The lore of Baldur’s Gate is a tale of murder, wars, vengeance, and heroism. We have someone to blame for the chaos and blood spilled. That is Bhaal, a deity dubbed the Lord of Murder who appears in Baldur’s Gate 3. The mysterious character named the Dark Urge is even heavily implied to be connected to him. Bhaal’s symbol appears beneath the feet of the Dark Urge in a cinematic. He’s a recurring figure, and here’s a brief, spoiler-free story of who Bhaal is in Baldur’s Gate‘s lore in general and this entry in particular.
Bhaal, Lord of Murder
Bhaal, as said before, has the very appropriate moniker of Lord of Murder. His name is similar to that of Baal, a Canaanite deity portrayed as a false god or idol in our Old Testament. Originally, Bhaal was an assassin who, alongside his companions Bane and Myrkul, managed to defeat and kill one of the Seven Lost Gods. This ended up in an even distribution of the god’s power among the three. Eventually, their power was amplified by Jergal, who voluntarily surrendered his power between Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal. They became the Dead Three of the Forgotten Realms.
Bhaal, the God, the Mortal
Bhaal received the portfolio of the dead, getting the keys to the realm of murder all to himself. While being the last of the three companions to pick one of Jergal’s powers, he soon came to the conclusion that effectively becoming the Lord of Murder suited him very well. After all, he was already a very bloody and mortal assassin. He started a reign of terror through the use of his many avatars, gaining worshipers all across the land. Just like their deity, they all rejoiced in murder.
However, during the “Time of Troubles” all gods, including Bhaal, became mortal after losing their godhood. This eventually led to his death at the hand of Cyric, who in turn stole Bhaal’s divinity and portfolio. This all happened before the events of the first two Baldur’s Gate games.
Bhaal’s Reemergence
While physically absent from Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, Bhaal was present thanks to all Bhaal cults such as the Deathstalkers. Moreover, Bhaalspawn, that is, children of Bhaal were broadly present throughout the Forgotten Realms. These Bhaalpawns were conceived as a result of Bhaal hearing a prophecy that foretold his death. They ended up in a confrontation amongst each other.
One of these Bhaalspawn was Abdel Adrian, the last Bhaalspawn ever recorded became a hero, renouncing the Throne of Bhaal and becoming the next Lord of Murder.
However, another Bhaalspawn named Viekang survived the previous confrontation and faced Adrian. There are no records of what happened during the encounter. We only know that one of them fell in battle and the other became a monster. The Flaming Fist mercenaries eventually killed the monster.
Without Bhaalspawn left, Bhaal’s essence became completely free. Once again, the God of Murder returned, although now being more of a quasi-divine figure rather than a full-blown god.
Bhaal and Back Again
While not trying to spoil much of what you can expect in Baldur’s Gate 3, it seems the Dark Urge character has something to do with Bhaal. The Lord of Murder, this time, becomes one of three chosen by the strange entity called the Absolute.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available for PCs and will be released for the PlayStation 5 on September 6, 2023.
