I feel good about the Daisy/artifact theory.
I think the tadpole is impacted by Netherese magic, but that doesn't mean the artifact necessarily is. We have to consider that all the true souls have tadpoles that also seem to be in stasis, which we can presume because they haven't changed into mind flayers yet.
So the Netherese magic isn't unique to the players. Only the free will and the overall absence of the Absolute's voice. Which Nere mentions when he comes into proximity of the artifact. Leading me to think that the artifact is, in general, blocking out the voice, at least passively most of the time, and actively when the voice is broadcast loudly, like when the characters try to cross the bridge.
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I'm still puzzling through my thoughts about how Shar and the dead three interact with everything. Clearly the dead three are somehow influencing or in league with the mind flayers... or a faction of the mind flayers.
I suppose the best place to start is to consider what their goals might be.
The dead three are only quasi deities, I believe. Perhaps their goal is to become fully deific once again? Perhaps they want to take over a portfolio? The last time they did it they had to slay a powerful entity first, right? And then make a deal with Jergal after attacking his fortress.
Is there a deity they may be trying to get rid of? Kelemvor, maybe?
Of note: when Withers asks the player about the value of a mortal life, if you answer that it depends on the mortal, Withers will reply with something like, "I wonder how thy will judge." Notice that Withers didn't say, "I wonder how they would judge if thy were in a position to judge." But instead, "How *WILL* thy judge?" As if it's a foregone conclusion that you'll be judging at some point.
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Then there's Shar. Yes, she's all connected to the Shadow weave in the lore. I believe she created the shadow weave.
Her goal, as far as I know, is to bring darkness to everything. That seems to be the same goal the illithids have, to darken the sun and take over the plane.
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Regarding the Absolute. Is it an actual entity? Is it the dead three? Is it an illithid elder brain? Lot of questions. Too little to go on.
I can't help but feel like we should be able to figure this out, though.
Last edited by JandK; 05/09/22 09:16 PM.
