The Elf Song

The Elf Song is a common Book. It contains the lyrics to the Song of Balduran.

This book is redolent with the enticing smell of paper and ink.

Properties

• Books
• Rarity: Common
•  Weight: 0.5 kg / 1 lb
• Price: 14 gp

Where to find

• Inside a Rosewood Desk, when you rent a room at Elfsong Tavern.

Text

[O, sing a song of Balduran
Who founded Baldur's Gate.
Empire golden built on trade,
Could not avert his fate.

When three, though dead, assailed his port
Transformed, he fell their thrall.
Succumbed as threat from nether years
Arose to conquer all.

Now hope is gone, or so it seems
But game's not over yet.
New cards are drawn, new hands are played
Newcomers place a bet.

A knave, a wizard, devil, gith:
The odds are cast anew
And Baldur's fate now turns upon
The whims of fortune's few...]

Notes

• These are song lyrics that match actual vocals used by in-game music. If the player rents a room from Elfsong Tavern, the background music has a vocalist singing these exact lyrics. Another book item referring to Elfsong Tavern mentions a "disembodied singing voice" potentially meant as a joke referencing this fact.
• The specific lyrics of "Baldur's fate now turns upon the whims of fortunes few" could be interpreted as evidence supporting the idea that specific game characters (including one very specific character) significantly change their behavior (or "fate") depending on what choices (or "whims") the player selects during their campaign.
• The specific lyrics of "a knave, a wizard, devil, gith" could be a reference to specific Origin characters, such as, Astarion, Gale, Karlach, and Lae'zel respectively. There are, however, multiple characters that potentially fit the description of each word. Larian's planned number of Origin characters changed over the course of the development, so the mention of only four characters could either be because the song was written earlier than release, or simply to make the lyrics flow better.