Withers

Withers
Role	Camp follower
Voiced by	Stephen Boxer
Information
Race	Skeleton
Faction	Church of Jergal
Stats
Size	Medium
Type	Undead
Armour Class	10
Hit points	1
Movement speed	9 m (30 ft)
Weight	50 kg (100 lb)
Initiative	0
Ability scores
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (0) 10 (0) 10 (0) 10 (0) 18 (+4) 10 (0)
Proficiency bonus	+2
Saving throws	Str 0 Dex 0 Con 0 Int 0 Wis +6 Cha 0
Features
Immune to Control Undead	Cannot be magically controlled by others.
Opportunity Attack	Automatically attack an enemy moving out of your reach.

Withers is a mysterious undead entity that joins the player on their adventures as a camp follower. He calls himself "a scribe, a seneschal - a keeper of records", and offers resurrection services to the party, allows characters to change or reset their class and provides the services of hirelings.

“	What is the worth of a single mortal's life?	„
	— Withers

Overview

Background

Withers is a camp companion who offers his various services to the party. Secretive, but wise and ever helpful, he can be found in the Dank Crypt in Act 1 and remains with the party throughout the game.

Personality

Though he may seem cryptic at times, Withers seems genuinely invested in the party's success against the Absolute and not only offers his services to aid them, but also provides information and guidance, in his own mysterious way. He is very matter-of-fact when spoken to, especially when it comes to gods and divinity, but he's never rude.

At times, he also shows a kindness rarely seen as is the case with Arabella should she join the party as a camp follower. Withers soothes her after she finds her parents are dead, and will gently guide her in her journey of understanding of the Weave. He also organised the gathering after the events of the game simply for the enjoyment of the companions, and rescued Milil from the Fugue Plane he was trapped in, even if it only was to provide music and entertainment.

In the epilogue, Withers can be seen speaking to the mural of the Dead Three not only with a familiar tone, but also with great disdain, dismissing them as fools and vermin. Whatever his relation to the Dead Three, he has no apparent respect for them.

Gameplay

• Withers is an Undead creature whose level scales with that of the party
• He can be encountered in Act 1 and remains with the party throughout the game
• He cannot be damaged nor killed
• He is the only means of changing class in the game

Quests

• Explore the Ruins

Services

• Withers will resurrect dead companions for a 200 gold fee per resurrection.
• He offers the service of hirelings, recruitable characters that can be added to aid your party who, unlike regular companions, do not have related quests or interactions.
• He is able to resurrect hirelings for 100 gold per resurrection.
• Withers can also change the class of a character for 100 gold, setting them back to level 1 and allowing them to change their class, subclass, spells, ability scores, etc.
  • Characters cannot change their race, appearance, origin, or background. (Appearance can be changed separately with the Magic Mirror.)
  • Paladins who have broken their oaths cannot access this class change; they must retake their vows first through the Oathbreaker Knight.
• Though not directly through him, his Magic Mirror can be used to change the appearance of non-origin characters.

History

Little is known about Withers' history prior to the game.

Whoever he was, he was important enough to be laid to rest in a richly adorned sarcophagus, alongside attendants to take care of the temple that serves as his resting place. Paladins and clerics feel a divine energy coming from him, and whoever he was in life, he seems to have a deep understanding of gods and their nature.

Involvement

Act One

Withers is first encountered in the Dank Crypt - an ancient temple of Jergal. He can be found resting inside a sarcophagus within the hidden room. Once freed, he will ask the party a cryptic question and then leave.

Later, Withers will appear at the campsite and join as a camp follower. If the player reaches the courtyard of the goblin camp, or progresses far enough without completing Explore the Ruins and meeting him in the crypt, this will still happen. If the player then visits the crypt, they'll still be able to complete the aforementioned quest, but the sarcophagus will be empty.

Act Two

Withers can be found in Moonrise Towers after defeating Ketheric Thorm, where he will ask the party whether they think illithids possess souls or not. Regardless of the answer, Withers will affirm that they do not, and he ponders why the Dead Three would amass an army of soulless beings when souls are what gods need to imbue them with power.

Act Three

Spoiler warning! This section reveals interactions with The Dark Urge.

If the player is playing as The Dark Urge and refuses to become the Chosen of Bhaal after killing Orin, Bhaal will seemingly kill the player character. However, in the final moment, Withers will appear and tell the player that while Bhaal could destroy his own spawn, he could not destroy the new self that the character had become by resisting the Dark Urge. He pronounces the player character redeemed and free of Bhaal's influence.

Withers can be found among the allies and companions gathered in High Hall for the final battle against the Netherbrain. He will offer his services as always, as well as offer some words of encouragement for the fight ahead.

Six months after the events of the game, Withers extends an invitation to all companions, gathering them all at the campsite that served as home for many days for a celebratory party. For this, he has prepared food and beverage, a fact many companions remark upon with surprise, as well as summon Milil, a former god trapped in the Fugue Plane, to provide music and entertainment. After mingling with the guests, he can be spoken to and he will offer a toast to the heroes of Baldur's Gate, telling them that there may yet be a time where they are called to action once more.

In the after credits scene, Withers is seen talking to a mural of the Dead Three disappointed in their actions and telling them that he overestimated them.

Identity

Though the game never explicitly states it, it heavily implies Withers is actually Jergal, the erstwhile "Lord of the End of Everything," a formerly-malevolent god of death, murder, and strife who willingly gave up that portfolio to the Dead Three (who up to that point were simply a party of evil adventurers) in order to become a benign bookkeeper of the dead.

In-game information

• He is initially found in a crypt that, through exploration and a successful Religion check, is confirmed to be a shrine of Jergal
• The undead spellcasters are designated as scribes, and Jergal is also known as "the Final Scribe"
• The Book of Dead Gods can be found nearby, containing a clear reference to the Dead Three
• In the Ancient Mausoleum, a Crumbling Journal can be found, detailing the encounter of a mortal with Jergal
  • Jergal's physical appearance is described as masked in gold, his skin fine and worn as parchment
  • Jergal asks the mortal "What is the worth of a single mortal's life?" much like Withers when freed from his sarcophagus
• Paladins and clerics can feel divine energy from Withers: "He has a divine aspect, yes. A reflection of death itself. Eternal and inescapable."
  • If asked whether he's a god's Chosen he will refuse to answer questions in that regard
• When spoken to by a new companion, Withers will remark "Ah, another. Thy name has been recorded." alluding to his title as "the Final Scribe"
  • Likewise, when requested to resurrect a companion, he will refer to the companion as being "stricken from the record"
• Clerics of Kelemvor may sense something familiar in him, prompting Withers to reply "Thou walk with death, child of Kelemvor. That is enough for an understanding between us" and "No, although Kelemvor chose wise to bless one such as yourself" when asked about it.
• In the epilogue, Withers speaks to the Dead Three mural in a manner that indicates he's very familiar with them, hinting at the story of how Jergal abdicated his position in the pantheon and gave his powers to them

Outside information

• Withers' official concept art refers to him as Jergal
• Datamined content confirms that Withers is Jergal, compelled by Helm to assist the players as penance
• Internal game files refer to him as "JergalAvatar"

Achievements

Outsourcing
Recruit a hireling. You can befriend them or use them as cannon-fodder - we won't judge.

Gallery

• 

  In Early Access

• 

  Official concept art by Jane Katsubo.

• 

  Concept art from the Artbook.

• 

  Withers as featured in Community update #24.

• 

  Withers' model.

Notes

• Withers puts the gold he receives for his services into a pickpocketable inventory, so players may steal back any money paid. Withers will not react to failed pickpocketing, allowing unlimited attempts.
• Withers cannot be damaged and is functionally invincible, and will never engage in battle if provoked. As such, he cannot be looted.
• In Early Access he was initially called The Hooded Skeleton even though he had no visible hood. He was later renamed to Talkative Skeleton, and finally Withers.
• If you speak with a hireling, it is revealed Withers is in fact controlling them remotely. In a sense, this makes Withers indirectly a companion as well.
• There is never a point where Withers actually tells you his name is Withers, this information is conveyed to the player purely via the subtitles. It is unclear how the characters themselves learn this.

External links

• Withers on the Forgotten Realms Wiki