Ulder Ravengard

Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard is the human Supreme Marshall of the Flaming Fist and the father of Wyll. His story stretches through all three acts of Baldur's Gate 3, and he can become a camp follower late in the game.

Ulder Ravengard is a recurring character in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons, appearing in the 5e adventures: Murder in Baldur's Gate, The Rise of Tiamat, and Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus.

Involvement

Act One

The party first learn about Ulder Ravengard during the quest  Rescue the Grand Duke, when arriving near Waukeen's Rest. He is suspected to be trapped inside the burning inn, but after rescuing Counsellor Florrick she reveals that the Grand Duke has been kidnapped.

Act Two

Duke Ravengard is infected

The party learns that he was taken to Moonrise Towers by the followers of the Absolute.

In the Mind Flayer Colony underneath the Moonrise Towers the party will encounter the Chosen Three - Ketheric Thorm, Orin the Red, and Enver Gortash along with Ulder Ravengard. They watch from the shadows as the trio infect Ravengard with a mind flayer tadpole and then whisk him away to Baldur's Gate.

Act Three

Wyrm's Rock Fortress

Duke Ravengard swears Gortash in as Archduke of Baldur's Gate.

Once the party enters Wyrm's Rock Fortress to attend Gortash's coronation, Ravengard is there in the Audience Chamber with Gortash and officiates Gortash's swearing in as Archduke of Baldur's Gate. Immediately after the ceremony, Ravengard can be spoken to. If that party says that Florrick sent them, he says that Florrick is a black widow who betrayed the city, and that she was punished. Choosing to connect with Ravengard's parasite to seek information about Florrick reveals that she is imprisoned in Wyrm's Rock Prison and set to be executed, starting Free Counselor Florrick. If the party prods Ravengard's mind further, they find that deep uncertainty and fear of an illithid invasion is within him, indicating his mind hasn't fully been taken over.

Once the coronation is complete, Mizora appears and reveals that Duke Ravengard is already being moved to another location to be disposed of. She refuses to elaborate and tells the party to go to camp. After a Long Rest, Mizora appears before Wyll to present a new contract - an eternity of servitude for Zariel in exchange for rescuing the Duke. If Wyll signs the contract, she reveals that Duke Ravengard is in Gortash's underwater prison, the Iron Throne and promises to keep him from harm. Otherwise, if Wyll breaks the contract, Mizora states that he's as good as dead, but that she plans to stick around to see what happens.

If the party ignores the coronation and moves into the Lower City, then Duke Ravengard remains in the Audience Hall with Gortash until the ceremony is completed. If the party completes the questline  Disable the Steel Watch without attending the coronation, then the entirety of Wyrm's Rock Fortress becomes hostile, including Duke Ravengard. Clearing the Iron Throne causes the coronation attendants to become hostile, even if the party didn't fully disabled the Steel Watch. To ensure that the Duke can be rescued, it is advised to attend the coronation, speak to Mizora, and take a long rest to ensure that he can be found in his intended location.

The Iron Throne

After the previous events, Duke Ravengard is moved to the Iron Throne, either alive or dead. The party may find the Iron Throne either by exploring the Lower City, or be guided there as part of the quests  Disable the Steel Watch,  Save the Gondians,  Avenge the Ironhands, or  Avenge the Drowned.

Duke Ravengard is in the block of cells directly east from the ladder to the submersible. Normally, he is in the middle cell, alive, and with only 35 HP. He will also have the Fiendish Obeisance status, unless the party simply did not recruit Wyll. Upon opening the door to his cell, the party gains control over the Duke's movements. However, once he leaves the cell, if Wyll broke his pact with Mizora, then she appears and summons multiple Combustion Belly Spiderlings to kill the duke. She orders him to kneel while the spiderlings explode on their turn. The Duke can be saved by healing him while he is in his cell (via  Healing Word, throwing healing potions, or other tactics) or through spells like  Dimension Door or  Arcane Gate.

The Duke is found dead if the party has yet to speak with Mizora and her witnesses Cirrus and Feena at camp. After escaping the Iron Throne, the party may be able to make a deal with Mizora to resurrect the duke in exchange for renewing Wyll's pact, or reject the deal in order to break his pact. The availability of this option may depend on Wyll's status and earlier choices.

If Duke Ravengard is saved, he stays at camp under the protection of the Astral Prism. If Wyll was recruited, the pair can reconcile, and Ravengard asks the party to seek out Ansur, Baldur's Gate's guardian dragon who sleeps under the city. If the party has killed Wyll, such as playing as an origin Karlach in their altercation during Act One, this detail is NOT shared with Ravengard when sharing the player character's memory via The Emperor.

Related literature

• A Father's Diary
• Detainee Census
• Flaming Fist History
• Florrick's Demotion Notice
• Hostage Census
• Letter from Ravengard
• Orders from Duke Ravengard
• Patriars Journal
• SPECIAL ORDER
• The Dukes of Baldur's Gate
• U. R. : For the Absolute's Glory
• Urgent Report for Duke Ravengard

Related quests

•  Rescue the Grand Duke
•  The Blade of Frontiers
•  The Grand Duke

Gallery

• 

  Ravengard's model.

Related links

Ulder Ravengard on the Forgotten Realms Wiki

[[Category:Members of the Flaming Fist