Larian Studios Forums Beyond Divinity (English) General Lore Question

Let’s rewind a bit: Damian is trapped in Nemesis, and can't get out of there, because of a curse. The only way to him to get back to Rivellon is, if Lucian, or his compenoins „allow" him that.


So, when the paladins attacked the necromancer, the necromancer called Samuel for his aid, who defeated the paladins—except for us. Samuel took us back to his cell in Nemesis. That’s where we came into the picture. We have the ability to open a Rift, and if we want Damian to come with us, he can cross through the gate. That’s why Damian disguised himself as a Death Knight, and to ensure the alliance was credible, he even tricked Samuel, who cursed them with the soul-binding curse. As a result, the Paladin (us) was determined to escape Nemesis with Damian because the Paladin were under the impression the entire time that Damian was just a simple Death Knight who could have the curse removed by his mistress.

And, well, that has happened.

Now, I think the story is amazing and plays an important role in the Divinity universe. However, I do have a few observations:

So, as it turns out, Damian had Samuel to thank for teleporting the Knight to the world of Nemesis. Despite this, Damian repeatedly refers to Samuel as stupid or a fool, which I don’t understand because, in this case, the fool was Damian himself, along with Asmadeius. For example, because the plan they came up with—I’ll admit, kudos to them—would have been five million times easier to execute if they had just told Samuel the whole plan. I don't think Samuel would have betrayed Damien, because, when Samuel and Asmadeius’s talking, Samuel explicitly refers to Damian, asking what the hell he’ll think if they allow the crystal to be assembled.

And okay, let’s assume they didn’t want to tell Samuel the whole story—that’s fine, it makes the plot even more believable. But by the end of the second act, Asmadeius really could have told him when they were talking that the DK is actually Damian and that he should let them go. In fact, Samuel could have simulated the whole thing from that point forward, pretending to pursue them, but skipping the final boss fight to ensure Damian escapes Nemesis.

Samuel even asks, ‘What is all this?’ but Asmadeius says nothing.

Moreover, the entire Necromancer subplot could have been avoided because if Samuel had known Damian was the Death Knight, he surely wouldn’t have told the Knight’s name to the Necromancer. What’s more, Samuel might have even involved the Necromancer in the plan, who could have helped assemble the crystal but handed it to Damian without harm. Surely there would have been a way to keep this from the paladin's notice.

There’s one more possible explanation for this: that despite everything, Damian and Asmadeius didn’t trust Samuel enough to include him in their plan and were also willing to sacrifice him. However, this would also mean that Damian suffers from megalomania. I mean, it takes a lot of nerve to face a powerful demon while being weakened.

Moreover, we also have to consider: what if the paladin dies? Then Damian dies along with them, making this whole thing extra risky. Plus, let’s not forget that the Necromancer and the crystals weren’t part of the original plan, so without them, they couldn’t have killed Samuel, who was pursuing them. In other words, the plan only succeeded because of sheer coincidence.

Obviously, this is all just imagination and fiction. After all, this is the ultimate 'what if' question, isn’t it?
But the question remains: Why didn’t Damian and Asmadeius involve Samuel in the plan?

What do you think?