Highlights

  • The Bhaalspawn Crisis was caused by the god of murder, Bhaal, who wanted his children to kill each other to release his essence into the world.
  • Some Bhaalspawn resisted their violent urges and chose to embrace their better selves, foiling Bhaal's plans for power.
  • After most of the Bhaalspawn died, the cult of Bhaal continued in secret and created the Dark Urge to lead them and initiate new Bhaalists.

One of the biggest challenges Baldur's Gate faced was the Bhaalspawn Crisis 100 years before the events of Baldur's Gate 3. The Crisis was triggered in the wake of the god of murder Bhaal's plan to circumvent his prophesied death by siring many children across Faerun. These children would come to be known as Bhaalspawn. Bhaal's ultimate plan was for his children to kill each other, thus releasing his essence back into the world. His plan ultimately failed, with the last of those Bhaalspawn dying before the events of Baldur's Gate 3.

This article contains endgame spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.As children of Bhaal, Bhaalspawn were ordinary mortals with a violent streak and lust for murder that would manifest as they grew older, compelling them to murder each other rather than work together in harmony. Bhaalspawn started life like any other mortal, with the trait only manifesting in childhood or even later in life. It wasn't a decree of fate, however, and many Bhaalspawn resisted their urges.

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The Role of the Bhaalspawn in Baldur's Gate History

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The Emergence of the Bhaalspawn and the Rise of Sarevok

Bhaal's plan nearly succeeded thanks to a Bhaalspawn called Sarevok, who initiated the Iron Crisis that preceded the Bhaalspawn Crisis, and used it to become the Archduke of Baldur's Gate. The Iron Crisis became the central plot of the first Baldur's Gate game, and had a massive impact on every person living in the city of Baldur's Gate, with the conflict eventually spreading up from the Sword Coast to Amn.

Sarevok and the Bhaalspawn are Overthrown

A flaw in Bhaal's plan, however, was that the Bhaalspawn would be of any race, class, and alignment. While many of the Bhaalspawn did give in to their nature like Baldur's Gate 3's Dark Urge, others chose to resist it and carved different paths for themselves. The most notable example of this was Gorion's Ward, and Imoen, his sister. The noble decisions of these Bhaalspawn to embrace the better parts of themselves is what ultimately foiled Bhaal's plans to return to the power he once had.

The Bhaalspawn Return to Baldur's Gate

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The Dark Urge and the Cult of Bhaal

After the Bhaalspawn Crisis and the deaths of most of the Bhaalspawn, it was widely believed the cult of Bhaal had disappeared, with the Bhaal temple in Baldur's Gate abandoned. It's revealed in Baldur's Gate 3 that the temple continued to operate in secret until Bhaal created the Dark Urge as a pure Bhaalspawn. As the Chosen of Bhaal, the Dark Urge would go on to lead the temple and the Bhaalists, along with Sarevok's granddaughter, Orin. The cult would go on to create rituals and trigger a new spree of murders in Baldur's Gate to initiate new Bhaalists.

The Bhaalspawns' Role in the Absolute Crisis

The Absolute Crisis originated with Bhaal's Chosen, the Dark Urge, who planned to use the Netherbrain, the Crown of Karsus, and the cult of the Absolute to kill everyone in the world, where they would sacrifice themselves on Bhaal's altar. They approached the Chosen of Bane, Enver Gortash, and together they infiltrated the vault of the archdevil Mephistopheles and stole the Crown. The Dark Urge then enslaved an elder brain using the Crown, and reached out to Ketheric Thorm, the Chosen of Myrkul, to form the trio who would control the Netherbrain and the cult.

The Fate of the Last Bhaalspawn

The Bhaal cult then suffered a crisis of leadership when Orin launched a surprise attack on the Dark Urge, infecting them with a Mind Flayer tadpole and leaving them for dead. This set the Dark Urge on a path where, depending on the player, a Bhaalspawn would either save Baldur's Gate or doom it. The Dark Urge could go on to dismantle the Bhaal cult, overthrow Orin, and destroy the Netherbrain, or retake their place as Bhaal's Chosen. Either way, the Dark Urge would remain as the last known Bhaalspawn in Baldur's Gate.