I voted for the second option. All companions should be able to survive unharmed, including Orpheus.
(It's cruel to turn into a MF after years of captivity. But otherwise, it's quite something to live as a cube for centuries and then have a body again at all). At least with the former, I don't know if Larian had the foresight to think of a proper sequel in which all the companions return and there's also a reunion with the freed Orpheus... Yes, I know that's off the table now with the sequel anyway, but it should still be taken into account. You should set the course far enough in advance that you still have the possibility for future recurring characters... Especially without having to come up with a completely crazy story as to why a dead or changed character should return completely unscathed (if it came to that)...
Last edited by Lotus Noctus; 22/08/24 01:40 PM.