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#799894 11/11/21 04:14 AM
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I thought I try to work out an order of events as presented in the EA. Dates aren't something I would rely on but everyone is aware of the 1492 toll-keeper's log

There are also a lot of threads present in the EA that don't necessarily intertwine with each other or the events of the other games/modules but I'll theorize on how they might. It's all speculation but text in green is information I couldn't quite place, text in red is conjecture based on conjecture

Shar and her battle with Selune and the Spell Plague seem to be a not insignificant part of the story, especially with how Netherese magic/Karsus may be folded into it.

The oldest place we've found so far would appear to be the temple of Shar, its first foundation seems to predates everything else, it was at some point abandoned for reasons unknown, but likely before the Spell Plague, because after that a sect of Sharran's find and rehabit it, building new constructions

Abducted Elf, Eliette, Chosen of Lolth, Escapes Underdark to become Drider, likely the one guarding the entrance to Moonrise

  • Ketheric Thorm/Dark Justiciars
    During this time, Paladin of Shar, Ketheric Thorm discovers old Sharran Temple and sets up shop there
    The Harper Cache near Astarion talks of blasphemous behavior among local Selunites, based on name, my guess is 'Moonrise' was probably a Selunite temple corrupted, it's possible Thorm was a Selunite there too, and possibly his second Sybil
    As far as guessing a time-table goes, does anyone know how long a Rothe lives, the elder Rothe remembers when Thorm was around, and says he's out lived his mother and grand mother(whatever that means), it might be important if the events of the Spell Plague are important
    Village children go missing(Hag?)
  • Assault on Selunite's Underdark fort
    Ultimately unsuccessful based on intact defenses, though all but one Selunite is killed.
  • Razing of Moonhaven
    Village Necromancer and Apprentice perish
    Notes found at temple state successful raid on village
    presumably Selunite Temple also razed
  • Hell Harpers and Grove
    Murals in Grove display alliance between Harpers and Emerald Enclave defeating Dark Justiciars ("though the monsters have returned")
    Evidence(and remnants) of hellish host destroying Thorms temple
    Nightsong(Sword of Thorm? Product of Forge?) Lost in Underdark
    Thorm seems to have taken up blasphemy against Shar, putting himself before or or at least on equal terms with her, unclear if this is important
  • Moonrise Curse
    Cause unclear, my guess is inner temple will shed some light on it, and also explain why first Sharran's left/disappeared
    Halsin being present during the War is possibly privy to more
  • Goblins inhabit temple
    Goblins have operated in the area long before following Absolute.
  • Descent of Elturel
    the time of which is a controversal issue, but regardless has been recently returned by the start of BG:3.
  • Absolute Arrives on Surface
    Based on Tollboth log, refuges from Elturel are being attacked while fleeing Elturel, Goblins attacked the toll booth, Gnolls moved into the area too, both Gnolls, and Goblins are operating under True-Souls.
    Duke Ravenguard, abducted, going to or returning from Elturel, by Drow and Goblin agents, and taken to Moonrise
    Upheaval seen by Shadow Druids to influence Grove into invoking Rite of Thorns until threat passes
    Based on this Elturel might have returned but it seems to be in general disorder, the Descent was probably seen as a good opportunity for the Absolute to finally push topside
  • Mind-Flayers assault Elturel/our characters
    I don't quite remember this well, but I believe our first look at BG:3 in the teaser shows the Mind-Flayers raiding Elturel, whether this takes place before or during the descent, or after the return is unclear to me. Though we know by the time we play Elturel has returned and kicked out the Tieflings

Every Dead End to a Cure We've Seen So Far
  • Halsin
  • Priestess Gut
  • Githyanki Creche
  • Hag
  • Omeluum(Mind-Flayer)
  • Raphael*
I'm putting the Creche here because I think we're supposed to go the Creche before Moonrise in the game, meaning the Creche needs to loop back into the main quest somehow
*Raphael, might actually be able to remove the tadpole, but I think we'll only meet him again after, or at, Moonrise

Primary Players:
  • Absolute
    • Three Lieutenants
    • True Souls
    • Based on initial followers, seemingly started in the Underdark
  • Illithids
    • Create True-Souls
    • In possession of Gith Artifact, Artifact nullifies Absolute's influence.
    • Racial Hatred of Githyanki, their former slaves
  • Gith
    • Kithrak(forgot his name)
    • Gith Artifact, created or commissioned
    • Gith Purification Rite, with ability to "remove" infection, details vague, even to Gith (Lae'zel)
    • Dragons(probably not important)
    • Racial Hatred of Illithid, their former slave-masters
  • Cult of Shar
    • Know of Absolute
    • Stole Gith Artifact
    • Unclear if Moonrise's connection to Shar is coincidental
  • Zariel
    • Heavily involved during Descent into Avernus
    • Lot's of evidence of Hell's involvment, if none directly connecting it to the Absolute
    • Basically putting because of what I think will be in the story more than what we've got

  • Secondary Players(people who are interested but I can't place directly into the mix):
    it should go without saying but all these guys seem to be based in BG
    • Raphael
      • Cambion
      • Interested in attaining Tadpole
    • Cazador
      • Vampire
      • Gul
      • Unknown if aware of Absolute
      • Writes in Infernal on Astarion's back
    • 'M' Hag in BG
      • Hag
      • Besieged in BG, my guess, Dead Three cultists and Cazador, perfect for leveraging players
    • Duke Ravengard/Flaming Fist
      • BG.Gov
      • The 'Good' Duke played a minor role in Elturel during the Descent, he's usually depicted as keeping a lid on the rough edges in BG. His Elf Advisor, is also of interest, as were some of the legal documents found in Waukeen's Rest
    • Ironhand Gnomes
      • Svirfneblin
      • Looking for WMD RunePowder, for reasons that seem to involve terms like 'greater good' and 'ends justify means'

    Floating Variables:
    • Zhentarim
      • Scummy and Villainous, "free traders"
    • Master Lorrokan
      • Resident of the Familiar Ramazith Tower (BG)
      • Searching for Nightsong
    • Lenore De Hurst
      • Cleric of Mystral
      • Called to BG 1482
      • Not sure what her research in the Underdark was
    • Zevlor/Hellknights
      • Dodgy History involving both Zariel and a Vampire
      • Name checked by Sharrans during attack from Hell, though probably not related
    • Talking Mummy ~ Jergal
      • Dead, Undead Undead
      • Cryptic Bullshit
    • Society of Brilliance
      • Neutral wizard society operating in the underdark
    • Duergar Mercs
      • Leader was Exile, more evidence of Absolute operating in the Underdark first
    • Nhalloth
      • sunken netherese city

    Feel Free to poke holes in this, it started out really as me just organizing some notes I made, so it's hardly an opus. I also thought it would be fun for people to speculate on what's to come without any of the Datamined information, you might as well google a crossword puzzle, no fun!

    Last thing to work into, The Absolute's end game seems to be the destruction of Baldur's Gate, or perhaps the whole Sword Coast, as per our Tadpole Dreams, and remember it's an act of love.

    I'd also like to plug BladeDancer's threads for people who want a pretty definitive timeline of the 'canon' FR material 1 2 3

    Last edited by Sozz; 13/11/21 08:13 AM. Reason: some weird margin creep at the bottom
    Sozz #799970 11/11/21 02:58 PM
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    I'm not sure if it's worth mentioning, but based on a piece of document found in the Druid library ("Ketheric didn't fall, he was pushed") I think Kethry was originally a Paladin of Selune, and very likely the root of blasphemy among the selunites in the area.

    Another thing that might be relevant to mention is the Darkmoon Heresy -- the belief that Selune and Shar are the are the same.


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    Sozz #799974 11/11/21 03:10 PM
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    I tried this as well.

    See the timeline on my blog.

    https://baldursgate3theafflicted.blogspot.com/2021/08/home.html?m=1

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    Sozz Offline OP
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    @Dexai Yes, I suspected as much about Thorm but I didn't find or remember a document in the druid library about it, I'll have to go read it.

    @GM4Him Very cool timeline, I'm not sure how you get most of the dates, but I trust it's from working backwards from modules? Also I don't think Eliette is the necromancers apprentice, based solely on finding the apprentices journal on a corpse under the village, I also there was some teaser involving Eliette's journal in one of the video's I forget, but with that and all the material found in the lab, that's my guess.

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    I would add Shar and Selune to Primary Players.

    I had the impression that Eliette transformed into the matriarch spider.

    Regarding the missing children, I was thinking the Dark Justiciars abducted them. But I'm questioning that now, not sure.

    Sozz #800027 11/11/21 06:03 PM
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    Originally Posted by Sozz
    @Dexai Yes, I suspected as much about Thorm but I didn't find or remember a document in the druid library about it, I'll have to go read it.

    It's this one, in the Library/Halsin's Lab
    [Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
    [Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


    Originally Posted by Sozz
    @GM4Him Very cool timeline, I'm not sure how you get most of the dates, but I trust it's from working backwards from modules? Also I don't think Eliette is the necromancers apprentice, based solely on finding the apprentices journal on a corpse under the village, I also there was some teaser involving Eliette's journal in one of the video's I forget, but with that and all the material found in the lab, that's my guess.

    I also got the feeling that the apprentice died when trying to recover the gem, and that Eliette was different person.


    Originally Posted by JandK
    Regarding the missing children, I was thinking the Dark Justiciars abducted them. But I'm questioning that now, not sure.

    Me too. I also think that the person the Necromancer wants to bring back is the one skeleton that lies on the table in his lab, which is iirc an adult sized skeleton. But I also like the idea of it being his daughter.

    Last edited by Dexai; 11/11/21 06:07 PM.

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    Sozz #800031 11/11/21 06:13 PM
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    I got my dates and such from the game tomes and books found throughout everywhere. The ones that are not real pertain specifically to characters from my Fan Fic. For example, everything about Wynari Nell is Fan Fic mingled with dates and such regarding Icewind Dale books and the Dark Alliance video game they just came out with recently.

    But all the dates and events found on the timeline pertaining to actual characters within the BG3 game are from the resources found in the game itself.

    So, the Necromancer's Story and Eliette, his apprentice, are all from sources in the game itself.
    Ilyn Toth was the Necromancer of Thay. He was trying to resurrect someone important to him who most likely had some sort of information or artifact that he was after. I determined it was likely someone with important information because one of his notes mentions that he questioned the corpse using Speak with Dead, but it didn't tell him what he wanted to know. Why would he question the corpse of his daughter or wife? It most likely was someone who had important information he desperately wanted.

    He stole the Necromancy of Thay book from Szass Tam, the Emperor Lich King of Thay, and he fled to Moonhaven with his apprentice Eliette. He also fled with the body of the person he was trying to resurrect. He pretended to be the pharmacist at the apothecary in Moonhaven so that he could conduct his undead experiments in his basement lab. He sent his familiar out to tail the children and potentially even adults of the town, which helped him to abduct them and use them in his experiments. That's why they started vanishing, and no one was the wiser. I believe his familiar would poison them so that they would fall to sleep or be unconscious, and then he'd just show up and take them down to his lab by night, but that's speculation. All that is really mentioned is that his familiar made it easier to abduct his victims.

    Eliette is a High Elf apprentice, and she hated him, which is in the journals. It is clear at one point that Eliette is the apprentice, and we know that she is the spider matriarch because she says that her name Eliette has no more meaning for her.
    She's almost forgotten it. We also know that the apprentice stole the keygem and that she escaped into the well during the Dark Justiciar attack.

    She only stayed with Ilyn Toth because of some vow she made that she couldn't break. She even later expressed that she was so elated that the Dark Justiciars murdered Ilyn Toth so that she was at last free from him. It was Eliette who stole the keygem of the Necromancy of Thay, and Ilyn Toth was suspicious of his apprentice's treachery. He was even sending his familiar to follow her into the well to see what she was up to. The Dark Justiciars, led by Ketheric, however, interrupted everything, and he was killed. Eliette escaped into the Whispering Depths, but it is clear she was later kidnapped by Drow and taken to their fortress. Later, some drow traitor killed the Matriarch of the House that Eliette was a slave to, and she escaped back to the Whispering Depths. Being an elf who lives forever, she lived for over a hundred and twenty years, for the events of Moonhaven's destruction were in 1372. Who knows how long she was in drow captivity, but she escaped and had become quite insane. She believed that Lolth herself was visiting her in dreams and prompting her to delve into arachnomancy. Finally, she was visited by a drow arachnomancer who was killed. She took his stuff and his tomes and knowledge and learned how to change herself into the Phase Spider Matriarch.

    And so, she is the Phase Spider Matriarch High Elf Apprentice to the Necromancer of Thay. She has transcended her original form to take on the form of something so much more terrible.

    So, all the dates are accurate based on the game and resources I found online. For example, I discovered after much research and piecing things together that Halsin and Aradin and his crew left the grove over a month before the events of the game. A month! What on Earth were they doing for over a month in a ruins only 5 minutes jog away? Why were they only discovered after prowling around for a month?

    And the tieflings were in the area over 2 months prior to the game beginning. The toll house was likely destroyed only about a week before the game, so we know based on the toll house ledger that the game takes place in the month of Uktar after roughly the 16th of the month. I'm guessing the events begin around 20 Uktar. By the time you get to the toll house, it is assumed it'd be a couple of days later, so it is likely that the body of the toll house keeper was in the basement for almost a week by the time you get there. Either way, I tried to remain very true to the source material found in the game itself, so if you find things that aren't true to the game, please let me know. I want to try to keep it up to date.

    Thanks.

    Last edited by GM4Him; 11/11/21 06:18 PM.
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    @Dexai Yes, that would confirm my theory that Thorm was a Selunite, and Moonrise is where the Blasphemy the Harpers are observing is taking place. Thorm no doubt suffered a grave personal loss and found solace in a pact with Shar, he mentions a pact a few times, possibly the same one promising to rebuild Grymforge? (History of the Grymforge)

    @JandK Yeah, the missing children is a big question mark for me, I don't think it's the Necromancer because he seems to make a point of not 'messing his own nest' and child abductions are Shar's MO. My guess is Thorm 'Paladin of Selune' was leeching off the village for sometime building up the hidden temple before he made his move.

    Good to point out how he betrayed Moonhaven's trust

    @GM4Him I think in RPG logic, finding the apprentices journal on a berobed corpse is like finding a driver's license, as far as I could ascertain there's no name ever given to the apprentice, I also think Eliette will be the Drider we encounter on our final approach to Moonrise Towers, the one we need the moonlantern for?

    Also I got immediately the color coding in your timeline, it's was very well done.

    Last edited by Sozz; 11/11/21 06:54 PM.
    Sozz #800054 11/11/21 06:59 PM
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    I guess we'll see. I've poured over those books and tomes so many times...

    I will say, the idea that the Justiciars were kidnapping the children would lend credibility to some theories that Shadowheart was actually one of the children of Moonhaven and that maybe she was kidnapped by them. That's why the statue in Moonhaven triggers a response from her, etc.

    Still, one of the Necromancer's documents mentions his familiar making abductions easier. Who is being abducted in town? The poster says the children. So it makes sense that he was kidnapping them.

    There is also a note that the apprentice was up to stuff in the well. She took the keygem. The keygem was in the spider matriarch's lair. The journals seem to have a progression to them, AND one of the journals says that Eliette was a High Elf who gave up her previous life for Lolth. I really have a hard time with her not being the matriarch. Maybe I'll reread them all yet again and note where you find them all.

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    He mentions only taking travelers, people who wouldn't arouse suspicion by going missing. I'll try to find where.

    Sozz #800078 11/11/21 09:14 PM
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    Quote
    Nightsong(Sword of Thorm? Product of Forge?) Lost in Underdark
    the Nightsong seems to be an avatar of Shar. [Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
    according to her voice lines, she was bonded in the ancient temple by Ketheric Throm. Her ability allows her to transform Sharrans into shadows. Also, another voice line suggests that she was made into this form, and it could be what Shar want SH to become
    also, Ketheric Throm
    A voice line from the narrator makes it very clear that he's one of the chosen of the Absolute now, which matches with the description of "an armoured male elf, exuding power and command".

    Sozz #800090 11/11/21 10:08 PM
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    Moonhaven Logbook
    The book is filled with pages and pages of observations, tracking travellers and people in the village. ’Eleasis 26. Oliver Synge - Merchant - arrives in Moonhaven. Departs next day. Callishite. Eleint 7. Stranger - Name unknown - passes through. Not Thayan. (Rashemi?) Marpenoth 14. Three men in black armor pass through. Not Thayan.’

    ’Uktar 2. Hackett - Journeyman - passes through. Not Thayan. Uktar 30. Raid! Black armored soldiers. Some damage. Not Thayan, but dangerous. Nightal 14. The book's key gem has gone missing. Familiar ordered to watch my apprentice.’

    ’Nightal 14. Synge passes through. Doesn't stop. ’Nightal 15. Familiar reports apprentice disappeared near well. Will observe.’ ’Nightal 18. Raid. Same soldiers as before. Townsfolk taken. Nightal 20. Smoke on horizon. Raid?’

    ‘Raise Dead. Failed - Gone too long. Body decomposed. Reanimation. Failed - Came back as ghoul. Had to kill again. Speak with Dead. Failed - Answers unhelpful.'

    Pausing here. This is what I was talking about with the "Answers Unhelpful." He was asking the corpse of this important person. Thus, I concluded that the important person was an associate of his; someone with some secret he was attempting to recover from her corpse. 'Clone. Failed - Needs living tissue. Reanimation + Clone? Failed - Had to kill both ghouls. Resurrection. Failed - Why?! Magical curse? True Resurrection. I have reached the limit of my skills and resources. The book offers help. Dare I accept?’

    Logbook XII 1371
    ’6 Uktar: Sent two druids, some of the newer recruits, up north. Village there has had two years of failed crops and are unlikely to survive the next winter. 9 Uktar: A group from Baldur's Gate arrived. They've set up camp on the edge of the forest. Two bears and a fox came by. Their territory has been burned out. Half the fox's cubs died. Paying this new group a visit tomorrow. 10 Uktar: Visit did not go well. After telling me where to shove it, they said they'd cut down half the forest and burn out any wildlife that dared to stick around. Claimed they were going to 'farm the land and make a new city of their own.' Time to get creative.’

    ’12 Uktar: Mudslide did the trick. Buried half their farming equipment and made the rest useless. They won't be back any time soon.’

    So, looks like Roah and Halsin likely ran into Dark Justiciars north of Moonhaven who were causing issues. They created a mudslide on Uktar 12. Then the Dark Justiciars left and returned 18 days later and raided Moonhaven for the first time. Thus, the conflict was beginning. Almost a month later, on Nightal 15, the apprentice disappears into the well, likely with the keygem since it went missing on the 14th. 3 days later, Dark Justiciars attack again. Some townsfolk were taken, but not all because on the 20th is the last entry mentioning smoke on the horizon and a final raid.

    'The Cost of Sorrow'
    "'But Why?' Roa screamed, the beast within barely contained. 'Why follow Shar? Why destroy Moonhaven?'"
    "’Ketheric stared down haughtily and cruelly at Roa as he stepped over bodies of Harpers and druids alike. 'Shar knows all.' He smiled maliciously. 'She gave me a holy mission. I'm merely fulfilling it.
    "The people of Moonhaven trusted you!' Roa cried, his anger rising. 'How could you turn your Dark Justiciars on them?'"

    Stop there. So yes, Ketheric was once trusted by the people of Moonhaven. He was someone they trusted and viewed as an ally and friend. Read the first two volumes of this series of books (this is the third) and you see Ketheric coming for the first time to the Emerald Grove. He comes with Selene and the Harpers and such, so he was likely one of them or a member of the town of Moonhaven. It is unclear.

    "’Ketheric smiled. 'They needed the target practice. Can't have Shar's elite getting rusty, now can we? As for you...' A crescent blade appeared in his cruel hands. 'You are but one lone druid, Roa. Who are you to stand against me?'"
    "’Roa forced himself to his feet, Silvanus' fury coursing through him. 'I'm your downfall. Today you die, Ketheric!'"

    'Book Draft Volume Four!' 'Shadow's Kiss'.
    It's written in bold on the front, just like the other. Pages of crossed out lines have notes in the margin reading 'finale!', 'more exciting,' etc. The final entry reads: 'Get out of here.' Roa whispered, clutching his side. Blood poured from his fingers, a final gift from Ketheric's blade.’"
    "'I'm not leaving you,' Selene sobbed, blue eyes filling with tears.’"
    "’Roa cupped her face. 'I won't make it out in time. But you can.'"
    "’Selene pressed her forehead against his. Her ebony hair fell forward, forming a curtain that enveloped them both. Roa closed his eyes, a smile lifting his lips as her scent, wild roses, washed over him. 'That grappling hook. You still have it?' he asked.’"
    "'Of course. Why do you -' With the last of his strength, Roa pushed her from the balcony. He watched her fall, watched her pull the hook from her pack and expertly throw it, swinging gracefully to the ground. A mighty crack split the floor beneath him as the tower crumbled. He smiled contentedly. Selene was safe. That's all that mattered.’"
    ’Epilogue: 'Selfish bastard,' Selene said, kicking the base of the grave. Balsin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.’ - Balsin! Hah! I love it! I wonder who THAT could be. Ahem. - 'He was the greatest of us all,' Balsin said, a towering behemoth of a druid, although not as tall as Roa. 'We will forever honor him, for he single-handedly broke Shar's hold on the land, and helped...'"
    'Roan,' it says. 'You had one job. This is not a historical record of what occurred. It is a poorly written romance with no basis in fact. And if I ever see the name Balsin again, I will personally feed you to Ormn.'" It is signed 'Halsin.' Hmmm.
    Note: Ormn was a bear in the grove down by the river front. So, obviously, Halsin was alive back during the 1372 incident and was likely the 2nd Druid of the Grove at the time. That is why he is included in the dialoge with Selene, and he also mentions unfinished business at Moonrise when he talks to you about going with you to that place. He likely became First Druid way back then when Roah died.

    Murals
    'The forest rose with claw and tooth to tear the darkness from its roots.' "'By claw and tooth, from root to thorn, The Old Oak's grove, to wildlings sworn,'" The third one said, 'In darkest hour, a concord made, twixt harp and wild against the shade.' Then the fourth said, 'The towers seized, the battle done, the moonrise broke the Darkest One.'"

    Sounds like it is referencing the above events; at least murals 3 and 4.

    ’Journal of Ilyn Toth.’
    ’6 Nightal, 1371 DR. I pay no service to the gods, but by some blessing, this village believes me and my apprentice to be simple healers. My tattoos are hidden, my red robes locked away, and my lab secured. I have not heard the word 'Thay' since we arrived and only my apprentice knows me as Ilyn Toth. This place is not ideal for my research, but I can never return home - not the way I escaped. I'd be put to death, with worse to follow.’

    ’The work here is simple and allows me to continue my research at night, but progress is slow. Reanimation seems easy, but restoring life? That prize eludes me. The tome contains the magic, but it fights me at every step. As does my apprentice. At least my familiar has made it easy to secure bodies without raising suspicion. This will take time. Will the Zulkirs find me before I can bring her back? I cannot say, but if they do come for me, they'll have to face the guardians I've raised."

    Whose bodies? No one else is recorded to be missing except the children in Moonhaven. I suppose the bodies could be something besides children, but how would a familiar help the wizard secure bodies of corpses found in a graveyard or something? Wouldn't it make more sense that the familiar was helping him to acquire living bodies? After all, a familiar could lure a child into a trap. Cute kitty. Let me pet you. Bam! Body secured. But I suppose he could have been casting necromancy spells through his familiar, animating the dead somewhere else and having them roam through the night to his lab. However, Animate Dead is not a Touch spell, so it can't be cast through a familiar. It'd have to be some sort of quasi-Animate Dead spell given by the Necromancy of Thay, or something of that nature. That's always a possibility. I just assumed, though, that the missing children would likely have been the bodies that he was referring to. Nothing else mentions the taking of any bodies or kidnapping anyone, and the Dark Justiciars above are clearly raiding Moonhaven and taking villagers by force, not sneaking in and kidnapping children. If they were just raiding and taking people via raids, why would they also sneak in and kidnap children? So, I reasoned that it was more likely that the children were the bodies Ilyn Toth mentions.

    Journal found in backpack by skeleton in Whispering Depths
    '3 Uktar, 1371 DR. Let it be known that I left my homeland because I was bound to my master, and not because I chose to. Were it not for the oath I swore, I would still be home, serving the Zulkirs, and not tending to hog pox in this crude hamlet. However, an oath is an oath, and I will serve him, as is my duty, until I am released.'

    Clearly the apprentice of Ilyn Toth.

    The early journal entries are written in a delicate, intricate script that gets rougher and wilder the more pages you turn. It ends with one hastily scrawled entry. 'They did it! The Dark Justiciars got the old bastard before the Zulks could. Now he's bleeding out, and once he's gone, I'll be free of this oath. I can go back. I'll return the tome of necromancy he stole. They'll forgive me then. They'll know I'm loyal. The key gem's secure in the tunnels. Once I have the Necromancy of Thay, I'll slip into the cellar, take what I can carry, and then - home.'

    Blood Covered Journal found in Whispering Depths
    Though originally a script on Lolth penned in blood, this book's crimson script has been smeared away in several places, a different handwriting atop it. 'I recall my life upon the surface with more than regret. I weep for the decades spent treading the murky waters of profanity while my true Queen waited in the shadows. Even my name, Eliette, feels foreign and foul upon my tongue. A high elf exalted by Lolth herself - my drow captors cannot fathom it. But I see their house's downfall in visions granted by the Spider Queen herself. When that day comes, when some unnamed whelp from an insignificant house cuts the matron mother's throat, I will escape. I will find solitude, and I will worship Lolth with my very soul.'

    So, Eliette is a High Elf from the surface. The journal is in the well where the apprentice escaped to. She was captured by drow. She serves Lolth and views her time on the surface with regret and as a waste. Who else could it be but the apprentice? After all, why is it in the Whispering Depths near the other journals unless it belonged to the same person? And where do you find the keygem to the book? The Spider Matriarch's nest with Poisoner's Robes. It is pretty clear to me the Spider Matriarch was once a person turned into a spider queen, and who else in the story up to that point could it be? All the evidence points to the apprentice, since she disappeared into the well a day after the keygem vanished.

    Journal found in Whispering Depths near the Blood Covered Journal
    This one's a journal filled with hastily sketched diagrams of spiders and various spell runes. The captions are largely written in code, save for a few passages near the end that are penned in shaky Common. 'They can sense my devotion. It draws them. I hear them in the shadows, whispers from the dark mother. I woke to a gift wrapped in spider's silk: a pair of boots, taken from a heretic's corpse. Lolth sends her daughters to reward my faith, to let me know I am on the right path.'

    'Another gift: the corpse of a Drow, sigils scarred upon his face. An arachnomancer - one with the power to inhabit the spider's form. It is a message, a calling. My blood already dries upon the dagger, her blessed image carved into my skin.'

    Ornate Diagram found in Whispering Depths near the journals
    It was an ornate diagram drawn upon a parchment depicting a ritual. At the bottom, two figures - a spider and an elf - a sketch within overlapping circles. A single word was penned beneath them; "Transcendence."

    Doesn't say Spider and Drow but Spider and Elf. It is pretty clear, then, that Eliette, the High Elf, is the Spider Matriarch in the journals who was becoming more and more insane and turning more and more to a love of Lolth and spiders, eventually turning herself into one. Over time, her handwriting becomes worse and worse because she's going more and more insane. I also think the transformation was not instant but gradual, which is why one journal is covered in blood and another in webs. Her handwriting is becoming worse and worse the more she transforms from her elven form into a spider.

    Web Covered Journal found in Whispering Depths near the other journals
    This book's leaves are stuck together with thick webbing that leeches ink when pulled from the page. Only the final entry remains remotely legible. 'It is time. I will forever transcend this blasphemous flesh and refashion myself in the Queen's image. No longer will I be bound to this lowly form; this base shape of organ and bone. Even the arachnomancers of Menzoberranzan shall weep at my feet, their little spells so feeble and fleeting. Today, I found the house of Lolth, and I shall be its Matriarch.'

    All of these indicate a slow progression from her being the apprentice of Ilyn Toth to her being the Spider Matriarch.


    Grove Log, present day
    ’The Fading, 14th Day. The Elturians - for of Elturel they are, even if that city rejects them - have largely recovered from their ordeal. The physical aspects, at least. Zevlor is still set on Baldur's Gate, though I plead with him to wait. The grove remains undisturbed, but the forest around has grown dark. Leaffall, 2nd Day. Our grove grows. Adventurers in search of an artifact in the nearby ruin. I should steer them away, but if it's what they suspect... perhaps there is a way to push the darkness back, and make the roads safe once more. They'll need a guide… Here a neater hand takes over, the ink barely dry. 'Uktar, Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492 Dale Reckoning. Master Halsin, First of this Circle, has not returned with the mercenaries - they report a significant goblin presence in the area. Mistress Kagha, Second of this Circle, has turned the grove archives over to me. The first event to be noted - her ascension to the position of First Druid. Silvanus send that we are both but stewards, awaiting Master Halsin's rightful return.' It is signed 'Servant Orran.' Uktar is 2 months after "The Fading". Uktar is the month after Leaffall. So, on the 2nd of Leaffal, Halsin leaves. Then, some time in Uktar, Kagha becomes 1st Druid which is presumably after Aradin returns. Since the log book at the toll house says that Uktar 16 already occurred. We can assume that the events of the crashing of the Nautiloid are after Uktar 16 and that's when Aradin returns. So, about a month and a half after the adventurers went after the Nightsong.

    Last edited by GM4Him; 11/11/21 10:17 PM.
    Sozz #800102 11/11/21 11:24 PM
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    Do we know it is the tadpole Raphael is interested in and not something else? Like the artifact?

    Enjoy these timelines, btw. Helpful to think thru it all.

    Last edited by timebean; 11/11/21 11:25 PM.
    Sozz #800107 11/11/21 11:38 PM
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    I think Shadowheart is Ketheric Thorm's daughter.

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    Sozz Offline OP
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    Much respect for, I'm assuming, transcribing all that nonsense. You might want to put your own annotations in a different font/size/color

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    Sozz Offline OP
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    Mind...Blown...but I have to wonder what his great loss is then, I was banking on a lost daughter.

    Last edited by Sozz; 11/11/21 11:41 PM.
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    "The Keygem is secure in the tunnels" The apprentice hid the gem there when he disappeared down the well, then died before he could retrieve it.

    I am willing to go with Eliette being the Matriach, especially with that one telling line, but I still not sure she is the apprentice.

    I've been looking through my trunk and I can't find where he talks about using travelers for his experiments but I could have sworn I read that somewhere, if anyone can corroborate.

    I just noticed that the school rote says "someone has to investigate what's become of the missing children and their families Is it possible whole families were being nabbed? Also, the missing children is a trigger for Shadowheart, making me think it's more related to the Sharrans than to the necromancer.

    Last edited by Sozz; 12/11/21 12:28 AM. Reason: Etienne? what ridiculous name
    Sozz #800115 12/11/21 01:09 AM
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    It could be. I did notice that there weren't tons of skeletons in the lair, especially children. So, maybe.

    But I still think Eliette is the apprentice. What makes you think she isn't the apprentice?

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    Sozz Offline OP
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    Mostly the "Apprentice's Backpack" next to the skeleton, and the absence of a clear connection between the 'Archnomancer' lair and the necromancer or his apprentice.

    Sozz #800117 12/11/21 01:41 AM
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    You know, now that you got me thinking, it's illegal for any Red Wizard to take on an apprentice of other than Mulan blood. Mulan is human. So a high elf Red Wizard apprentice would be unheard of.

    Hmmm...

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