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The Emperor

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The Emperor is a mind flayer who appears in Baldur's Gate 3. It[note 1] plays a key role in the main story, but its identity is intentionally obscured until later parts of the game, allowing the player character to ultimately decide for themselves if they want to know more about it, and whether or not it is trustworthy.

Overview

Identity

The Emperor plays a key role in the main story of Baldur's Gate 3, and as part of this role its identity and personal background are kept obfuscated for much of the game. It very carefully divulges information that it deems necessary, sometimes arguing that the player character is not ready for the answer yet, or that it will reveal specific information in the future.

During Acts One and Two, the Emperor only "meets" with the player character as the Dream Guardian. At the beginning of Act Three, the player character finally meets the Emperor face to face, an event which reveals that it is a mind flayer.

Through all three Acts, the Emperor generally serves as a guide, and unlikely ally to the party, having the means to protect their minds from the influence of the Absolute, through the use of the prisoner within the Astral Prism.


Portrait The Emperor.png
"Don't let my form deceive you. I am the one that's been protecting you. I am the one that came to you in your dreams. Help me.
The Emperor, during Act 3

Personal quest

After reaching the Elfsong Tavern in Act Three, the Emperor will initiate the quest Visit the Emperor's Old Hideout, in which the player character can better get to know the Emperor. It discloses some of its past, during its time in the city and from before it became illithid.

Recruitment

The Emperor can appear in multiple combat encounters as a controllable ally, a neutral ally, or an enemy. It cannot, however, become a full member of the party or a camp follower.

Romance

The Emperor can have a romance with the player character during Act Three. See Romance.

History

Details about the Emperor's personal history are intentionally obfuscated during most of the game, but the player character has the opportunity to learn more about it through conversations, interactions with other characters, reading books, and completing specific side quests.


Ico knownSpells lvl 03.png Act 3 Spoilers! This section reveals details about the story of Baldur's Gate 3.

Events of Baldur's Gate 3

Act Two finale

Main article: Help Your Protector

On the way to Baldur's Gate, the party will be ambushed by a group of Gish'ra warriors while resting at Wyrm's Lookout. Entering the portal to the Astral Prism, the party will hear their Dream Guardian calling out for help. However, when the party reaches them, it is only to discover that the true identity of their visitor is the illithid known as the Emperor.

After defending the Emperor, it will explain how it used the power of the Prism and Orpheus to protect the party from the Absolute, and recite to the party its history as an adventurer and finding freedom from the Absolute. The Emperor will offer the party an Astral Touched Tadpole, which causes the user to transform into a partial-illithid. It insists the path of the mind flayer is preferable, regardless of the player character's view on them.

Though this may seen contradictory to its previous promise as the Dream Guardian; to ensure the party do not become mind flayers, this promise refers to the player character becoming a mind flayer unwillingly because of the Elder Brain. The Emperor is in favour of the player character becoming a mind flayer of their own volition and without the influence of the Elder Brain.

Act Three

Elfsong Tavern

As the party nears the Elfsong, the Emperor will remark that the tavern is the location of its old hideout. The hideout proper is in the basement, past the Knights of the Shield's hideout. In it, the player character will find various sentimental knick knacks from the Emperor's previous life, before becoming an illithid.

Around the room is its old dog Rascal's collar, its favourite recipe (fiddlehead soup), its first adventuring sword, and part of a cutlery set from its mother; the butter knife having been lost during its last shipwreck on the Isle of Balduran, inside the wreck of the Wandering Eye ship.

There are also some more illithid-adequate items such as chains for its preferred prey - allegedly criminals and lawbreakers - and jars for brains.

The Wyrmway

Once the party completes the Wyrmway trials, they will find the corpse of Ansur the Dragon. Interacting with his body will awaken Ansur's spirit, which briefly possesses the player character in order to communicate. As Ansur's introduction concludes, he will detect the Emperor within the Astral Prism.


Ico knownSpells lvl 03.png Act 3 Spoilers! This section reveals details about the story of Baldur's Gate 3.

Endings

Ico knownSpells lvl 03.png Act 3 Spoilers! This section reveals details about the story of Baldur's Gate 3.

List of interactions

See Dream Guardian to read about its previous conversations with the player character when it was in disguise.


Charm Person Icon.png Romance Spoilers This section reveals details about romance and may contain mature themes.

Achievements

A-Mind Blown.jpg
Mind Blown
Romance the Emperor.


Gallery

Notes

  • The Emperor's existence confirms the Dream Guardian as being an illithid influence, albeit in a different way.
    • In Early Access, the Dream Guardian (known then as Dream Visitor) was implied to be a mental manifestation of the player's tadpole, as it eased them towards using their powers more, as well as showing them a future of domination and control.
    • In the Full Release, the Emperor plays a similar role, in the sense that it also encourages the player to expand their potential through using the tadpole's power, but it is much more passive. In addition, its interests seem to be aligned against the Absolute.

Footnotes

  1. The Emperor, like other mind flayers, is addressed using the "it" pronoun. It is incidentally referred to as "he" in-game, and "they" in the game's files, possibly due to an oversight, or characters conflating its current and previous identities.
  2. Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 The Emperor's vision of its control over Belynne Stelmane is corroborated by the 5e module, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. In it, Stelmane is described as having a secret, mental battle against a mind flayer. This mind flayer is very likely the Emperor itself, and as a result, puts its entire "alliance" with Stelmane into question. It is very possible the Emperor and Stelmane did not have a proper alliance at all, and rather, the Emperor enthralled her for its needs. Whether this was always the case, or if they had a genuine alliance beforehand, isn't fully clear.
  3. This romance behaves somewhat differently from that with companions, as the Emperor generally cannot be interacted with outside of cutscenes, and romantic progression is limited to the final act of the game.

References

  1. Dialogue with Ansur.
  2. The Netherbrain's dialogue to the player character at the Morphic Pool.