That's a general problem with the character of the Emperor and the game's story at large. For all the game's freedom of choice, the main story doesn't do much to respect your decisions. You can find out all the game's secrets in books, letters etc. but it rarely gets reflected in the actual dialogue (Kagha being the exception that proves the rule). With the Emperor in particular, "reactivity" is practically non-existent and most of the choices you get to make in regards to him simply end up not mattering at all. That wouldn't be a problem if the role he plays wasn't so absolutely integral. In retrospect, it would have been prudent to cut the character from the game and have us be protected by the prism itself (some dialogue still hints at this being the original vision) and spend more time on the characterisation of Dead Three's champions. It would have made for a more focused experience. With the Mindflayer stuff being as unengaging as it is, the Emperor appears mostly as a distraction that gets more frustrating with every playthrough.
Agreed. I like the
idea An evil boss being a master manipulator is interesting. And makes sense that the emperor has enthralled Tav with a charm person spell - the only reason I could imagine sitting side by side with someone I just stabbed - but Tav's inability to say anything critical until the last moment is frustrating. And the few lines that do suggest that Tav is feeling distrustful read more like an outline than a completed work: "I don't trust you"
Might as well be "revise this line before publishing" or "placeholder: distrust"
And so the emperor speaks and we listen. I've said this before but WotR did a better job with the queen and herald. You can respond to the queen with honor and dignity or with scorn. You can treat the herald as a trusted ally or as a burden. You can even tell him to shut up.
