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He never even asked you to become an illithid (you could give the stones to him), and before that he merely encouraged you to use the powers (and the Astral tadpole).

Have you played a no Illithid powers game? I think we are playing two different games - he constantly berates you for not slurping up tadpoles and chastises you when you squash the astral tadpole. It's *clearly* leading us down the garden path for transformation.

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I don't know what you were reading into the dialogue but I never felt lied to.

I mean I appreciate your commitment to your position but come on

". . . Just like you I was infected by a mind flayer parasite. Just like you I seek to be free of it . . ."

And it later tells us the truth - even if his original body was available he wouldn't return to it. He doesn't seek to be free of the parasite he seeks to "evolve" and he seeks to "evolve" us.


It also hides the fact that Stelmane was thrall, completely misrepresenting it's relationship with her. And it doesn't reveal the killing of Ansur until it has no other choice and indeed it advises us to avoid discovering the truth of how far it's evil has spread.

It came in a false form, it misrepresented itself as the guardian and created an illusion of a sword at it's heart. In truth the sword could not kill it and the only purpose of the kabuki was to gain our trust.

It misrepresented the knights of the shield as mercantile organization when, in truth, it's front group for a devil whose real purpose is corrupt the governments of Faerun.


In sum, it's a completely manipulative relationship based on lies, misrepresentations and half truths.



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Also, he killed Ansur in self-defence.

Balduran's friend was clearly in the right and The Emperor's decision to kill the friend of his human host confirms that Ansur was correct. Balduran was dead and some awful pantomime of him remained - which will also be our fate / Karlach's fate if we don't opt to die at the end of the game.

We need a "no mind flayer" option and we need to be able to denounce The Emperor without sounding like a petulant child.