Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Why is a "Rattenkönig" (rat king) at Cazador's baalroom door?

I'm not sure if this topic has been mentioned here before or whether I missed a part about it in the game. I was wondering why there is a rat king on the door to Cazador's ballroom door and therefore also to his private rooms. The fact that Cazador fed his spawns with rats, among other things, does not explain why this symbol is so important to him that it is depicted this way. I would like to share what I have learned, maybe someone else will find it interesting too.


A "rat king" refers to several rats whose tails are tangled together.

According to Wikipedia, the term originally did not refer to rats, but to people who lived off of others.


The Myth of the Rat King In the Middle Ages, for example, there was the idea that a group of individuals was always ruled by a king. As a result, a group of rats working together was assigned a king who was equipped with all the attributes of royal dignity (scepter, crown, purple cloak).

The Altenburg Rat King is the largest in the world.Site is in german.
"In historical times, the Rat King was considered an extremely bad omen and announced the outbreak of a disease epidemic. Such an event usually happened, as rat kings often occur when there are too many rats and there is little space for new burrows."

Why is the Rat King called the Rat King?
Rat King - Wiktionary
[1] alleged phenomenon occurring among rats in which the tails of a number of young rats become knotted. [2] outdated: rat as ruler over other rats/animals, with ruler attribute or also: which allows itself to be fed by others.

So the analogy is not entirely inappropriate for Cazador and explains why he gives this symbol such importance. So he sees himself as a “rat king” and is fed by others.

I would have to listen again to what the 3 rats in the tower, who stand with the guards of Cazador, say before entering the palace.

Do you know any more?

I can't recall what the rats say if you chat with them either, only that they start combat if you give them cheek. ^^

But I was wondering about the door too, and then I was wondering if it is a rat-king at all because it is a dynamic image. The rats actively knot their tails together to "keep the door shut" to protect the ballroom from intruders. So in short I was wondering if it was a visual component of the spell, an illustration of the writing, which from the few words we have is a bit foreboding. It also adds to the ominous, theatrical design of the palace which Lae'zel compares to Vlaakith's style in a chat with Gale.

I would say that it represents a rat king. The detail that the rats open or close the door makes it even more interesting.

If I were to see this door as a guest, I would wonder why this distinguished nobleman chose rats as decoration on the most representative door in his palace. Not swans, dragons, magnificent gardens or other elaborate decorations. If I knew that he was a vampire lord, then a similar question would arise, especially since vampires have such an exaggerated tendency to surround themselves with beautiful and magnificent things.

The style of the upper rooms is still more normal than the houses of other rich citizens. The architectural style of the basement always reminds me of marble elements in Italian villas from the 80s. The Shar Temple has a similar style. They all seemed to have the same architect.

I also think they are forming one. I was merely pondering whether the emblem shows "the rat king" with whatever symbolic implication the artist wanted to convey with this, or if it shows "rats forming a rat king" symbolising Cazador's dominance over other creatures, forcing them to sacrifice themselves (once knotted together, they can't move anymore and are doomed) to protect his sanctuary, possibly foreshadowing the ritual. Just me overthinking and admiring the problem. =)

I guess, we can't all be Toreador. Did guests even see the patterns on the door? I can't recall which way they open. The doors might always be open for them when they enter and if they are allowed to leave. I doubt his parties were very fun though, the whole palace has this air of dusty severity.

Maybe there's a mail-order-catalogue for sinister types: Stone amphoras, available in black, petrol and purple, limited supply only. Imagine the shame, your grand temple sharing the same decor as the seedy palace of some stuck up, petty vampire lord, who banns whistling.

Sorry if I'm missing anything from the discussion, I'm skimming over as I'm dizzy from a brief hospital visit.

The way I interpreted it, the rat king here represents Cazador's goal, in a way. It'd make more sense if there were 7 (or 8, counting himself) but the rat king by his own name is treated like a unit despite being made of several rats, in this case the power each soul would give him. His power would be made of many. He is one, but he is several. This is not to say he'd contain all their souls because no, they're with Mephis, but he'd contain all their power.

Obviously though there are some strong rat mentions in Astarion's story. And Cazador deep down holds himself in low self esteem, so seeing himself as a rat king seems fitting. He wants to be the best amongst the damned, yet deep down he's comparing himself to a rat. He probably fed on rats as a spawn too.

WRT the disease omen, that makes sense too, because vampires used to be very associated with diseases that took out entire families. His existence has the effects of a plague upon the city, and his plans for his future existence even moreso. I do not think he'd be content with just staying the Ascendant, he wasn't content with being a Lord either.

I hope it's nothing serious and you feel better soon.

I just checked, the doors are opening in the direction of the player, so the rats would only be visible from the side of the entrance. You can assume that the doors will be open at a ball.

There are 10 rats in total, so they don't directly represent the family. But I would also say that they should show Cazador's dominance and you could also take it as a warning. "The further away you get, the tighter the knot becomes."

I saw a video of the rats in the tower. They're just talking about the "fangy ones" in the palace, the guests that came to a party but never left . They also mention that the family (brothers & sisters) is bigger than their family and they are living in the guts of the palace.


Must be a side business of the local tombstone dealer, whose business doesn't seem to be doing well.

It started off scary but it turned out to not be serious, so I'm home and ready to post now : )

Yes the fact they're 10 kind of pisses over my interpretation. Which is a shame because I feel like it's thematically consistent. It's very specific symbology too, so I feel like it must've been put there for a reason.

I wish you a speedy recovery as well!

And I really like your interpretation too, even if the numbers don't add up. (Wouldn't it have been convenient with 7 big and 7 small rats?) It would also kind of fit with Cazador's rat-like living situation, this sad little hermitage above an acid pit (or was it poison?) with only his dead master and his blackmail material for company.

Now we have something to think about, why are there 10 rats? (5 large rats and 5 small rats). I don't believe the symbolism is a coincidence, as this symbol as a whole is too well thought out.

We are open to suggestions.

Cazadors is very unfinished and I believe many things are vestiges of canceled plots and quests.

So I wouldn't put much stick into anything you see there.

I saw it more as meant for the player than anyone in-universe. I think Cazador seems too haughty and full of himself to associate himself with rats, and the design is more the game itself communicating something rather than Cazador.

You could see it as a threat from Cazador to other lords coming to visit him. A reminder that he could turn his rat-eating spawn on any who got on his bad side.

Come to think of it, is Cazador being a vampire lord supposed to even be a secret in the city? Or is it one of those open secrets like "capitalism bad" or "royalty are all parasites"? I seem to recall some banter from Gale that implied he knew before Astarion even mentioned his name.

Hardly open to the entire city, but clearly known to Baldur's higher ranking officials, and there were rumors among the common people as well. Cazador's human slaves, people who came to beg him for the gift of immortality, where would they come from if it were a real secret? Cazador's receptions were attended by high-ranking guests. The authorities always know about such things, and there was likely some sort of unspoken agreement.

Knew, of course, not everyone did. I had the Baldurian background and Tav had the line, “That big gothic mansion was full of vampires this whole time?”

Which makes little sense for FR, but fits with Larians twilightification of vampires.

I think it's a bit of a mixed bag. Gale knows of a vampire patriarch named Cazador Szarr, who is supposed to be very cruel. But in the conversation between him, Astarion and Wyll, the conclusion that this vampire lord is Astarion's master or a public figure of Baldur's Gate, is never drawn. The name doesn't ring a bell for Wyll at all. (Tangent: It is infuriating that this conversation doesn't play if you pick any of the boys as your Avatar.)


From Astarion and a note found in Cazador's palace we also know that Cazador is seen as just another noble by the upper crust of Baldur's Gate and that he is anxious to keep it that way and not have important people ask too many questions.



So, it seems to me, that Cazzy is generally perceived as an ordinary noble and seen as distinct from the notorious vampire lord, but that the vampire simps connect the dots and knock at his door. Of course this doesn't add up, as Cazador himself recruited at least two of his children from the bureaucracy of Baldur's Gate and Leon seems to have been well connected enough to know that Figaro does shady things and has the resources to pay him. It's probably all a bit mixed up with the EA background which seems to have been a bit different.