So this is a post for the Larian Devs.
During EA, I wrote a post to thank you for releasing EA which meant I could play with my Dad before his Alzheimer's progressed too far (
https://forums.larian.com/ubbthread...ords=Solfalia&Search=true#Post717519)
I did end up playing with him that Christmas, and it was good fun - we enjoyed remembering the old BG2 days and getting into trouble in the new one.
Much later I got an e-mail from one of your writers. I won't use her name here to keep her privacy, so let's call her.... superwriter. It turns out my message had resonated with quite a few of you, as many of us have experienced the struggle of a family member with Alzheimers or Dementia, and superwriter was e-mailing me to ask if I would be open to having something included in the game to honour my father. I'll note I completely missed the original e-mail, but superwriter chased me up again many months later - hence why I chose to use this name for her.
I obviously accepted, and we discussed some details on my father through e-mails. I told my Dad the following Christmas, as I wanted to make sure he knew before the disease progressed too far, and he was so happy he asked me to send a thank you to the team, complete with a picture of his goofy smiling face.
Fast forward to release, I sneakily asked superwriter where I could find whatever it was that was honouring my father. BG3 was looking to be a big game, but I didn't want to miss this. I was expecting a mention in a random book, or a plaque, but I was secretely hoping for a NPC with a one-liner. Superwriter responded with, among other things, the following:
The Glitter Gala, Bloomridge Park, and the Blushing Mermaid form a triangle in the Lower City of Baldur's Gate, and at its centre is Golbraith's Cellar - where the mighty Golbraith Stredivas can be found. A mindflayer hunter of great renown, he has since retired and now spends his days writing - in the hopes of passing his knowledge on to future generations.Not just an NPC, but also a cellar? I was incredibly excited to find out.
While I originally planned to B-line there when I got to the lower city, turns out I first had to
. That done I found Golbraith's house. I looked through every corner of that house. Every box and chest, I even looked in Golbraith's inventory (we'll ignore the moral issues that come with pickpocketing my Dad in a game, luckily I didn't do it. I simply asked my coop partner to do it for me. No moral quandry there).
Not only did Golbraith look like my father, but he had multiple lines of dialogue. Some really touching ones too (for me, at least). The different papers in the house were amazing, the stack of letters between Golbraith and his son put a lump in my throat. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't misty eyed. The secret mindflayer-hunter cellar was awesome.
As soon as I finished looking through the whole house, I told my Dad. He's in a care home now, so can't play the game, but he listened to my description with a child-like glee I haven't seen in a while. He loved every moment of it. He loved the idea that his character has a monocle, and was proud his character has a secret cellar with weapons. He still talks about it from time to time during our weekly chats.
And so here comes the purpose of my post.
Thank you Larian. Truly. It was so much more than I was expecting, and was extremely touching. Both my Dad and me loved it.
