Originally Posted by Gray Ghost
Originally Posted by StormUndying
Originally Posted by Tarlonniel
Originally Posted by Sozz
I think the Emperor plotline, and maybe the main plot of the game, jumped the tracks for me when you're forced to kill the Githyanki honor guard. When the game shows it's hand like that by forcing us to side with the Mind-Flayer I started to be worried it had worked itself into a corner.

It would've been so neat to be able to switch "sides" right there, followed by getting to know your new savior, instead of that choice simply resulting in a game over.

it is also problematic for me specifically with reference to Lae'Zel as an origin character. IMO, it is very difficult to see Lae'zel choosing to side with a mind flayer over her own people, particularly when (at that point in the story) she may well have already renounced Vlaakith and know the truth about Orpheus. Add in the fact that the Emperor is not trustworthy when he tells you that he's the only thing keeping you from falling under the Absolute's control (he's telling the truth, apparently, but there's essentially no reason to believe him at that point) and I have some difficulty rationalizing any other canon ending for a Lae'zel origin run than having her kill the emperor there and then, and getting a game over. TBH, it's already noteworthy that she's willing to continue to follow the main character after that point - surely choosing to aid a MIND FLAYER in slaughtering the devoted bodyguards of the true prince of the Gith would be at least as objectionable to her as raiding the grove for is for Wyll or Karlach?

I think an important point about Lae'zel here, especially if you've done her quest specifically, is that she doesn't know that's orphans. You went into the prism and met the guardian, then when Voss tells you about the rebellion, he doesn't tell you about orpheus there, he says the person in the prism is vital to the effort, assuming that it's Orpheus, but he doesn't say explicitly, so we don't really know about Orpheus at this point.

Perhaps. I still find it hard to rationalize Lae'zel siding with a mind flayer against gith (who are trying to free another gith), even without express knowledge that said imprisoned Gith is Orpheus (I will grant that given her relatively low intelligence, it's believable for her not to have made the connection between what Voss said and the imprisoned gith in the prism.)