Dead Three

The Mural

The Dead Three are a trio of evil death-themed deities: Bane, the God of Tyranny, Bhaal, the God of Murder and Myrkul, the God of Death. They earned their monicker after all three gods were slain during the period known as the Time of Troubles. Despite their deaths, the Dead Three eventually manage to return to life.

Once judged, ascended, then vanquished as one and as three.

— Withers

Lore

Ascension

Before they were gods, Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul were once mortal men who dreamed of godhood. They set out into the world amassing power and defeating all who opposed them. Once they had gathered enough power, the Three set their sights on Jergal, the ancient God of Death whose power they coveted the most. They stormed Jergal's realm and confronted him at his throne. However, they were taken aback by Jergal's willingness to step aside as the Lord of the End had grown tired of his power and station. Jergal proposed a game of chance to the Three so they could equally divide his power amongst themselves without killing each other for it.

Bane was the ultimate winner of the game and chose Tyranny, Strife and Hatred. Myrkul came in second place and chose to rule the Dead. Bhaal came in last, so Murder and Death were given to him. Their goal achieved, the Three joined the Faerûnian pantheon and began to spread their new faith and dominions meanwhile Jergal who still retained some divinity served Myrkul.

Time of Troubles

Despite their ascension, Bane and Myrkul still wished for more power and the two stole the Tablets of Fate from the overgod Ao with the belief that the Overgod's power was tied to the Tablets. When Ao noticed the theft, he summoned all the gods and demanded that the thieves return the tablets but no deity stepped foward. Tired of their constant power plays and negligence of their duties, Ao banished all the gods and forbade entry into the Divine realms until the Tablets were found and returned to him.

It was during this time that the Three met their demise. Bane died alongside the god Torm after both clashed in a titanic battle against each other. Myrkul was killed by the Chosen of Mystra, Midnight and Bhaal perished at the hands of the mortal Cyric wielding the sword Godsbane which was an avatar of the God of Thieves and Shadows, Mask. After their demise, the three were given the name Dead Three and Cyric who ascended as a god after the Time of Troubles gained all of the Dead Three's divine portfolios and worshippers for a time.

Return

Before their demise in the Time of Troubles, the Dead Three had prepared contingencies in the event that they were killed. The most infamous of these was Bhaal's, who foresaw his own death and begat progeny; the Bhaalspawn. Each child possessed a small portion of his divine essence as the Bhaalspawn's true purpose was to serve as its vessel and eventually die, so that the scattered divine essence inside them could be gathered and used to restore Bhaal back to life. Bane's was not so dissimilar from Bhaal's, as he had sired a half-demon son named Iyachtu Xvim, who later reclaimed his father's domains of tyranny, hatred and strife from Cyric and Myrkul imbued an artifact known as the Crown of Bones with a portion of his power.

The first of the Dead Three to return was Bane, who consumed his half-demon son and reclaimed his divinity. The second was Bhaal, who was resurrected after the last two remaining Bhaalspawn perished and reclaimed his domain of Murder from Cyric. Myrkul was the last, as he was resurrected during the Second Sundering along with many previously dead deities as the God of Death, but was forced to serve Cyric's successor as Lord of the Dead, Kelemvor. The Second Sundering saw a change in how Gods interacted with the mortal world. The Dead Three decided to stay on the mortal world as quasi-deities, the lowest rank in the divine hierarchy as they wished to continue to spread their influence to the mortals.

Revelations

Act One

• Passing the Investigation check for the Book of Dead Gods references the Dead Three.
• The Brand of the Absolute bears a striking resemblance to their symbols: the black hand of Bane, the skull of Bhaal, and the triangle-inset skull of Myrkul.

Act Two

Act 2 Spoilers! This section reveals details about the story of Baldur's Gate 3.

• Chapter Two reveals that the Dead Three are behind The Absolute and its cult. The Chosen of the Absolute are in truth the Dead Three's Chosen, who control The Netherbrain; a powerful Illithid Elder Brain using the Crown of Karsus with the Netherstones. Their chosen are as follow:
  • Lord Enver Gortash is the Chosen of Bane
  • Orin the Red is the Chosen of Bhaal
  • Ketheric Thorm is the Chosen of Myrkul
• The Chosen summon the Elder Brain invoking their patrons's names when using their Netherstones: The Edict of Bane, the Lash of Bhaal and the Testament of Myrkul.
• During the conversation with Ketheric Thorm, he will reveal that he became Myrkul's chosen after Myrkul resurrected his daughter Isobel.
• If defeated in battle or passing a Persuasion check, Ketheric Thorm will sacrifice himself and Myrkul summons the Apostle of Myrkul.
• The Dream Visitor will talk to the Party after Ketheric's Netherstone is recovered and will give information on who the Dead Three are.
• Withers will appear in Moonrise Towers after leaving the Mind Flayer Colony wishing to speak to the Party. Talking to him will show that he is bewildered by the Dead Three's actions of building an army of Illithids, as mind flayers are devoid of souls that could empower them.
• The Party can tell Withers that he seems to know a lot about the Dead Three which he concurs and gives a brief but cryptic summary of their rise and fall.

Act Three

Act 3 Spoilers! This section reveals details about the story of Baldur's Gate 3.

• The Player can become an Unholy Assassin of Bhaal if they select certain options in the Impress the Murder Tribunal quest.
• When confronting Orin, she can be told the truth about who was the one who ordered her mother to kill her when she was a child and when passing a skill check she will suffer a mental breakdown. Bhaal then forcefully transforms Orin into the Slayer.
• After defeating Orin and playing as the Dark Urge Origin, Sceleritas Fel will be killed and possessed by Bhaal. Through this Avatar of Bhaal, Bhaal offers the Dark Urge to become his Chosen and the Slayer form if they don't already have it and commands the Dark Urge to take control of the Netherbrain and use it to slaughter the world in his name.
  • If the Dark Ugre refuses Bhaal's offer then Bhaal will kill the Dark Urge but Withers intervenes and resurrects the Dark Urge claiming that they are free from the Urge.
• When talking to Enver Gortash as the Dark Urge, he will reveal that the Urge was the original Chosen of Bhaal and one of the masterminds of the Absolute plot before they were betrayed by Orin.
• If Enver Gortash is fought, he will call to Bane for aid.
• Bane speaks to the Party if Speak with Dead is used on Enver Gortash. The Party can ask Bane on how to earn his favor and he will tell them to take control of the Netherbrain and be counted among his Chosen or not, to him the Party's desire to win against the Absloute empowers him either way. (Note: This interaction doesn't have any story or in-game consequences even if the Player follows Bane's advice).
• In the post-credit scene, Withers talks to a mural of the Dead Three and chides them for their plot with the Mind Flayers and at the end he claims that they will not trouble anyone anymore.

Notes

• All three members of the Dead Three were originally available as deity options for Cleric in Early Access, but the option was cut in the full release of the game.
  • Much of the dialogue a Cleric of one of the Dead Three has remains intact, and can be accessed with mods.
• Dead Three cultists in Baldur's Gate are the main antagonists in the first section of the D&D adventure Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, the events of which are frequently referred to in Baldur's Gate III.

External Links

• Dead Three on the Forgotten Realms Wiki