It's sad that the forum bugs and the IGN interview have damped participation on this thread because I think it's a very good suggestion. Let's hope people give it a fresh read when the forums get an upgrade and/or when Larian announces it's working on a definitive edition or a directors cut.

And, again, I do sincerely appreciate that some who likes the emperor is acknowledging the flaws of story and proposing a solution that should please fans of both interpretations.

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The Emperor looks like a guy with 200 IQ who finds no interest in discussing with the children we are or spending time explaining/justifying his behaviour to inferior beings. He does only when he is forced and then, yield only partial information.

I think that's right. We are like his old dog. To be cherished and even indulged but not to be entrusted with decision making abilities. I mean we don't ask Scratch's for advice, do we?
I know some fans of the emperor explain away the fact that you involuntarily put on the emperor's dog collar when you click on it but we seen have patch after patch and that "bug" hasn't been fixed. It's intentional: we are the emperor's pet and his sword arm.

Note that the dog collar is repeatedly used in the game as a symbol of a D/s relationship, we see when we visit the boudoir of the stern librarian. Also note how the priest of the goddess of torture has been represented as a devotee of the goddess of sexy fun. And consider the first Lae'zel sex scene. Someone at Larian is into D/s erotica. (and, yes, any revisions should please those who like the emperor because they like monster hentai)

But I don't enjoy being treated like a dog. I get my thrills in different ways: my kink is killing end bosses who have manipulating us throughout the game. Raphael satisfies that felt need, The Emperor doesn't.

(Note that Raphael, like the emperor, protects and provides and he's as much of an ally as is the mind flayer. Korilla saves us from priestess Gut and she warns of us difficult fights in the show cursed lands. Raphael also wants to kill the Absolute and end the Grand Design. He fits into the same slot that The Emperor is occupying )

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Everything he does or says serves a purpose, strong motivations would be required to force him to become more present during the adventure because as it now appears, he only reacts to things that may threat his goal and for optimizing chances of success by . . .

While I see him differently there's something to that. I would like his domination and torture of Stelmane to revealed in a different way. The party should be rewarded for finding all the clues and be able to force the reveal outside of the thwarted sex scene.

Perhaps we could learn how to use the planecaster so we could travel to the pocket plane and force a confrontation?

Incidentally I REALLY do not want to learn how Stelmane learned to like her collar. Again, not my kink.

The details of Stelmane's 'stroke' :


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