This goes without saying that all playthroughs as Origin or Tav can end in them betraying everything and just controlling the brain to become The Absolute. But that's evil route deluxe, even if it keeps Karlach alive, it's not her anymore. Not really.
Karlach Origin endings spoiler
For those wondering how Karlach handles the end if you play as her and don't have anyone joining you etc. Just pure Karlach run:
Karlach takes in the fact that this is the end of the road for her and she feels the engine burning out in her chest. The battle is done and won and no matter what, this is where her story ends. She's really sad about it, to the point it makes me tear up as I type. She asks herself if she can do this, and you can either say Yes, No, or There has to be another way.
If you say Yes, she will convince herself that it's okay, she did good and that she only needs to see the sky one last time before she goes. She will then go from the tower to the docks and burn out alone. Saying goodbye to the sky and sea. Exploding.
If you say No, she will talk about maybe there being another way. She speaks of Avernus being the only place where she for now can survive. She sounds sure of herself and positive, she says that Maybe this time, things will be different. She says she's different, than the last time she was there. She'll need a big-ass sword, which she has, and a lot of gut, which she has too. She says she can do this, and the scene fades to black. We don't really get an Avernus ending epilogue here from what I've seen for now.
So there's that. She's more positive toward Avernus when she's on her own and thinking the thoughts between death and life in the Hell, and she is more positive about it here than anytime before. But it also sounds fishy and weird and all I want is for her to be able to get help in late Act 3 because she didn't ask for any of this.
She didn't ask for the engine, she says that Zariel tunes up her pets and that she's not even the most banged up one. She's been betrayed, sold off, enslaved, mutilated against her will and put to do Zariel's dirty dishes. When she finally emerges back to the land she belongs in, she's in pain and hurting and either forced to die or return to the one place she never wanted to go back to.
How fair is this compared to everyone else? I don't need her to have a perfect glorious ending. Everyone sacrifives something even in their best endings and most have a looming threat of their spiteful Goddesses huffing on their necks.
Let Zariel try to hunt her. Let Karlach have less powers than before. Let her live, though, and let her run her Tavern, tell stories, go to bed knowing she could turn the tables in a world that is made for our choices. Damn.
