles. Mind Flayers don't have gods or priests and are unlikely to serve anything other than an elder brain, they also don't practice arcane magic like the Netherese did and any Mind Flayers who do are cast out of their collective. So how do they fit into the puzzle? What could whomever is actually behind the cult of the Absolute have offered them to go along with the scheme and have their offspring altered by arcane magic?
Mindflayers are the red herring of the story, around the announcement of BG3 they talked about how the mind flayers in truth are a broken people, defeated etc, why not ally with the tyrannical dead three to get what they want? Also in EA the thralls on the ship have absolute icons around their neck.
We know that mindflayers escape the control of an elder brain and avoid it so it wouldn't be weird to see them align with a power or be deceived I mean since we know mindlfayers are susceptible to being mentally controlled the absolute could be doing something like that.
There's actually an undead elder brain in the setting who doesn't just know Netherese magic, it _is_ a transformed (by his own choice) Netherese archwizard.
@@LordInsane100 Yes, you're referring to Ioulaum. But he doesn't really qualify for a variety of reasons: It's an undead elder brain, served by mind flayer ghosts, so they can't produce tadpoles to reproduce. He's Lawful Neutral and likely won't conspire with a bunch of evil deities. He resides in the Northdark, too far from Baldur's Gate to be encountered. And lastly he's a bit too powerful at a staggering level 41 Wizard to be a fair fight at level 12.
Ilsensine is all about outsmarting the other gods in order to have her creations (mindflayers) dominate theirs. This could all be her plot and she is simply using the dead three as pawns.
Are the Illithids controlling the Dead Three? Or are the Dead Three controlling the Illithids? Or are they each trying to manipulate the other for their own purposes while ostensibly working together voluntarily? We still don't know Orrin's origin story yet and it could well be something that involves knowledge of Shadow Magic and Illithids. There could even be someone else calling the shots manipulating the Dead Three and the Illithids for all we know... Also relevant to consider, if the Illithids are in control, is Minthara being controlled by The Absolute. Minthara is a Baenre and House Baenre's alliance with the Illithids (paid for in the form of House Oblodra) should see Minthara protected from any Illithid plot if the Illithids are indeed the ones calling the shots. I 100% agree that Larian have done a brilliant job of showing us the various mechanics at play in the game but none of the story. I'm very much looking forward to seeing that story play out as there are so many directions I can see them taking it.
My theory is that the Dead Three are prisoners of the Mindflayers who are using their access to Faith to spread their Psionic powers. Since Faith only requires that you have a follower (True Soul) nearby for the God to act through them. The true Souls act as Nodes allowing the Mindflayers to control whoever is nearby. This would explain why the Dark Urge exists, it is Bhaals attempt to free himself by creating a weak Avatar that will be compelled to hunt down and free him from the Absolute. The symbol of the dead three is in a sense being co-opted by the Elder brains. It's important to note that Mindflayers , Specifically, do NOT have access to Faith which is why they needed the three.
Yes; the influence and relation between the Absolute and the Mindflayers is undeniable. In fact the cultists refer to higher ranking Mindflayers as True Souls.
Umm... There are a few things that don't quite work with this theory. Firstly, are you aware that the Mind Flayers have a diety (quasi-diety), Illensine? Illensine has at least one Chosen, the Elder brain of Ollyndol. Illensine can act directly through that Elder Brain. They don't need to co-opt a human religion to have that kind of religious power. The Dead Three, as Quasi-Dieties don't need followers to act through; they can act directly in the Realms. For a Diety of Quasi-Diety to act through someone they have to be a Chosen and imbued with that diety's power, not just be a follower. The True Souls certainly don't all have that level of power (though Kethric, Orrin and Gortash might).
A well-thought-out theory, in my opinion. All three main antagonists serve the absolute, right? That might make sense. I still believe that the last evil being in BG will be Shar. I don't know if it's in this game or in a DLC or in BG4. I have no theory, just a desire to place my bet on it like an addicted casino player, lol.
Wouldn’t it make more sense for the Absolute to be Ilsensin who is the god of the illithids? Maybe Ilensin is simply manipulating the dead three into doing her bidding (putting the Mindflayers in control of all mortals).
So we have a conspiracy including potentially an elder brain, a netherese Artifact, Shar, Vlaakith and the dead three 😲... and then there will be probably Jergal maybe even Mystra, a Vampire Lord, some Devils etc. ... Well Larian did not hold back on this one 😀
Theory: the dead three are not fully divine and need the artifact to combine their energy and become divine Thats why shadowheart is going after it, so Shar can extend her portfolio Thats why Vlakath wants it as well and is protecting Lazel Cazador could be aware of this as well So could Mizora And Zariel Mystra would want to destroy the three to let Kelemvor rule peacefully And finally Withers is guiding us because unless we play as an origin character we are the unknowing champion of jergel, who is using us to reascend If im right that would make a ton of sense as why Larian wants us to play a custom character first and said that ending could be cannonical Larian is killing the dead three
The absolute's presenting as female could perhaps be because quite a bunch of the higher ranking followers are drow, and they would be more open to follow a female deity due to the familiarity.
It must be Ioulaum, the netherese archmage who allied with rogue illithids to teach them magic, escaped the fall of Netheril into the darkweave controled by Shar, and most importantly became an Elder Brain Lich. When you try to get the Hag to remove your brain worm, she recoils, claiming it is bound with Netherese magic. For me this unequivocally points to Ioulaum the Elder Brain Lich and his illithid protégés as the "Absolute".
I've been a fan of this theory for a while but when you poke at it there are a few holes. The main problem is that while Ioulaum is one of the last Nethrese archmages and he does know a lot about Illithids, Ioulaum doesn't know a thing about Shadow Magic. Ioulaum is also an undead Elder Brain and was obsessed with breaking Illithids free of the hive mind and started a cult of Alhoon (Illithid wizards). As an Elder Brain Lich Ioulaum doesn't produce tadpoles and is separate from the larger Illithid hive mind. There is one person and one group in the Realms with a better knowledge of Shadow Magic, and these are the Shadovar and Ioulaum's apprentice Tabra (who was held captive by the Shadovar for centuries and knows a lot about Shadow Magic). The Shadovar are masters of Shadow Magic as their founder created it but they don't know much about Illithids. They have been re-established in the Realms recently and since Elminster blasted their leader Telamon Tanthul, many have left new Netheril (in the Anauroch desert near Cormyr) to seek further power, so they are certainly an option. Volo has a personal grudge with them as well so that would all tie together nicely. Tabra ties into it a little more nicely though it would be a tragicly believable evil turn for her. Tabra absorbed the souls of a few hundred Illithids after Ioulaum used his ritual to become an Elder Brain Lich. She has a LOT of knowledge of Illithids. She also knows a lot about shadow magic and mind control magic. She also has a serious grudge against worshipers of Shar and powerful wizards who have worked with the Shadovar, and used very amoral methods to assassinate her targets. She is also one of the most powerful wizards in the Realms, being the last still-human Netherese Archmage and is of highly questionable sanity. Tabra using modified Illithid tadpoles and working with the Dead Three for evil ends makes a certain amount of sense if she has completely lost her moral compass, particularly if she plans to blow the entire plan up underneath them. Of course I suspect Larian have their own story instead.
@@jarrodbright5231 I do joke (using the somehow, palpatine returned meme) but you never know with larian! I do think there might be at least a reference in passing to the events of BG2.
Theory: Dark Urge is Bhaal's backdoor plan to usurp power from the Absolute all for himself.
Like Diablo from Diablo 3
I was just about to write this!
The only problem with that is the dark urge is only in the game if you choose to play it
@@kameronsandifer7I think it was fextra that said Larian said you would run into the dark urge but he won’t be a party member, if you don’t play him.
@@kameronsandifer7 Nah the urge is in the world you just cannot recruit it.
When I heard Children of the Omnissiah in the background, I genuinly smiled
The flesh is weak,praise the omnissiah brother
@@lazaroleinier8423 For I am already saved, for The Machine is Immortal. "The Machine" is the Enraged Halfing Barbarian that another equally Enraged Barbarian Enraged Throws at their Enemy. It is Exterminatus made flesh.
i am not a fan of warhammer 40k only fantasy :(
@@IDontKnowYouWhoAreYoudirty heritic
@@Dj-621 i only like warhammer fantasy old world you herertic sigmar is the only true god king!
This actually sounds plausible. At this stage it is anyone's guess so this one sounds better than a lof of theories I have heard.
Its the Dungeon Master, bruh! You're gonna battle the DM!
It's surprising this is still a mystery, after all this time and the leaks
Yes, Larian has a talent for this.
I love the Forgotten Realms. This was the setting that my entire D&D history took place in. Thanks for the deep dives man. This is good stuff.
Who knows, maybe once we peel back the curtain, we'll find the absolute is just a lil gnome like that Kalah guy in bg2 who trapped people in this circus of illusions.
Could be Tiax 😛
@@bbombastus7791 I wouldn't be surprised! Definitely seems like something he'd do!
I read that book when I was a kid, when Cyric killed Bhaal and became the next god of murder. A couple other characters replaced a god, too. (Mystra)
Damn, I never really thought of it that way. Intriguing idea!
The composite theory is a good one and very plausible. If it's not that then it's someone new that the dead three are subservient to. If I were to bet, though, I'd be putting my money on your theory over mine.
somehow I have suspicious that Vlaakith had also some hand in this story, as she also seek "proper" divinity as the dead three.
I happened to stumble on this channel while prepping for BG3 and Im glad I did. I love the style. And way you narrate everything. Chef kiss. Subbed. So excited for Baldurs Gate 3.
One issue to consider, I think, is that when you first attempt to leave the Early Access map and your party is brought to their knees by the voice of the Absolute, you hear the Absolute talk about an upcoming "reckoning"--like she is seeking some kind of revenge on someone or something.
You’re a great speaker with a great voice & I really enjoy your videos.
the vibe in this vid is on point
Given how good the studio has been so far. I'm thinking we will be guessing up until the end of the game.
Your theory misses the Mind Flayer angle. It is like a Elder Mindflayer has eaten the Dead Three, and are using their power. Or the other way around, or they are working together.
Someone could simply be using the Mind Flayers, perhaps they themselves are followers of the Absolute lol.
@@NoName-ym5zj Could be. Either the Mind Flayers are using them, or the failed "Lost Three" are using the Mind Flayers. We will see as it has come out today.
Children of the omnissiah is such a good song, it's in my workout mix lmfao
One thing I believe that Swen said is that the main antagonist(s) are not mind flayers. I have thought it was a trinity all along due to the symbol, but I have no more compelling argument than what you presented. It could also be someone meddling, like Irenicus(who has meddled with lesser gods before).
I have some theories based on what we’ve seen so far, a lot of speculation, and the tie in with Shar being so prominent.
Needless to say I am CHOMPING to get to Aug. 3. 😂 I’m gonna lore dive so hard. My poor wife is gonna have to hear about it all.
Man i'm happy i found your channel when i bought in to EA
There is an item on the dank crypt of Jergal called the book of the dead. If you pass enough checks you learn the books contain the history of the gods. The end of the book has the list post second sundering and if you pass a check it reads "The last three names in this book sit close together, but are so devastated by the scrawl as to be unreadable."
There is another book you can buy from Omeleum that describes how Ililthids are fascinated by divine power, not out of piety, but out of jealousy. Some individual Ilithid, according to Omeleum's own experience, desire to attain divine power for themselves (mush like the Dead three did when they were mortal). The Mindflayer connection that we get from interogating the Ilithid in Dror Ragzlin's room, could either be the medium through which the dead three are re-asserting themselves (i.e. taking advantage of the desires of rouge mindflayers. As Omeleum says, the changes to the tadpole do not allign with the great work, but serves some other purpose) or the Ilithid are using the Dead Three to attain their own apotheosis (partial deities whose power can be accessed via the subtle control of their servants by psychic domination. Such that the Ilithid are attempting to engineer the same circumstances of the Dead Three's initail deification by challenging, then superceeding, them)
@@jamesdixon5714my theory is the netherese archmage that fled the phaeriim and became an elder brain lich is working with bane,bhaal, and myrkul to get them new followers in exchange for helping raise a new netheril. This is why the tadpole is infested with netherese shadow magic.
One other idea I've heard is that Gale is a reincarnation of Karsus. Wouldn't that be something.
Honestly, if you made a video just reading the dictionary I'd listen to whole damn thing since your voice is smoother than butter😂 wonderful theory craft video and I cant wait to see if your theories are right come release!
You know, you really bring up a good theory... An Evil Trinity, if you will? As a theory, it doesn't mean "fact," but seems very plausible, imo.
Baldur's Gate's holy trinity is pretty metal.
I like the theory.
Personally I'm expecting Cyric, THE PRINCE OF LIES to use the ongoing chaos as a means to break put of god jail; A la "IT WAS ME, TAV! IT WAS ME ALLLLL ALONG!"
Cyric would be very surprising considering he is locked away in Pandemonium for 1,000 years.
I had hunches, but it wasn't until I rolled a Drow Tav that the Gobbos were all but happy to lead me on the belief that 'yea, one of BG's previous incarnations of death, if not all 3, are behind this." It's on-the-nose for previous BG players, but I still respect the story telling they put into it.
Great music on this one!
what do you think is the role of the illithid? especially considering the cutscene when you speak with the dead illithid in one of the goblin bosses' chambers. he answers "absolute unity, absolute power" when you ask "who is the absolute"
Absolute unity absolute power works for the dead three as well. My guess is the deities are involved with the illithid in some way
Also Illithids themselves are mind controlled by the elder brains so an elder brain being controlled, aligned, or replicated by the absolute isn't out of the question
"Absolute Unity, Absolute Power" happens to be how the Caverns of Thought, Illensine's realm in the Outlands (Illensine is the Illithid diety) is described by the Illithids.
@@xZeru001xthis sounds more like Ilsensine than any old Elder brain.
I am really hoping that the story line is an the player is a protagonist is a war between evil as that seems to be a theme with evil. Sven has mentioned how evil cannibalizes itself. It could be the Absolute is the new gun in town, likely involving Netherese power and Shar and everyone is in search of "absolute power."
I am new to DnD lore, but I have a theory from another fantasy which may be possible, if the dnd system allows it.
In that fantasy story, the domain of God can be traded, steal, and merge. For example, the Goddess of Evernight ( also called the Lord of the Red moon, includes domains of moon, dream and peaceful dead) later conspire with the lord of vampire who disguised as Goddess of mother earth to kill the God of war(include domains of dusk and decay). Eventually, the Goddess of Evernight give her domain of moon to the lord of vampire (since than she no longer be called the Lord of the Red moon) in exchange to get all the previous domain of the God of war.
In another case, the god in the name of Almighty Father(Domains corruption, fallen, and flesh) slowly spreading the believes that he is also the sun God, and eventually when enough believers hold this belief, he just steal the identity of the Sun God.
So, my theory is that mind flayers may start to create the identity of absolute, which can eventually steal the power and identity of the death three.
Don't we already know for a fact that Absolute is a circle of mindflayers?
A good question to ask is why are the mindflayers cooperating with the Dead Three.
Praise the omnissiah!
I'll note that while the Absolute's voice is female, and a lot of characters refer to them as "her", others also refer to the Absolute as male pronouns.
Who does? I believe you I just can't recall any specific followers using male pronouns for the absolute
@@Kaz7. I don't remember their names, but i it was some goblins at the camp, near Minthara. Maybe it's an oversight? I just though Larian was trying to make it more ambiguous.
The dead three are using the mind flayers to build a perfect cult and netherese magic to hold back the transformation. Shar controls the shadow weave so she finds out about the cult scheme and decides to use it in order to absorb the dead three just before their plot succeeds.
Great video!
I mean we got Dead three, Illithid and Netherese fuckery wrapped in one conspiracy so who knows
I remember first watching these lore videos and hearing The Absolute mentioned, it always confused me. I always thought it was just an Elder Brain based on the Illithid presence in the game.
I don't know enough about the setting to speculate. A good mystery going into the game would be cool.
I want to know who is the woman that the Drider runs up the tower to see when he arrives at moonrise. He speaks of her like he speaks of the absolute, which makes me wonder if the female identity of the absolute is actually a follower of the dead three acting as the Godess, if the Drider can physically go to her.
Very interesting!
Does anyone know the song that's playing in the background? I really like the ambient and atmospheric tone of the song.
Edit: Found it! It's "Children of the Omnissiah" by Guillaume David. :)
I theorised this after seeing the Dark Urge, and I think it could be right, save the fact it isn’t an actual trinity. I’d wager it’s all a Front, that ‘The Absolute’ isn’t real, and instead is the three of them making a fake mask to hide behind as they rise to relevance again
Mechanicus OST: Children of the Omnissiah
love that soundtrack
I think "The Absolute" is just a front for the Dead Three in the same way "The Elder Elemental Eye" was a front for the mad god Tharizdun (see the AD&D module The Temple of Elemental Evil and 5th Ed Princes of the Apocalypse). Just like in TOEE it's possible that most of the worshipers of "The Absolute" don't know who they are actually serving. Princes of the Apocalypse is set in the Forgotten Realms so there's precedent for this being possible in the Realms.
Though there's still the question of the Mind Flayers and the Netherese shadow magic used to alter their tadpoles. Mind Flayers don't have gods or priests and are unlikely to serve anything other than an elder brain, they also don't practice arcane magic like the Netherese did and any Mind Flayers who do are cast out of their collective. So how do they fit into the puzzle? What could whomever is actually behind the cult of the Absolute have offered them to go along with the scheme and have their offspring altered by arcane magic?
Mindflayers are the red herring of the story, around the announcement of BG3 they talked about how the mind flayers in truth are a broken people, defeated etc, why not ally with the tyrannical dead three to get what they want? Also in EA the thralls on the ship have absolute icons around their neck.
We know that mindflayers escape the control of an elder brain and avoid it so it wouldn't be weird to see them align with a power or be deceived I mean since we know mindlfayers are susceptible to being mentally controlled the absolute could be doing something like that.
There's actually an undead elder brain in the setting who doesn't just know Netherese magic, it _is_ a transformed (by his own choice) Netherese archwizard.
@@LordInsane100 Yes, you're referring to Ioulaum. But he doesn't really qualify for a variety of reasons: It's an undead elder brain, served by mind flayer ghosts, so they can't produce tadpoles to reproduce. He's Lawful Neutral and likely won't conspire with a bunch of evil deities. He resides in the Northdark, too far from Baldur's Gate to be encountered. And lastly he's a bit too powerful at a staggering level 41 Wizard to be a fair fight at level 12.
Ilsensine is all about outsmarting the other gods in order to have her creations (mindflayers) dominate theirs. This could all be her plot and she is simply using the dead three as pawns.
Dark Urge + tadpole Baal + tadpole Myrkul + tadpole Bane = Absolute
+ for mechanicus soundtrack =)
Yooo kino music pick
dude right?
Can one of you zoomers explain what kino is?
@@thesongoflunchlegit
The flesh is weak.
Are the Illithids controlling the Dead Three? Or are the Dead Three controlling the Illithids? Or are they each trying to manipulate the other for their own purposes while ostensibly working together voluntarily? We still don't know Orrin's origin story yet and it could well be something that involves knowledge of Shadow Magic and Illithids. There could even be someone else calling the shots manipulating the Dead Three and the Illithids for all we know...
Also relevant to consider, if the Illithids are in control, is Minthara being controlled by The Absolute. Minthara is a Baenre and House Baenre's alliance with the Illithids (paid for in the form of House Oblodra) should see Minthara protected from any Illithid plot if the Illithids are indeed the ones calling the shots.
I 100% agree that Larian have done a brilliant job of showing us the various mechanics at play in the game but none of the story. I'm very much looking forward to seeing that story play out as there are so many directions I can see them taking it.
Absolute might be the return of the original god that was killed
Mechanicus music makes videos that much better
Myrkul met his final death when he was consumed by the spirit eater. :)
is the soundtrack from warhammer 40k?
I’m sure I’m wrong, but I like to pretend the narrator is Shar.
Please please please what music is used in the video?
My theory is that the Dead Three are prisoners of the Mindflayers who are using their access to Faith to spread their Psionic powers. Since Faith only requires that you have a follower (True Soul) nearby for the God to act through them. The true Souls act as Nodes allowing the Mindflayers to control whoever is nearby. This would explain why the Dark Urge exists, it is Bhaals attempt to free himself by creating a weak Avatar that will be compelled to hunt down and free him from the Absolute. The symbol of the dead three is in a sense being co-opted by the Elder brains. It's important to note that Mindflayers , Specifically, do NOT have access to Faith which is why they needed the three.
Yes; the influence and relation between the Absolute and the Mindflayers is undeniable. In fact the cultists refer to higher ranking Mindflayers as True Souls.
Umm... There are a few things that don't quite work with this theory.
Firstly, are you aware that the Mind Flayers have a diety (quasi-diety), Illensine? Illensine has at least one Chosen, the Elder brain of Ollyndol. Illensine can act directly through that Elder Brain. They don't need to co-opt a human religion to have that kind of religious power.
The Dead Three, as Quasi-Dieties don't need followers to act through; they can act directly in the Realms. For a Diety of Quasi-Diety to act through someone they have to be a Chosen and imbued with that diety's power, not just be a follower. The True Souls certainly don't all have that level of power (though Kethric, Orrin and Gortash might).
A well-thought-out theory, in my opinion.
All three main antagonists serve the absolute, right?
That might make sense.
I still believe that the last evil being in BG will be Shar.
I don't know if it's in this game or in a DLC or in BG4.
I have no theory, just a desire to place my bet on it like an addicted casino player, lol.
Watch maanzecorian (spelled miserably wrong it’s 2 am) be the absolute
Hey, isn’t this that cool shadow puppet scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?
My theory is that Shar is working the dead three.
Wouldn’t it make more sense for the Absolute to be Ilsensin who is the god of the illithids? Maybe Ilensin is simply manipulating the dead three into doing her bidding (putting the Mindflayers in control of all mortals).
So we have a conspiracy including potentially an elder brain, a netherese Artifact, Shar, Vlaakith and the dead three 😲... and then there will be probably Jergal maybe even Mystra, a Vampire Lord, some Devils etc. ... Well Larian did not hold back on this one 😀
We all know it's Boo.
Theory: the dead three are not fully divine and need the artifact to combine their energy and become divine
Thats why shadowheart is going after it, so Shar can extend her portfolio
Thats why Vlakath wants it as well and is protecting Lazel
Cazador could be aware of this as well
So could Mizora
And Zariel
Mystra would want to destroy the three to let Kelemvor rule peacefully
And finally
Withers is guiding us because unless we play as an origin character we are the unknowing champion of jergel, who is using us to reascend
If im right that would make a ton of sense as why Larian wants us to play a custom character first and said that ending could be cannonical
Larian is killing the dead three
Think they mentioned Cyric in game which he was given all three of there powers/duty. The Avatar Series aka times of trouble
Cyric has been locked away for 1,000 years. Doubt he has anything to do with the game.
@@spellandshield oh no didnt know that, thats too bad, on book 4, does it happen in the series?
The absolute's presenting as female could perhaps be because quite a bunch of the higher ranking followers are drow, and they would be more open to follow a female deity due to the familiarity.
It must be Ioulaum, the netherese archmage who allied with rogue illithids to teach them magic, escaped the fall of Netheril into the darkweave controled by Shar, and most importantly became an Elder Brain Lich.
When you try to get the Hag to remove your brain worm, she recoils, claiming it is bound with Netherese magic. For me this unequivocally points to Ioulaum the Elder Brain Lich and his illithid protégés as the "Absolute".
I've been a fan of this theory for a while but when you poke at it there are a few holes.
The main problem is that while Ioulaum is one of the last Nethrese archmages and he does know a lot about Illithids, Ioulaum doesn't know a thing about Shadow Magic. Ioulaum is also an undead Elder Brain and was obsessed with breaking Illithids free of the hive mind and started a cult of Alhoon (Illithid wizards). As an Elder Brain Lich Ioulaum doesn't produce tadpoles and is separate from the larger Illithid hive mind.
There is one person and one group in the Realms with a better knowledge of Shadow Magic, and these are the Shadovar and Ioulaum's apprentice Tabra (who was held captive by the Shadovar for centuries and knows a lot about Shadow Magic). The Shadovar are masters of Shadow Magic as their founder created it but they don't know much about Illithids. They have been re-established in the Realms recently and since Elminster blasted their leader Telamon Tanthul, many have left new Netheril (in the Anauroch desert near Cormyr) to seek further power, so they are certainly an option. Volo has a personal grudge with them as well so that would all tie together nicely.
Tabra ties into it a little more nicely though it would be a tragicly believable evil turn for her. Tabra absorbed the souls of a few hundred Illithids after Ioulaum used his ritual to become an Elder Brain Lich. She has a LOT of knowledge of Illithids. She also knows a lot about shadow magic and mind control magic. She also has a serious grudge against worshipers of Shar and powerful wizards who have worked with the Shadovar, and used very amoral methods to assassinate her targets. She is also one of the most powerful wizards in the Realms, being the last still-human Netherese Archmage and is of highly questionable sanity. Tabra using modified Illithid tadpoles and working with the Dead Three for evil ends makes a certain amount of sense if she has completely lost her moral compass, particularly if she plans to blow the entire plan up underneath them.
Of course I suspect Larian have their own story instead.
@@jarrodbright5231 I like this, the lore is fascinating, thank you for another rabbithole
I believe the Absolute is Maanzecorian!
Name of the music?
Children of the Omnissiah, from the 40k Mechanicus game. The whole soundrack is fantastic.
@@Benu54321 thanks man!
I think the absolute is the elder brain
First time I heard about it, my thoughts: The absolute is nice, I but I prefer Johnny walkers
honestly i hope that the dead three is just a red herring, and a new foe emerges
Somehow, Irenicus returned.
we are level 12 so the dead three aren't going to emerge
@@Iymarra NOOOOOOOOO
@@jarrodbright5231 I do joke (using the somehow, palpatine returned meme) but you never know with larian! I do think there might be at least a reference in passing to the events of BG2.
@@Iymarra I did joke as well but Larian have been pretty clear they're sticking to Forgotten Realms canon where Irenicus is dead and soul destroyed
If you keep talking Spell&Shield....
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I'll do you one better: Why is the Absolute ?
Shar
The absolute isn’t half as interesting as the characters trying to control it
I believe when I spoke to the dead mind flayer 6in the goblin area it said something about a group of them in a circle.
Theory: it's an Elderbrain