Belynne Stelmane: Difference between revisions

	Duke Stelmane
Belynne Stelmane
	Stats
Race	Human
Type	Humanoid
Character information
Location	Elfsong Tavern, Lower City (formerly)
Allies	The Emperor (Charmed)

Revision as of 00:25, 2 January 2024

Belynne Stelmane, also known as Duke Stelmane, is a character mentioned in Baldur's Gate 3. She can not be interacted with directly by the player, but appears in cutscenes and plays an important role in several areas of the game's story.

Overview

Background

Stelmane served as a member of The Council of Four until 1491, one year before the events of the game.^{[text 1]}

She was affiliated with the secret organisation known as the Knights of the Shield, and had had business dealings with The Emperor.

Later in her life, she suffered a stroke. The resulting health issues plagued her for over a decade, sometimes leaving her unaware of her surroundings,^{[text 2]} until she was murdered in her suite at the Elfsong Tavern by Bhaalists.

Related quests

Character recounts

Several characters in Baldur's Gate 3 describe their past experiences with Belynne Stelmane.

Wyll

During Act Three, it is possible to ask Wyll about his own experiences meeting Belynne Stelmane.

Selecting the option "Did you know Stelmane very well, back in the day?" will yield the following information initially:

“

The first time, I was a boy of seven or eight, at a banquet in the Flaming Fists's honor. One look and I was smitten.
Chestnut hair that flowed behind her like willow fronds. She floated from one room to the next as if carried by clouds. The second time, Stelmane was - different. Even with the aid of a cane, each step she took was a struggle. Every word she spoke took great physical effort.
'A stroke victim?' I asked father later. 'No', he said. 'A stroke survivor.'

„

If the player passes an automatic Wisdom (Perception) check after Wyll finishes speaking, another dialogue option appears that is locked behind a Charisma (Persuasion) check. If this check is passed, he offers the following:

“

Something's always gnawed at me. At the banquet, Stelmane didn't seem to look at us, but through us. But that second time, her gaze never left me. It was steel, sharp and unyielding. It could just be my imagination. But I always felt that it was more than a stroke that had changed her. What, though... I couldn't say.

„

The Emperor

Spoiler warning! This section reveals details about the story of Baldur's Gate 3.

The Emperor describes Belynne as its former partner, but if pressed will claim that it used its illithid powers on her to make her its thrall.^[1] This eventually caused her to suffer her stroke, and left her partially paralysed.^[2]^[3]

Wyll, if spoken to afterwards, shows his anger at the revelations:

“

Not a mere stroke, as it turns out – but the scars of her possession. Gods, what I wouldn't give to drive a dagger through the Emperor's buldging head. We can never let it do to us what it did to Stelmane.

„

Related literature

Gallery

Stelmane listening
Stelmane and her Advisor

Notes

In Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, the segment describing Stelmane describes her as having a secret, mental battle against a Mind Flayer. This Mind Flayer is very likely to be the Emperor himself, and as a result, puts his entire "alliance" with Belynne Stelmane into question.
- If the Emperor truly is the Mind Flayer described in the 5e module, it's very possible they did not have a proper alliance at all, and rather, The Emperor enthralled her for his needs. Whether this was always the case, or if they had a genuine alliance beforehand, isn't fully clear as The Emperor is an unreliable narrator.

References

↑ Dialogue with the Emperor in the Astral Realm, after it is rejected and distrusted
↑ Investigations from The Knights of Shield.
↑ Descent into Avernus pg. 162.

External links

Belynne Stelmane on the Forgotten Realms Wiki

[3] Dialogue with the Emperor in the Astral Realm, after it is rejected and distrusted

[4] Investigations from The Knights of Shield.

[5] Descent into Avernus pg. 162.

[1] The Dukes of Baldur's Gate

[2] Patient Log: Duke Belynne Stelmane

[text 1]

[text 2]

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |title = Duke Stelmane
 |name = Belynne Stelmane
-|image = [[File:Belynne Stelmane Screenshot.webp|350px]]
+|file = Belynne Stelmane Screenshot.webp
 |race = Human
 |type = Humanoid
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 ==Overview==
-Stelmane served as a member of [[The Council of Four]] until 1491, one year before the events of the game.<ref group="note">[[The Dukes of Baldur's Gate|''The Dukes of Baldur's Gate'']]</ref>
+=== Background ===
+Stelmane served as a member of [[The Council of Four]] until 1491, one year before the events of the game.{{cite text|The Dukes of Baldur's Gate}}
 She was affiliated with the secret organisation known as the Knights of the Shield, and had had business dealings with [[The Emperor]].
-Later in her life, she suffered a stroke. The resulting health issues plagued her for over a decade, sometimes leaving her unaware of her surroundings, until she was murdered in her suite at the [[Elfsong Tavern]] by [[Cult of Bhaal|Bhaalists]].<ref>[[Patient Log: Duke Belynne Stelmane|''Patient Log: Duke Belynne Stelmane'']]</ref>
+Later in her life, she suffered a stroke. The resulting health issues plagued her for over a decade, sometimes leaving her unaware of her surroundings,{{cite text|Patient Log: Duke Belynne Stelmane}} until she was murdered in her suite at the [[Elfsong Tavern]] by [[Cult of Bhaal|Bhaalists]].
-===Quests===
+===Related quests===
 *[[Investigate the Murders]]
 *[[Visit the Emperor's Old Hideout]]
@@ Line 42: / Line 43: @@
 ===The Emperor===
 {{SpoilerBox|
-[[The Emperor]] describes Belynne as its former ''partner'', but if pressed will claim that it used its illithid powers on her to make her its thrall.<ref>Dialogue with the Emperor in the Astral Realm, after it is rejected and distrusted</ref> This eventually caused her to suffer her stroke, and left her partially paralysed.<ref>Investigations from The Knights of Shield.</ref><ref>Descent into Avernus pg. 162.</ref>
+The Emperor describes Belynne as its former ''partner'', but if pressed will claim that it used its illithid powers on her to make her its thrall.<ref>Dialogue with the Emperor in the Astral Realm, after it is rejected and distrusted</ref> This eventually caused her to suffer her stroke, and left her partially paralysed.<ref>Investigations from The Knights of Shield.</ref><ref>Descent into Avernus pg. 162.</ref>
 Wyll, if spoken to afterwards, shows his anger at the revelations:
@@ Line 62: / Line 63: @@
 ==Notes==
 {{notebegin}}
-*In {{FRWiki|Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus}}, the segment describing [[Stelmane|Bellyne Stelmane]] describes her as having a secret, mental battle against a Mind Flayer. This Mind Flayer is very likely to be [[The Emperor]] himself, and as a result, puts his entire "alliance" with [[Belynne Stelmane]] into question.
+*In {{FRWiki|Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus}}, the segment describing Stelmane describes her as having a secret, mental battle against a Mind Flayer. This Mind Flayer is very likely to be the Emperor himself, and as a result, puts his entire "alliance" with Belynne Stelmane into question.
 **If the Emperor truly is the Mind Flayer described in the 5e module, it's very possible they did not have a proper alliance at all, and rather, The Emperor enthralled her for his needs. Whether this was always the case, or if they had a genuine alliance beforehand, isn't fully clear as The Emperor is an unreliable narrator.
 {{noteend}}
-==Footnotes==
-{{notelist}}
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
+{{reflist|text}}
 ==External links==

Belynne Stelmane: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:25, 2 January 2024

Contents