This Easily Missed Book In Baldur's Gate 3 Puts The Emperor's Story Into Better Context

Summary The Emperor was part of the team that infected Tav.

The Emperor's true motivations and loyalties remain uncertain.

The Nether Brain released the Emperor from its hive mind control, leading to it hiding out in the Astral Prism

Even after hundreds of hours of gameplay, Baldur’s Gate 3 has some plot points players are still unraveling. The Emperor continues to be one of the more confusing characters in the game, with some arguing that the character's storyline feels less fleshed out and thorough than others encountered throughout the journey. But sometimes, the necessary context isn’t included in dialogue but in the various books with bits of lore scattered around the world.

In a Reddit post from Ark-the-Lark, the player shares a screenshot from Gortash’s 16th edition of notes for his memoir, in which he reveals that the Emperor was a key part of his strike team sent to retrieve the Astral Prism. “Though the source of its power was unstated, this artefact was reputed to be able to project a field that disrupted illithid psionics… Thus was born the plan to send a tadpoles strike team in a regrown nautiloid piloted by the Emperor to steal the Astral Prism from Vlaakith,” the entry reads.

This means the Emperor was aboard the ship where Tav and the other companions were infected with the mind flayer parasite. The Emperor’s alliances have always been a bit muddled, and its intentions have always been called into question. “Whether it was the one that physically did [tadpole Tav] doesn’t matter, the Emperor was involved either way,” the poster argues.

Related 10 Hidden Baldur's Gate 3 Letters That Add More Context To The Story Baldur’s Gate 3 hides a lot of story information inside books and letters that are easy for parties to pass by without even realizing it.

Gortash Was Never Meant To Win And Control The Netherbrain

The Emperor Is A Key Player In Gortash’s Downfall

Technically, there are other methods to obtaining this same information from the Emperor, though it requires becoming its ally. The Emperor is clearly an unreliable narrator, having posed as the Dream Guardian for the first two acts of the game. However, it claims it was only allied with Gortash while under the influence of the Elder Brain, which is being controlled by the Chosen of the Dead Three.

Following the climax of Act 3, the Netherbrain reveals it was the one who freed the Emperor of its control, allowing it to explore the Astral Prism and create the team that would ultimately free it. Why it needed the Emperor when it was ultimately too powerful to control either way is still a point of discussion, though this plot point aids the Emperor’s reasoning for its initial lies.

“[My friend] said he thinks [the Emperor] becomes whatever your playthrough needs [it] to be,” Reddit user Davethelion pointed out in the comments on Ark-the-Lark’s post. “So, if you aren’t into the lying and are likely to want to set Orpheus free, [it] becomes a manipulative villain. But if you always view [it] as an ally who needed to lie to be able to work with you, [it] becomes just that.”

Mind flayers are rarely left to their own devices, not controlled by an Elder Brain – and Baldur’s Gate 3 has two separate illithid characters players can interact with who are acting of their own accord. Considering the pieces of the Emperor’s backstory players can easily miss, it’s understandable that the mind flayer continues to be one of the more contested characters in the title.

Source: Ark-the-Lark/Reddit