The Dark Urge: Difference between revisions

| description = The Dark Urge is an established character as well as a custom origin in Baldur's Gate 3. They remember nothing of their past except walking a path paved with blood.

{{hatnote|[[File:Background HauntedOne Icon.png|20px|link=]] This article is about the established character, and contains many '''spoilers'''. You may be looking for the more spoiler-free [[The Dark Urge (Origin)|origin]] overview page instead.}}

'''The Dark Urge''' is an established character as well as a [[The Dark Urge (Origin)|special Origin]] in [[Baldur's Gate 3]]. Suffering from amnesia, the Dark Urge remembers little but glimpses of their own past.

 

The Dark Urge is a Bhaalspawn, but unlike other Bhaalspawn, they weren't born – they were created from the dead flesh of Bhaal himself.{{note|The Dark Urge can tell [[Naaber]] that they have no birthdate due to the nature of their creation {{ref|name=Naaber|Encounter with Naaber.|act3}}}}{{ref|name=felchosen|Dialogue with [[Sceleritas Fel]], after becoming Bhaal's Chosen.|act3}}{{ref|name=Devella|Dialogue with Gauntlet [[Devella Fountainhead]], after saving her and completing the [[Murder Tribunal]]|act3}}

The Dark Urge grew up outside the Cult of Bhaal, and were at some point taken in by a couple. They had a relatively peaceful childhood for a time, before succumbing to the urge and murdering their loved ones and foster parents.{{ref|Memories regained after casting Heal on the Dark Urge after confronting Orin.|act3}}{{ref|Memories regained from casting Heal on the Dark Urge prior to confronting Orin.|act3}}

Eventually, the Dark Urge became the leader of the Cult of Bhaal, and pledged to end all life in existence for their [[Bhaal|father]]. At some point fellow Bhaalspawn [[Orin the Red]] joined and served under them.{{ref|name=memoirs|Gortash's memoirs.}}

After receiving dreams of Bhaal, the Dark Urge – in correspondence with [[Gortash|Enver Gortash]] – hatched a plan to steal the Crown of Karsus in a heist at Mephistopheles' Vault, so that they could fulfil their pledge to their Lord: They would create an army of soulless mind flayers, and with the help of this army they would exterminate all life — Including, as the last being alive, their own. Fully intent on eventually betraying them, the Dark Urge joined forces with Gortash and [[Ketheric Thorm]], [[Bane]] and [[Myrkul]]'s chosen, respectively.{{note|name=colonyletter|Letter by the Dark Urge, addressed to Bhaal, found in the mind flayer colony.|act2}}{{ref|name=memoirs}}{{ref|name=coronation}}{{ref|name=parentnotes|Notes found at Gortash's parents' shop.|act3}}

 

After the heist, Gortash suggested that they use the Crown on the elder brain located in the illithid colony below [[Moonrise Towers]]. The Dark Urge agreed to the plan, and joined [[Enver Gortash]] and [[Ketheric Thorm]] at Moonrise Towers. {{ref|name=memoirs}}

At Moonrise Towers, the three Chosen initiated a raid on the mind flayer colony, and successfully used the Crown on the colony's elder brain, enslaving it to their will. At some point during this, Dark Urge formed a special relationship with the elder brain, who was on board with the Dark Urge's plan.{{ref|name=memoirs}}{{ref|name=elderbraindialogue|Dialogue with the Elder Brain, throughout the game.|act3}}

For a time, the Dark Urge was worshipped as a god at [[Moonrise Towers]],{{ref|The narrator's statements when the Dark Urge arrives at Moonrise Towers.}} but during a visit to the mind flayer colony beneath the towers, during or after the raid,{{note|Conflicting information in Orin's notes and Gortash' memoirs}} they were betrayed by their sister [[Orin the Red]], who was jealous of Bhaal's favouritism.{{ref|name=orinnotes|Notes written by Orin, found in her quarters|act3}}{{ref|name=orinduel|Dialogue with Orin, when she is confronted by the Dark Urge in the Temple of Bhaal.|act3}}

The Dark Urge had their skull pierced and opened with a dagger, and was infected with a tadpole that began to eat their liquidating brain, resulting in their amnesia, as well as them becoming the first True Soul.{{ref|name=orinnotes}}{{ref|name=orinduel}}{{ref|name=memoirs}}{{ref|name=kressadialogue|Dialogue with [[Kressa Bonedaughter]].|act2}}{{ref|name=kressanotes|According to journals found in the Mind Flayer Colony and dialogue|act2}}

The Dark Urge was found by [[Kressa Bonedaughter]] who, impressed with their willpower and resistance to the elder brain's influence, began to study them. She would cut them open and put them back together repeatedly over the course of several days in the mind flayer colony, during which the Dark Urge was unable to speak or do anything but attempt to inflict violence on themselves or others.{{ref|name=kressadialogue}}{{ref|name=kressanotes}}

 

Noticing his wife's obsession and hoping to snap her out of it, Kressa's husband, [[Maghtew Budj]], arranged for the broken and amnesiac Dark Urge to be sent off on the [[Nautiloid|Nautiloid Ship]], where they would soon wake up with no memories of themselves or their past.{{ref|name=kressanotes}}

{{hatnotes|See Also: [[The Dark Urge (Origin)]] and [[The Urge]].}}

* The Dark Urge is a cannibal.{{ref|Eating a Noblestalk Mushroom prior to meeting Sceleritas Fel. Can eat food such as cooked dwarves.|act1}{

* According to [[Sceleritas Fel]], the Dark Urge is a necrophiliac.{{ref|name=necro|Possible dialogue in first encounter with Fel.|act1}}

* Even after being freed of the the Urge, the Dark Urge still has access to unique, violent dialogue – with the Urge references removed – suggesting that at least part of the Dark Urge's available actions could be the result of their own character, rather than simply Bhaal's influence.{{ref|As discovered in numerous possible dialogues in Act Three.|act3}}

* Even if the Dark Urge gets rid of their father's blood, the [[Netherbrain]] still refers to the Dark Urge as "murder incarnate".{{ref|Potential dialogue near the end of the game.|act3}}

* In a campaign where the Dark Urge isn't chosen as an Origin Character, the player can find the corpse of an NPC with the default appearance of the Dark Urge Origin, simply called "Fallen Bhaalspawn", tortured and murdered by [[Orin]].{{note|Assuming this is the Dark Urge, it is likely that this version of the character was abandoned by Bhaal, as their death would not make much sense otherwise. It is also possible that Orin betrayed and killed the Dark Urge with the latter's involvement with the Absolute intact, but simply chose not to send them to the Nautiloid Ship, instead keeping the Dark Urge's corpse for herself. It is not directly confirmed if this version of the Dark Urge was still the original True Soul or not.}}

{{note|The [[Journal of Magthew Budj]] still references Kressa's obsession with the "pet" she used for her experiments, and the plot to have it sent to the Nautiloid Ship. Likewise, notes penned by the Dark Urge themselves that refer to their collaboration with Gortash and a letter that berates Orin for her incompetence can be found regardless of whether the Dark Urge Origin has been chosen.}}

* Assuming he is recruited, [[Minsc]] considers himself to be the Dark Urge's uncle.{{ref|Dialogue with Minsc at camp.|act3}}