Being a Sourcerer wasn't an ailment. It was a super power that normal people came to fear so a new religion sprouted up that believed Source had to be "cured", but it was never presented that way to the player.
The tadpole is actually more spiritually similar to being a Bhaalspawn like the older games. It is a dark power that threatens to transform you into something evil, but its seductive powers are too convenient to pass up. It even comes with special dream sequences where you wake up with more abilities unlocked. I imagine wanting to capture that same "you're infected with great power; what do you do?" story the original games had was part of why they chose this story beat.
As for the ship, I think Larian just wants that to be the calling card of their games. A little trope they adore and want to use in different ways whenever they go to make an RPG similar to how in most Elder Scrolls games you start off as a prisoner. Plus it beats "you and your party meet at a tavern" as far as giving your characters a sense of dramatic urgency goes.
Last edited by SaurianDruid; 31/10/20 08:22 PM.
