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enthusiast
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OP
enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2020
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There has been a lot of speculation about what exactly is going on in various threads. Maybe it would be useful to gather the various ideas somewhere. So what do we know about the Absolute?
The dead Mindflayer reveals a vision of a circle of Mindflayers. They seem to be allied with a group of drow, gnolls and goblins
"curved drow blades, crude goblin torches, gnoll teeth dripping blood
You see other mindflayers arranged in a seren circle. Absolute unity. Absolute power"
"You see dark tunnels lit by noxious pols of brine. The darkness spreads through the earth
the sky splits open and nautiloids pour out of a void that consumes the stars"
Is this a retelling of the war that freed the Gith from slavery or a vision of a possible event about to happen
Auntie Ethel reveals that the tadpole has been modified using netherese magic
Some kind of magic or technology is capable of triggering instant ceremorphosis
There was some hint that a larger fleet of nautiloid ships could attack at some point.
Mindflayers had lost the knowledge to build nautiloids some time ago. They either figured out the missing pieces on their own or someone helped them.
Minthara is an adept of house baenre from menzoberrazan.
The former strong connections of the house with Lolth suggest some Lolth involvement in what is going on. Or she was taken hostage and brainwashed by the absolute.
The visions suggest that the tadpole is angry at the absolute for putting it in stasis and using it
Someone said that one of the visions glitched for him and he could see raphael. Unconfirmed
the game logo shows a mindflayer with horns. Could Raphael be in a contract with some mindflayers to build an army?
Sharp contributed a new hypothesis:
Loulaum is both an Elder Brain and a Netherese mage, so there is enough overlap there to be able to consider him a possibility.
Additions by Azarhal
The Absolute is female as per a few of her disciples.
The Cult hangs out in a Selûne's temple and there is a note/book early in the zone that mention the Selûnites in the area went weird a few years ago (pre-Absolute as all the monsters attacking is recent according to the Grove Druids).
The Cult leaders are planning raids on certain sections of the map. Drows seems to have other plans than the goblins (they kidnapped the Duke, the goblins just wanted to pillage Waukeen's Rest).
The Cult do business with the Zhentarim (Bane followers) and "hired" a priest of Loviatar (the Maiden of Pain is a servant of Bane) without trying to convert them. But they really want to kill the druids and tieflings for some reasons.
Dark Justicars, a Shar order, came over the area a while back and disappeared into the Underdark. The leader created a shadow fog that encircle the Moonrise tower and kills anyone trying to go there. The Cult has a way to pass through that fog and the Moonrise tower is their HQ it seems.
The Selûne Temple Underdark section has a Sharran gem at the top of statue (thematically super weird).
Netherese magic could mean some Shadovars are involved. More Shar followers unless they switched allegiance.
The Maglubiyet goblin priest who is prisoner in the temple mention that the Absolute is gaining followers by offering them whatever they want. He doesn't think it's a real god.
The Githyanki who attacked the ship were actually after Shadowheart...more precisely, the artifact she is carrying. Her pod in the ship was different then the others as well. It could be linked together. So not a 1 vs 1 thing, but multiple group/gods acting against each others.
The Moonrise tower is mentioned in a document in the Harper's cache. Could be a (former) Harper base.
I am sure that there were more hints, feel free to add them.
Last edited by ArmouredHedgehog; 17/10/20 12:20 AM.
I sometimes use thought experiments. I don't necessarily believe in every idea I post for discussion on this forum
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Oct 2020
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Well we also know the Absolute is a single person, female I believe. I am assuming some sort of Drow matriarch(tend to be powerful wiz/sor/clerics) although that is speculation.
Perhaps a Drow matriarch got her hands on some forgotten netherese magic and is making a powerplay?
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2018
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Well we also know the Absolute is a single person, female I believe. I am assuming some sort of Drow matriarch(tend to be powerful wiz/sor/clerics) although that is speculation.
Perhaps a Drow matriarch got her hands on some forgotten netherese magic and is making a powerplay? I’m quite sure that the Absolute is an entity for more powerful than a mundane Drow.
Last edited by Warlocke; 15/10/20 05:14 PM.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2020
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Well we also know the Absolute is a single person, female I believe. I am assuming some sort of Drow matriarch(tend to be powerful wiz/sor/clerics) although that is speculation.
Perhaps a Drow matriarch got her hands on some forgotten netherese magic and is making a powerplay? I’m quite sure that the Absolute is an entity for more powerful than a mundane Drow. Also why female? Is there any indication for it? No, I think the Absolute has some ties to Bhaal if it's not Bhaal himself. I don't have a lot of evidence, but it seems likely to go there based on the dead three lore spread out around the game. And it would be great
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Oct 2020
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Well we also know the Absolute is a single person, female I believe. I am assuming some sort of Drow matriarch(tend to be powerful wiz/sor/clerics) although that is speculation.
Perhaps a Drow matriarch got her hands on some forgotten netherese magic and is making a powerplay? It's a BG game. She might as well be the last Bhaalspawn. It could be a way to tie it to the first two games.
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enthusiast
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OP
enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2020
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What about the possibility that this whole Absolute entity is a mindflayer invention? A religion designed so that believers volunteer for hosting a tadpole.
I suspect that there is more to it than that though. Someone gave them the ability to build new nautiloids and the netherese magic is different to the psionics used by mindflayers. It could be an entity allied with mindflayers, in control of mindflayers or captured by mindflayers. So many options.
I sometimes use thought experiments. I don't necessarily believe in every idea I post for discussion on this forum
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Oct 2020
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Well we also know the Absolute is a single person, female I believe. I am assuming some sort of Drow matriarch(tend to be powerful wiz/sor/clerics) although that is speculation.
Perhaps a Drow matriarch got her hands on some forgotten netherese magic and is making a powerplay? I’m quite sure that the Absolute is an entity for more powerful than a mundane Drow. I wouldnt call a Drow Matriarch a "mundane" drow. Then tend to be exceptionally powerful, usually having to fend off rivals (including blood relatives) their entire life. Well we also know the Absolute is a single person, female I believe. I am assuming some sort of Drow matriarch(tend to be powerful wiz/sor/clerics) although that is speculation.
Perhaps a Drow matriarch got her hands on some forgotten netherese magic and is making a powerplay? I’m quite sure that the Absolute is an entity for more powerful than a mundane Drow. Also why female? Is there any indication for it? No, I think the Absolute has some ties to Bhaal if it's not Bhaal himself. I don't have a lot of evidence, but it seems likely to go there based on the dead three lore spread out around the game. And it would be great There are several lines in the goblin camp and other places that refer to the absolute as a "she". Could be my faulty memory, I'll have to wait til I speak to Priestess Gut again in my current play through.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2018
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Well we also know the Absolute is a single person, female I believe. I am assuming some sort of Drow matriarch(tend to be powerful wiz/sor/clerics) although that is speculation.
Perhaps a Drow matriarch got her hands on some forgotten netherese magic and is making a powerplay? It's a BG game. She might as well be the last Bhaalspawn. It could be a way to tie it to the first two games. All of the Bhaalspawn are dead. This was necessary for the rebirth of Bhaal, which happened in the table top adventure Murder in Baldur’s Gate.
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enthusiast
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OP
enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2020
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The absolute is referred to as "she". The way it presents itself to its followers does not necessarily mean that it is a female or a single person.
I sometimes use thought experiments. I don't necessarily believe in every idea I post for discussion on this forum
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Oct 2020
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The absolute is referred to as "she". The way it presents itself to its followers does not necessarily mean that it is a female or a single person. Excellent point I did not consider.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2018
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Mundane meaning “of this world.” I’m quite sure that whatever the absolute is, it is not just some character-inhabitant of Toril.
Anyway, my interpretation was that the being that approaches you in your dreams and tempts you with power is the Absolute. The is connected to tadpoled True Souls, and you only get those dreams of you use your tadpole powers.
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Oct 2020
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Mundane meaning “of this world.” I’m quite sure that whatever the absolute is, it is not just some character-inhabitant of Toril.
Anyway, my interpretation was that the being that approaches you in your dreams and tempts you with power is the Absolute. The is connected to tadpoled True Souls, and you only get those dreams of you use your tadpole powers. You could quite well be correct, as Matron mothers to my knowledge seldom leave the service of lollth and live. Usually getting sacrificed to said angry spider god to win back favour for the family. They love a good sacrifice them drow lol.
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enthusiast
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OP
enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2020
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In order for the mindflayers to build new ships they could have struck a new deal with the arcane. As the arcane are lawful neutral the absoulute cannot be one of them. The mindflayers themselves seem to be inadept at dealing with netherese magic.
I guess the answer to the question "Who can build spelljamming ships and work with netherese magic" would point in the right direction.
It pretty much cannot be a drow matron. Lolth would not be happy about someone starting a new drow religion.
Last edited by ArmouredHedgehog; 15/10/20 05:41 PM.
I sometimes use thought experiments. I don't necessarily believe in every idea I post for discussion on this forum
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2020
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Mundane meaning “of this world.” I’m quite sure that whatever the absolute is, it is not just some character-inhabitant of Toril.
Anyway, my interpretation was that the being that approaches you in your dreams and tempts you with power is the Absolute. The is connected to tadpoled True Souls, and you only get those dreams of you use your tadpole powers. You could quite well be correct, as Matron mothers to my knowledge seldom leave the service of lollth and live. Usually getting sacrificed to said angry spider god to win back favour for the family. They love a good sacrifice them drow lol. Need to read the latest salvatore novels lol.
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Oct 2020
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Need to read the latest salvatore novels lol. [/quote] Now that is a tease haha.
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addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2020
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Adding more stuff to the OP.
The Absolute is female as per a few of her disciples.
The Cult hangs out in a Selûne's temple and there is a note/book early in the zone that mention the Selûnites in the area went weird a few years ago (pre-Absolute as all the monsters attacking is recent according to the Grove Druids).
The Cult leaders are planning raids on certain sections of the map. Drows seems to have other plans than the goblins (they kidnapped the Duke, the goblins just wanted to pillage Waukeen's Rest).
The Cult do business with the Zhentarim (Bane followers) and "hired" a priest of Loviatar (the Maiden of Pain is a servant of Bane) without trying to convert them. But they really want to kill the druids and tieflings for some reasons.
Dark Justicars, a Shar order, came over the area a while back and disappeared into the Underdark. The leader created a shadow fog that encircle the Moonrise tower and kills anyone trying to go there. The Cult has a way to pass through that fog and the Moonrise tower is their HQ it seems.
The Selûne Temple Underdark section has a Sharran gem at the top of statue (thematically super weird).
Netherese magic could mean some Shadovars are involved. More Shar followers unless they switched allegiance.
The Maglubiyet goblin priest who is prisoner in the temple mention that the Absolute is gaining followers by offering them whatever they want. He doesn't think it's a real god.
The Githyanki who attacked the ship were actually after Shadowheart...more precisely, the artifact she is carrying. Her pod in the ship was different then the others as well. It could be linked together. So not a 1 vs 1 thing, but multiple group/gods acting against each others.
The Moonrise tower is mentioned in a document in the Harper's cache. Could be a (former) Harper base.
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journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Oct 2020
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It has to be some sort of god.
Why? There are Clerics of the Absolute. You literally can't be a Cleric unless you well... follow a real god. Unless this has been changed somehow for BG3 specifically.
Perhaps Shar? I believe this goddess pretended to be someone else. There are other signs pointing to Shar as well.
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enthusiast
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OP
enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2020
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Shar does have a strong connection to shadow magic and netheril, so that would point to shar. But why pose as a new goddess?
I have added the addititions contributed by azarhal to the first post. Thanks.
I sometimes use thought experiments. I don't necessarily believe in every idea I post for discussion on this forum
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2020
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Maybe it's Karsus. And he somehow became a she when he took Mystrals place and was super briefly the god of magic before breaking the weave. He was netherese and super powerful and technically a god, albeit briefly. lol
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enthusiast
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OP
enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2020
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A netherese mage would be a possibility. I find it interesting that Gale has nothing to say on the netherese aspect of the tadpoles. He clearly has taken the study of their magic close to his heart.
I sometimes use thought experiments. I don't necessarily believe in every idea I post for discussion on this forum
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