The Netherbrain: Difference between revisions

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| title = The Netherbrain

At the end of Act Two, the brain emerges from the colony and commands the Absolute's armies to march on [[Baldur's Gate]]. The brain itself is also moved to Baldur's Gate by the remaining Chosen, who hide it [[Undercity Ruins|beneath the city]].

Should the player attempt to proceed back to Act One, against the Dream Guardian's warnings, the Netherbrain will overwhelm their defenses and appear before them, forcing their transformation and resulting in an instantaneous game over.

===Act Three===

With the defeat of Thorm by the party and the resulting loss of his [[Ketheric's Netherstone|Netherstone]], the remaining Chosens' control over the brain is severely weakened. As a result, the brain makes frequent attempts to break free from its enslavement, resulting in regular psionic outbursts that are believed by the rest of the populace to be earthquakes. Knowing the threat that this poses to their plan, both Gortash and Orin attempt to [[Consider Gortash's Bargain|convince]] (or [[Rescue Orin's Victim|coerce]]) the party to kill the other Chosen and bring their respective Netherstones to them, in order to reestablish control over the brain.

Once the party confronts the brain in the [[Morphic Pool]], the brain reveals that it orchestrated the entire series of events leading up to their confrontation. After revealing that it orchestrated the events leading up to the party's confrontation, the player attempts to dominate the brain with the rejoined Netherstones, but it overwhelms them, prompting the Emperor to force the player into the Astral Prism for safety. The Emperor explains that the brain in its current state is too powerful for any mortal to bring under control again, and that only an illithid has the mental capacity to dominate the brain.

With its free will fully restored once again, the Netherbrain proclaims that it will achieve the Grand Design, rising from beneath the city to reveal itself. It commences a full-scale assault on Baldur's Gate, forcing many tadpoled civilians to transform and commanding the hordes of the Absolute's armies to attack, while simultaneously summoning a fleet of [[Nautiloid|Nautiloids]] to provide additional support. With the help of an illithid, the party manages to battle their way to the brain itself, where the illithid can use the Netherstones to enter the brain's mind and defeat it once and for all.

Once beaten, the Netherbrain yields to the party, proposing that they take control of it and rule in a last-ditch effort to spare its own life. From here, the player can choose to have their illithid ally destroy the brain, or betray them and take control of the brain, and the Absolute, for themselves. If the latter option is selected, the player will stab the illithid and seize the Netherstones, taking a seat atop the brain and proclaiming themselves as the Absolute.

If the player chooses to kill the brain, the illithid ally will order the brain to destroy all of the tadpoles, including the party's, before killing itself. Overwhelmed by the Netherstones, the brain is forced to comply, and it falls into the sea, sinking along with the Crown of Karsus into the harbor, thwarting the Grand Design once and for all.