Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion The hunt for the artefact. How did it come in our possession ? Plotholes. Massive Spoilers.

I'm trying to reconstruct how Shadowheart came into possession of the artefact. And then got abdcuted by the mindflayers, but managed to hide it on her person during captivity on the Nautiloid, whereas the Githyanki and the Absolutists knew that it was there, so they went looking for survivors of the crash.

This is what I know and where things seem to be missing or contradictory. It's already obvious (from another thread in this forum) that I missed some dialogue with Shadowheart over the artefact. I put a [?] on these plotholes. Maybe some players have obtained info in the game that I missed and together we can reconstruct the story. Obviously this is all one great big spoiler.

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1. The 3 chosen start their plan to enslave the elder brain under Moonrise towers. It is likely that during their research, they learned of the existence of a Githyanki artefact that can block the elder brain, and so they try to find it.

2. The emperor knows about the plan of the 3 and finds the artefact and can enter it, ending up with Orpheus and his guard on the Astral plane. Somehow he manages to survive any hostility from them. Where the artefact is at that moment, is unknown to me. [?]

3. The absolutists are meanwhile also looking for the artefact, as it could disrupt their plan.

4. Viconia investigates the cult of the Absolute and also wants the artefact. She only knows the absolutists are scared of it and that they want it badly, and therefore she wants it also as she wants to defeat the cult.

5. Several Shar commando's are sent out to search and seize the artefact. Shadowheart is one of them.

6. Somehow Shadowheart obtains it. Where ? How did she manage ? Was this before or after the emperor entered ? [?]

7. The Gith'yanki know that the stolen artefact is on that particular Nautiloid and follow it through all the planes to retrieve it. How did they know it, and why couldn't they prevent SH from obtaining it previously [?]

8. The Nautiloid crashes not far from Baldur's Gate, near one of the Absolute's HQ's. The emperor can save the lives of our party members from the crash. He decides he will work with all of you to defeat the absolute, although it is up to Tav to find the others wherever they are and assemble them in a party. [?] Luckily Tav can do this thanks to the telepathic gift from the tadpole

9. The Gith'yanki found the crashed Nautiloid, but not the artefact, though they have clues that there were survivors and now go on the hunt for these.

10. The absolutists also learn somehow that the artefact was on that ship and that there were survivors and hunt for them. [?]

11. At one point, close to the goblin camp, there is a "mental/psionic" contact between the party and the 3 chosen. The artefact protects the party and breaks the contact.

12. Yet, at Moonrise Towers, Ketheric, who was among the 3 that confronted the party doesn't know that they are the ones that have it when they first meet. [?]

13. After defeating Ketheric Thorm everyone knows that your party has the artefact.

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I'm curious what you think of this and if you would amend some points or fill in blanks.

**WARNING Massive plot spoilers

7.5: Why could the Gith track the Nautiloid to Avernus when it planeshifted (and originally also to the city it attacked) and follow it within seconds, but not when it went back to Faerun?

Wow, I did miss quite a bit it seems. Thanks a lot for clearing up some important points.

Strewth. Was there anyone who didn't know about the "mysterious" artefact?

When reading your other thread I got curious about the Shadowheart conversation near the créche and fired up a save game to check it out. The dialogue goes as follows:

The conversation with Viconia

Two problems: The Emperor claims he was the first one to find the artifact. If that's true, the timeline makes even less sense. If he was lying, then that means that Shadowheart was tadpoled by mindflayers of the Absolute while in possession of the artifact.

The same artifact that freed the Emperor from the Absolute?

What feels a bit strange here is that

I'm pretty sure he was lying about that (which is just my gut feeling). Could you elaborate why you think SH must have been tadpoled by mindflayers of the absolute? I don't remember all the dialogues with the Emperor about the artifact.

I was more thinking along the lines of

To think that our early conversation would Create so Much Coments.. amazing Dude lol
Finally we are not alone..
Lets Dig Up some more Clues and Find the Truth.. lol

Like i told in the other Thread i always Felt that this Game Drop some Great Clues Here and There and if we managed to Dig all of then..
we will find the aswer we are looking For.

Was Shadow.. Yu can Have 1 convesation with her inside the Cresch..
When she tells yu a Little Bit More on How she get the artifact..
and that evrybody Dies in the quest and her its the only survivor..

During this conversation yu can even kinda Pressionate Her on Why Viconia/Mother Wanted the artifact so badly.. why he was important to Her..
But she dosent Know becouse of Wiped Memories..
She only Remembers that its what she has to do kind off.. Steal the artifact from the Cresch and Bring it Back to BG
(witch Cresch she went or Were it was.. dosent tell.)

i Beleave that the Moment she Scapes with the Stuff.. the Gith we saw at the Beggining were send behind Her with the artifact
the moment Vlakith got wind of the artifact is Missing..
(maybe she was Snachet afater finishing the Quest..)
Like she was already on her way Back but get Snatched by the Squids during Prolog.

That its pretty Possible for Vlakith.. she Knew about the artifact and with Her Powers.. Nowing were it was its not out of the possibilities..
she dosent know ho is caring bu she know were it is..
kinda she can Feel the Power that comes from the artifact..
(thats why she find yu so easy in the Act 3 at Camp when she Shows to Lae'zel and the Party telling us to Kill The Comet one Last Time..)
Like others in the Game kinda gave yu this Feeling.
(Demi Gods, Gods and Legendary Mithys can Feel this Kind Stuff.. thats pretty normal for Table Top Rules too.)

Orpheus Was Locked Up by The First Vlakith as far as i Understood..
When His Mother Gave the Empire to the first Vlakith He Rebel..
then he Loose and got Jailed..
(but for the Tale he Died in the Hands of Voss.)

And something that never was Made Clear too even in Dungeons and Dragons.. Table Top..
is What Exacly Tiamat did with the Mother of Orpheus..
Becouse in the True Tale she went There to Make a Pact and then the Dragon Cames and Made the Vlakith stuff..
(What really Happened with his Mother is never tell.. its a Secret kept really dark till this day has more then 30 years this already bro. haha)

since i was Young and First Time got wind of this Stuff playing Table Top i always Wonder why..

Another Thing that i always Wonder its this.. in the Real Story.. Before Larian Made this Stuff of Orpheus and Comet Dude..
(its a Retcon this.. Like the Crown of Carsus..)

The Real Fight was against the Gith and the Githzerai..
(the Monk Giths peacefull ones Gith.)
Just Forgot the Name of the Dude ho was the Githzerai Rebel

Just a Personal Note..
The Crown of Karsus was not the way he Try to Take Mistra Place..
in the Original Tale before get Retcon for this Game..
Karsus Made the First One and Only 12 lvl Spell..
Karsus Avatar.. the spell to Become a GOD.
he would Steal the Power and the Domain of a God of his Choosing.. using this Spell..
(and his one and Only Mistake.. was to Choose the Wrong. God.)
if he went with another then Mistra.. i beleave he would Suceeed..
his mistake was in his Hubris he think he would be able to Control the Weave.. Such a Noob.
Like Gale ending..haha

Btw: Karsus is Not Trully Dead.. He become a Patreon in Table Top after the Fall for Locks.
Just Forgot the Name of the patreon But its Hin.. Trust me its Hin.. or what was Left of Hin..haha

I dont Beleave he was Really the First to Find the Artifact..
He maybe Think he was the First.. but i dont really beleave in that..

Because the companions + the PC was on the ship? It doesn't make any sense if this was a completely random nautiloid operated by uninvolved mindflayers, because then the whole story thread about searching for information on the cult of the Absolute is a thing.

But in Table Top what they Did its Pretty Normal..
Mindflayers Kinda do this indeed..
they went and Steall People from Citys..
and sometimes hide Colonys inside this cities to Turn evrybody into Squid...
(like they Did with the Emperor.. when he tells yu about his Past.)

In the Underdark playing Table Top..
yu can Find Many colonies and the Drow and Duergar actually went against then all the Time..
(just give a Try on Mezonberanzza Stuff.. trust me the Underdark its Pretty amazing.)

and they Just Deep Down on doing this Kind stuff even Harder..
Becouse of the Failure that was the Grand Designe..
(the only Thing out of sense here in my opinion is the Ship. becouse since the Grand Designe like Olmellun tells yu.. He never saw one.. and indeed they are Pretty Rare to Find..)

Maybe its for increase the Stake in the Game but i never Understood How they Find that Ship even so that they are Mindflayers.. so they were some Colony From outside Earth ??
Becouse in Table Top the Gith and Squid People are all around the Planes and Other Planets..
(Like they are the Space Dudes from Dungeons and Dragons..)
Hence why the Ships and Flying Dragons.

Im not the Smartest Guy in the Roon when it Comes to True Lore.. But somethings i do Remember pretty Well
Becouse my Gm made me Eat the Tale for his Games.
(another Crazy Curiosity.. The Gith Teoretically were Humans Changed a Lot by the Squids with inbreed and stuff like that and turn into the Gith we know.)

Yeah, but in this game, grabbing people to tadpole them was what the Absolute was doing, had been for a while, we're told are responsible, had the prism the Absolutionist were explicitly looking for aboard and in the other thread, I pointed out the coincidences bringing Baldur's Gate into all the people that survive the crash, etc. It could be a random nautiloid ship, but that just makes the plot holes WORSE, lol.