Withers

Withers is a mysterious Undead entity who joins the party on their adventures as a Camp Follower. He calls himself "a scribe, a seneschal - a keeper of records". He offers resurrection and Hireling services to the party, and also allows respeccing of characters.

“

What is the worth of a single mortal's life?

„

— Withers

Overview

Background

Withers is a camp companion who offers his various services to the party. Secretive, but wise and ever helpful, he can be found in the Dank Crypt in Act 1 and remains with the party throughout the game. If asked to leave or who he is, he declines to do so.

Gameplay

• Withers is an Undead creature encountered in Act 1 who remains with the party throughout the game.
• He cannot be damaged or killed; he can be stolen from and does not disapprove in any way if caught doing so.
• He is the only means of changing class and rearranging ability scores in the game.

Appearance

Withers has pale-brown, desiccated skin splotched with red spots. Strikingly, he lacks a nose but retains his other facial features. His outfit has been tattered by the passage of time, and he wears bandages around his arms and chest. His face, arms and parts of his collarbone are adorned with elaborate gilded strips of metal which, despite these other salient aspects of his appearance, give him a regal look.

Personality

Although he may seem cryptic at times, Withers appears genuinely invested in the party's success against the  Absolute. He offers his services to aid them, as well as information and guidance, though often vague. He is not intentionally rude, but rather very forthright when spoken to, especially when it comes to gods and divinity, yet he remains mysterious about his past. He respects those with the courage to stand up to fate and take destiny into their own hands, such as the  Dark Urge if they reject ⁠Bhaal for good.

At times, he also shows a rare kindness, as with  Arabella, should she join the party as a camp follower. Withers comforts her after she finds out her parents are dead and guides her on her journey of understanding the Weave. He also organises the gathering during the epilogue of the game simply for the enjoyment of the companions, and even rescues Milil from the Fugue Plane, where he was trapped, seemingly just to provide music and entertainment. Furthermore, he seems to enjoy more mundane activities, as evidenced by his multiple luncheons with  Tara and  Gale's mother after the events of the game.

In the epilogue, Withers can be seen speaking to the mural of the Dead Three not only with a familiar tone but also with great disdain, dismissing them as fools and vermin. Whatever his relation to them may have been, he clearly has no respect for them and chides them for their actions involving the Absolute.

Services

• Resurrecting dead companions for 200 gold per resurrection.
• Recruiting and resurrecting hirelings after reaching character level 3.
• Respeccing party members for 100 gold, setting them back to level 1 and allowing them to change class, subclass, ability scores, skill proficiencies, spells, feats, and other class-based level-up choices.
  • Characters cannot change their race, gender, origin, appearance, or background with Withers; the selectable aspects of race, such as a high elf's choice of cantrip, are also fixed.
  • Paladins who have broken their oaths must first restore their vows through the  Oathbreaker Knight in order to access respeccing.

History and identity

Little is known about Withers' history prior to the game, although, through conversations with  Arabella, it is revealed that Withers has always been a "bone man", in a sense, and he is neither living nor dead.

Whoever he was, he was important enough to be laid to rest in a richly adorned sarcophagus, alongside attendants to take care of the temple that serves as his resting place.  Paladins and  Clerics feel a divine energy coming from him, and he seems to have a deep understanding of gods and their natures. After resurrecting the  Dark Urge, he says, "I know all, but to state truths is to interfere, for the minds of mortals are easily swayed." The fact that he is all-knowing but rarely interferes with mortals appears to imply that he is, in fact, a god.

Though never explicitly stated in-game, it is heavily implied that Withers is actually Jergal, the erstwhile "Lord of the End of Everything", and "Final Scribe", the ancient god of death who willingly gave up part of his divine portfolio to three ambitious evil adventurers who then became the Dead Three. Since this grand bargain, Jergal carries out his remaining duties as a bookkeeper of the dead. In the  Crumbling Journal, found in the Grand Mausoleum in Act Two, the author tells of their meeting with Jergal, who asks them the same initial question that Withers asks the player character – "What is the worth of a single mortal life?"

Involvement

Act One

Withers is first encountered in the Dank Crypt – an ancient temple of Jergal. He can be found resting inside a sarcophagus within a hidden room. If released from it by the party, he asks the one who does so a cryptic question and then leaves. The  Dark Urge is granted the ⁠Unfamiliar Familiarity inspiration.

Later, Withers appears at the campsite and joins as a camp follower. If the courtyard of the Goblin Camp is reached, or the story has progressed to a certain point^[verify] without meeting Withers in the crypt, he nevertheless still appears at camp. If Withers arrives at camp in this way, the party can still visit the crypt and complete ⁠Explore the Ruins, but his sarcophagus is empty. This is the case even if the party have not been to camp since meeting the criteria for Withers to move there.

Act Two

Withers can be encountered in Moonrise Towers after defeating  Ketheric Thorm, where he asks the party whether they think illithids possess souls or not. Regardless of the answer, Withers affirms that they do not. He also ponders why the Dead Three would amass an army of soulless beings when souls are what gods need to imbue them with power.

Act Three

If the  Dark Urge refuses to become the Chosen of ⁠Bhaal after killing  Orin, Bhaal kills the Dark Urge. However, almost immediately after their final moment, Withers appears and invests a portion of his divine essence into the player character, returning them to life. He explains that Bhaal could only destroy the part of them he knew, the violence and brutality that he himself had imparted on them; he could not destroy the new self the player character had become by resisting their Dark Urge. He then pronounces them redeemed and free of Bhaal's influence.

Withers can be found among the allies and companions gathered in High Hall for the final battle against the Netherbrain. He offers his services as always, and has some words of encouragement for the fight ahead. He also reassures the gathered allies that the Mind Flayer (either the player character, Karlach, Orpheus or The Emperor) accompanying the party is on their side.

Epilogue

Six months after the events of the game, Withers extends an invitation to all companions for a celebratory party, gathering them all at the first campsite that served as home for many days. For this, he has prepared food and beverages, a fact many companions remark upon with surprise. He has also summoned Milil, a god who was trapped in the Fugue Plane, to provide music and entertainment. After the player character is done mingling with the guests, he can be spoken to and offers a toast to the heroes of Baldur's Gate, telling them that there may yet be a time when they are called to action once more.

 Tara, Gale's tressym, reveals that Withers has regularly joined her and Mrs Dekarios for luncheons in the past six months.

If the player character attacks anyone, Withers banishes them to an unknown realm through a portal, and the game ends immediately.

After Credits Scene

In the after-credits scene, Withers is seen talking to a mural of the Dead Three, thoroughly disappointed in their actions and telling them that he overestimated them.

Combat

Withers cannot be damaged, is functionally invincible^{[See: Bugs]}, and never engages in battle, even if provoked.

If Withers is attacked, he responds in banter with one of the following:

• Ah, yes. Well struck.
• Thy accuracy would be lauded, had it a purpose.
• Hast thou considered this is a waste of mortal energy?
• When one tries and fails so many times, it is often named madness.

Loot

Withers cannot be killed or looted.^{[See: Bugs]}

Related Literature

•  Crumbling Journal
•  The Book of Willing Souls

Related Quests

• ⁠Explore the Ruins
• ⁠The Urge

Achievements

Outsourcing

Recruit a hireling. You can befriend them or use them as cannon-fodder - we won't judge.

Gallery

• 
  Appearance during Early Access.
• 
  Official concept art by Jane Katsubo.
• 
  Concept art from the Digital Artbook.
• 
  Withers, as featured in Community update #24.

Bugs

• As of Hotfix 21, there is a bug where Withers can be killed in camp during Act 3 by a partial-illithid character, via repeatedly using an Intelligence Cantrip (or other Spells) to trigger Ability Drain to bring Withers' INT to 1, and then using Devour Intellect. If killed via this exploit, Withers only drops a regular  Quarterstaff.
• If Withers is moved from Moonrise Towers to another waypoint^[verify] using  Improvised Melee Weapon (see notes on that page), he permanently disappears from camp. If  The Dark Urge is in the party and rejects Bhaal, Withers will still appear in the Temple of Bhaal to resurrect them. This clears the bug, and Withers returns to camp. If the Dark Urge resurrection scene is not triggered, effects on his appearance at High Hall and the epilogue are unknown.

External links

• ⁠Withers on the Forgotten Realms Wiki