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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2023
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So I’m playing through the Blighted Village for the umpteenth time, but this time I’m trying to look more carefully into why the place is in such an utter state of disrepair, and locate that within the broader story. Act 1/2 spoilers I have some things pieced together. Like local kids kept being abducted and disappearing from school. There’s a huge nest of spiders under the town. There was a necromancer there, named Ilyn Toth, who pretended to be a healer. Under that guise he kept murdering the townspeople and using them for his experiments, trying to reanimate the dead. His familiar Shovel helped him with this.
And apparently his reign of terror ended when the Dark Justiciars got him, so his apprentice’s diary claims. Toth himself says that a dark army kept raiding the town. You can also find a Selunite amulet and a statue in the town, indicating the presence of Selunites there. (Pointing to the conflict between Shar and Selune extending into act 1 as well as showcased in act 2.)
So what happened to destroy the town? Were the kids being abducted by Ilyn Toth, by spiders, or by followers of Shar just as Shadowheart was? (I’ve heard suggestions that Shadowheart actually grew up in Moonhaven, but I’m not convinced of that.)
Was the entire town destroyed by an army of Dark Justiciars (originating in the Shadow Cursed lands) who also destroyed the Selunite temple? Does this mean that Moonhaven was devastated 100 years ago, or sooner? Sharrans also came to the monastery of Lathander, but they weren’t able to destroy that one.
What does everybody think? Why did Moonhaven become the Blighted Village? Is there something I’ve missed?
Last edited by Ecc2ca; 03/12/23 11:02 PM.
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The whole area is a victim of Ketheric's crusade, so Dark Justiciars pretty much ran through the entire area. They were most likely even led by Ketheric himself because the place is incredibly old and the Rothe in Grymforge remembers Ketheric despite not having seen him in decades.
It was previously known as Moonhaven, a Selunite village (which other than the name itself is evident by the Selunite references, statues and even a statue underneath the village), all of which is very close to the grand temple of Selune which also got ransacked, as the fight extended even deep down to the Selunite Outpost.
So it was pretty much Ketheric's war against everyone else which went through Moonhaven > Temple of Selune > Selunite Outpost where the resistance was ultimately annihilated, but by doing so forged an alliance between the Druids and the Harpers to ultimately take him down (frescos in the Druid's Grove).
There're several books, paintings and frescos portraying his crusade.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2023
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Act 2 spoilers Interesting, and that would explain why the druids entered into an alliance with the Harpers to fight Ketheric. And why you find the corpses of so many druids in the Shadow Cursed lands.
It would make a lot of sense for the druids to go fight the Dark Justiciars if they were actually encroaching on the grove itself. (Blighted Village is close enough that I’m sure it would have been threatening.) Very interesting! I’ve never put the pieces together before.
Seems like Dark Justiciars had been a powerful presence in so many of the areas in Act 1. The Underdark especially (as you noted), the monastery of Lathander, the Selunite settlements. The landscape of Act 1, even, is shaped by Shar.
I guess it’s difficult to discern the presence of Sharrans at first glance, because you have to read through a bunch of little notes you find to see it. I haven’t seen any documents that state that they overran the Selunite temple, although I’m sure they did. (Unless the Selunites in the Underdark were fighting Sharrans and not monsters like I assumed.)
I don’t remember seeing a statue of Selune underground in the Blighted Village, is that in the area with the spiders?
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The spiders are an interesting one. Since the Matriarch happens to be a Drow, which is why it drops the robes. There's a book referecing that she finally found a way to become a spider in the little camp area underground.
Meaning that the village had not just 1, but 2 complete nutjobs inhabiting it. There's some partially destroyed books around there that as I recall provide some more information about the area, but I can't recall the details from the top of my head.
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In the Goblin Camp some of then Talk about the Village..
When they Get there the village were left alone already but i bet that what really happened there was..
the Necro Dude that leaved there made some Big Shit and died in the Process.. or the spiders eat the rest that were left alive..
(yu Find So Many People in there Lair inside the Webs all dead of course but there are a LOOT of then just Look around.. more then 20)
Becouse when yu Get there Shovel is already alone for Some time Maybe more then 10 years.. since he was inside the Coffin.
and he even ask where the real master is, the Mirror the Same he open for yu if yu intimidate asap but if yu talk to it he will say some interesting Things..
(and indeed that village since my first Game i always felt weird what really happen there..)
This game have some Great Misteries that till this Day left me wonder what really happen.
The Selune statue in the Village is Closer to where yu Free Barcus.. its the Only One the same when Shadow get the Scenematic too.
If she already talked about the Curse in her hand the scene goes 1 way, but will go different if yu never get the event when she talk about it..
like saving Arabella in the Grove, lefting the Cub alive or Giving the Cure to the iron hand gnome in the Underdark..
(i Never Tested This before but i saw 1 dude talking something interesting, if yu Never get one of these 3 when yu do something good and the Curse activate she will go the Darker Path in act 2 more easy even if yu romance Her..)
It works like Triggers like he told in the coment..
The more yu Get she will chose the Light Path alone without yu having to Say anything.
(And till this day only 1 run i had she Chose for her Self to Kill the Nightsong and was the game when i went Full scumbag.)
Last edited by Thorvic; 04/12/23 02:59 AM.
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Act 2 spoilers Interesting, and that would explain why the druids entered into an alliance with the Harpers to fight Ketheric. And why you find the corpses of so many druids in the Shadow Cursed lands.
It would make a lot of sense for the druids to go fight the Dark Justiciars if they were actually encroaching on the grove itself. (Blighted Village is close enough that I’m sure it would have been threatening.) Very interesting! I’ve never put the pieces together before.
Seems like Dark Justiciars had been a powerful presence in so many of the areas in Act 1. The Underdark especially (as you noted), the monastery of Lathander, the Selunite settlements. The landscape of Act 1, even, is shaped by Shar.
I guess it’s difficult to discern the presence of Sharrans at first glance, because you have to read through a bunch of little notes you find to see it. I haven’t seen any documents that state that they overran the Selunite temple, although I’m sure they did. (Unless the Selunites in the Underdark were fighting Sharrans and not monsters like I assumed.)
I don’t remember seeing a statue of Selune underground in the Blighted Village, is that in the area with the spiders? Yup, the entirety of ACT 1 and 2 zones were devoted to Selune, until Ketheric abandoned her because he lost everything dear in his life and then reformed his armies to Sharrans. Which is why there are Selunite quests, secret letters and religious objects everywhere in ACT 1 and 2 as they were forced to worship Selune in secrecy because of the Sharran Inquisition. Anyone who did not submit to Shar was tortured and killed.
(Slightly off-topic but this is also why I do not kill the nurses in the hospital, but instead let them stabbity stab stab Malus Thorm. They were just and caring ladies in life who were forced to only treat Sharrans, while everyone who was not a Sharran was sent to the doctor for vile horrific experimentations).
As for the Selune statue underneath the village it's in the Owlbear cave which is directly under the village, but naturally that part of the village caved in after so many decades of being unattended and ransacked. Overall I love Larian's subtle ways of storytelling with various elements. Whether it's tiny hints or literature or environmental decorations or even planting certain stuff or all combined. For example with a certain Selune cleric; The player cannot ever talk to Isobel about her being Ketheric's daughter in ACT 2, but so many hints and clues reveal this way before the story directly reveals it. Such as; - She keeps a sculpture of her father while he was still devoted to Selune and regularly says idle lines such as "What sin are you committing now?" or "What happened to you?"
- This same sculpture can be found in Moonrise and the player's character can comment on it
- Ketheric's hound can sniff Isobel's magic on us and recognizes it because it died along with "Ketheric's daughter" on the same night trying to defend her
- The little Selunite pin she keeps in her closet is the same pin as her mother's in Moonrise
I seriously love that kind of story-telling by letting the player piece it all together if they're paying attention. Show, do not tell ^^
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If yu Look in the Ketherics Roon in Moon Rise Tower.. yu can find a Bunch of Clues leading to this.. Spoilers yu can even go to her Roon and find a Letter from her to Kethric if im not wrong..when she left the Tower
yu can find a Letter from Ketherics wife hide inside the roon too.
But the Real lealization comes when yu enter the Gountlet..
Yu Find her Coffin.haha
Last edited by Thorvic; 04/12/23 02:49 AM.
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The spiders are an interesting one. Since the Matriarch happens to be a Drow, which is why it drops the robes. There's a book referecing that she finally found a way to become a spider in the little camp area underground.
Meaning that the village had not just 1, but 2 complete nutjobs inhabiting it. There's some partially destroyed books around there that as I recall provide some more information about the area, but I can't recall the details from the top of my head. No, the spider matriarch happened to be a high elf, captured by the drow, who wished to be turned into a spider. You find her journals in that room, where the spider step boots are. She became a Lolth follower and wished to be like her goddess.
"We are all stories in the end. Just make it a good one."
Doctor Who
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The whole area is a victim of Ketheric's crusade, so Dark Justiciars pretty much ran through the entire area. They were most likely even led by Ketheric himself because the place is incredibly old and the Rothe in Grymforge remembers Ketheric despite not having seen him in decades.
It was previously known as Moonhaven, a Selunite village (which other than the name itself is evident by the Selunite references, statues and even a statue underneath the village), all of which is very close to the grand temple of Selune which also got ransacked, as the fight extended even deep down to the Selunite Outpost.
So it was pretty much Ketheric's war against everyone else which went through Moonhaven > Temple of Selune > Selunite Outpost where the resistance was ultimately annihilated, but by doing so forged an alliance between the Druids and the Harpers to ultimately take him down (frescos in the Druid's Grove).
There're several books, paintings and frescos portraying his crusade. I would add to this that there's a book in Grymforge that outlines plans for attack against the village of Moonhaven.
Additionally, there's mention of a missing child in Moonhaven (the blighted village) named Rochelle Kirk. When you are in the tavern in Reithwin (in act II), you can find mention of someone named Rochelle Kwark being banned from the tavern. I would suggest that Rochelle Kirk and Rochelle Kwark are probably one and the same. The result of Rochelle Kirk having been kidnapped by the Sharrans all those many years ago.
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old hand
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This entire thing does not make sense. With as close the village was to Elturel and with how important the trade link link between Elturel and Baldurs Gate was, Ketheric would never have been able to raise an army and instead would have been anihilated by Hellrider and/or Flaming Fists instead of an Harper-druid alliance
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This entire thing does not make sense. With as close the village was to Elturel and with how important the trade link link between Elturel and Baldurs Gate was, Ketheric would never have been able to raise an army and instead would have been anihilated by Hellrider and/or Flaming Fists instead of an Harper-druid alliance This took place a hundred years ago. There's a letter in Moonhaven talking about Elturgard and how the locals weren't friendly to the idea of folks from Elturgard trying to encroach on them. Elturgard was presented as somewhat fledgling in nature, and the locals considered themselves free of far away lords who would tax them. It leaves me with the impression that you might be overestimating the provincial value of Elturgard during the time period in question.
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old hand
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This entire thing does not make sense. With as close the village was to Elturel and with how important the trade link link between Elturel and Baldurs Gate was, Ketheric would never have been able to raise an army and instead would have been anihilated by Hellrider and/or Flaming Fists instead of an Harper-druid alliance This took place a hundred years ago. There's a letter in Moonhaven talking about Elturgard and how the locals weren't friendly to the idea of folks from Elturgard trying to encroach on them. Elturgard was presented as somewhat fledgling in nature, and the locals considered themselves free of far away lords who would tax them. It leaves me with the impression that you might be overestimating the provincial value of Elturgard during the time period in question. Hundred years ago both Baldurs Gate and Elturel were already regional powers whos fortune depended on the free flow of goods along the river. Especially Elturel was known to hunt bandits and the blighted village is quite close. There is no explanation I can think off why neither of those powers would not have intervened when Ketheric raised an army and instead a ragtag band of Harper and druids had to fight a war there.
Last edited by Ixal; 04/12/23 09:15 AM.
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This entire thing does not make sense. With as close the village was to Elturel and with how important the trade link link between Elturel and Baldurs Gate was, Ketheric would never have been able to raise an army and instead would have been anihilated by Hellrider and/or Flaming Fists instead of an Harper-druid alliance This took place a hundred years ago. There's a letter in Moonhaven talking about Elturgard and how the locals weren't friendly to the idea of folks from Elturgard trying to encroach on them. Elturgard was presented as somewhat fledgling in nature, and the locals considered themselves free of far away lords who would tax them. It leaves me with the impression that you might be overestimating the provincial value of Elturgard during the time period in question. Hundred years ago both Baldurs Gate and Elturel were already regional powers whos fortune depended on the free flow of goods along the river. Especially Elturel was known to hunt bandits and the blighted village is quite close. There is no explanation I can think off why neither of those powers would not have intervened when Ketheric raised an army and instead a ragtag band of Harper and druids had to fight a war there. I'm just referencing what's actually in the game as opposed to making geopolitical suppositions about a sandbox. ETA: I would also point out that Khelbun Blackstaff was involved as he authored the surrender letter that can be found outside Reithwin. I wouldn't label him ragtag.
Last edited by JandK; 04/12/23 12:33 PM.
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old hand
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old hand
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I find the chronology confusing with respect to the tollhouse and the inn that was set on fire by the goblins and gnolls, to kidnap Ravenheart.
Despite the 1 century devastation, these remained operational. The tollhouse has some diaries of diminishing travel on the road, but that happened much more recently than the Sharran attacks, and the corpse of the master of the tollhouse had been decaying for some time, but certainly much less than a century.
And the inn was still completely operational and intact when the delegation of the Duke arrived there.
So the 1 century of desolation does not quite fit with this.
But it's quite possible that I missed some important info.
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old hand
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I'm just referencing what's actually in the game as opposed to making geopolitical suppositions about a sandbox.
ETA: I would also point out that Khelbun Blackstaff was involved as he authored the surrender letter that can be found outside Reithwin. I wouldn't label him ragtag. That doesn't make much sense. If Khelben was involved there wouldn't have been much of a battle. Either way it means the Ketheric conflict was between 1367 (Khelben resigns as Lord of Waterdeep) and 1370 (Khelben is expelled from the Harpers). So 130 years before BG3. Not sure if there are in game documents dating that war. Either way, back to the blighted village, why was it never resettled in those years, considering how close it is to Elturel? And where did the fishermen come from?
Last edited by Ixal; 04/12/23 02:11 PM.
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I find the chronology confusing with respect to the tollhouse and the inn that was set on fire by the goblins and gnolls, to kidnap Ravenheart.
Despite the 1 century devastation, these remained operational. The tollhouse has some diaries of diminishing travel on the road, but that happened much more recently than the Sharran attacks, and the corpse of the master of the tollhouse had been decaying for some time, but certainly much less than a century.
And the inn was still completely operational and intact when the delegation of the Duke arrived there.
So the 1 century of desolation does not quite fit with this.
But it's quite possible that I missed some important info.
So the attack on Moonhaven happened a hundred or so years ago. Ixal asks above why the village was never resettled. I don't know the answer to that. It's a reasonable question. Maybe the area was overrun with goblins that were never cleared out. Maybe with the fall of the Selune temple, there wasn't much demand for living space thereabouts. But ultimately, it's all guesswork. Anyway, to address what you're saying, the tollhouse and Waukeen's Rest are modern. They don't have the same history as Moonhaven as they weren't wrapped up in that war/skirmish. The tollhouse just collects tolls from those travelling through the area, and Waukeen's Rest services their needs along the trade route. However, the trade route is known to be dangerous. That's why traders pay the toll at the tollhouse, specifically because it's the only route that's somewhat protected... or was before it became overrun with gnolls, goblins, and drow. * Also mentioned by Ixal above, what happened with Khelbun? I don't know the answer to that question either. It's also a reasonable question. Something obviously stopped Khelbun from simply annihilating Ketheric's forces. Perhaps there was some force protecting Ketheric. Maybe Khelbun's hands were tied up in some way. In the letter of surrender, Khelbun does mention that the surrender is being offered to essentially save innocent lives that would otherwise be lost. Or rather, that continuing the conflict would cause more harm than good.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2023
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Thanks folks, this was very insightful! I'm still a little confused on the precise timeline, but I think I've got the general shape of things. I do recall that the rothe in Grymforge remembered Ketheric, but I never connected it to Ketheric actually being there and leading an assault on the areas in Act 1! That's a cool insight.
And I think that the connection between Rochelle Kirk and Rochelle Kwark is a solid one. The Sharrans must have been kidnapping those kids. All the more interesting that Shadowheart's wound reacts to the book that comments on the kids' disappearance. It's almost as though she knows what happened to her, in her subconscious mind, like a truth that's on the tip of her tongue but she can't quite articulate it.
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In case it is still of interest to anyone here's an awesome letter pretty much confirming Ketheric himself went there; ![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/tWjaOXM.jpg)
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old hand
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Ooh, NICE!! Where did you find it, Moonrise?
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Grymforge, hidden behind the stone altar where the Merregon with hellhounds is found.
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