The Emperor

Overview

Combat

Dream Guardian

The Emperor is a Mind Flayer who appears in Baldur's Gate 3. It plays a key role in the main story, but its identity is intentionally obscured until later parts of the game, allowing the player character to ultimately decide for themselves if they want to know more about it, and whether or not it is trustworthy.

“

"Don't let my form deceive you. I am the one that's been protecting you. I am the one that came to you in your dreams. Help me.

„

— The Emperor, revealing its true self.

Overview

Identity

The Emperor plays a key role in the main story of Baldur's Gate 3, and as part of this role its identity and personal background are kept obfuscated for much of the game. It very carefully divulges information that it deems necessary, sometimes arguing that the player character is not ready for the answer yet, or that it will reveal specific information in the future.

During Acts One and Two, the Emperor only "meets" with the player character as the Dream Guardian. At the beginning of Act Three, the player character finally meets the Emperor face to face, an event which reveals that it is a mind flayer.

Through all three Acts, the Emperor generally serves as a guide, and unlikely ally to the party, having the means to protect their minds from the influence of the Absolute, through the use of the prisoner within the Astral Prism.

Personal quest

After reaching the Elfsong Tavern in Act Three, the Emperor will initiate the quest Visit the Emperor's Old Hideout, in which the player character can better get to know the Emperor. It discloses some of its past, during its time in the city and from before it became illithid.

Recruitment

The Emperor can appear in multiple combat encounters as a controllable ally, a neutral ally, or an enemy. It cannot, however, become a full member of the party or a camp follower.

Romance

The Emperor can have a romance scene with the player character during Act Three. See Romance.

History

An Adventurer, I came from Baldur's Gate, though I was never one to be constrained by circumstance. I longed for more.

Details about the Emperor's personal history are intentionally obfuscated during most of the game, but the player character has the opportunity to learn more about it through conversations, interactions with other characters, reading books, and completing specific side quests.

That longing brought me to Moonrise Towers on a search for treasure. To a colony of mind flayers who caught me and changed me.

The Emperor was once Balduran, an adventurer who founded a coastal village called Grey Harbour. After securing enough money to fund the building of the Wall that led to Baldur's Gate being founded, he felt the call of the sea once more. On the voyage, and following a shipwreck, Balduran made his way to Moonrise Towers in search of fortune. There, he found a coven of mind flayers who infected him with an illithid tadpole. As a record of his interrogation by Enver Gortash during the planning phases of the Absolute Hoax states, he spent ten years under the thrall of the Moonrise Elder Brain.

I had the fortune of meeting Duke Stelmane. We formed a partnership

After Balduran was reborn as an illithid and broke free from the Elder Brain before the Brain became the Absolute, it returned to Baldur's Gate, living in the shadows and feeding on the brains of criminals. Initially struggling with its identity as a mind flayer, Balduran eventually embraced its new form.

Balduran's new acceptance of its illithid form caused a wedge to form between it and its close companion, the dragon Ansur. Ansur attempted to kill Balduran as it slept, believing this would be a merciful death. The Emperor sensed the attempt, and in its struggle to protect itself from being murdered, it killed Ansur in self-defence.

After Ansur's death, Balduran came to be called the Emperor as it used its newfound psychic influence to rule Baldur's Gate from the shadows. For years it made its haven under the Elfsong tavern, keeping various sentimental knick knacks from its time as Balduran.

During that time it also came to be associated with the Knights of the Shield, a lawful and neutral evil conglomerate of politicians and merchants manipulating events behind the scenes. Duke Stelmane was a major figure of this secret society, acting as the Emperor's envoy while it secretly kept her enthralled.

Sometime before the events of the game, Enver Gortash and The Dark Urge captured the Emperor, and brought it back under the thrall of the Moonrise Elder Brain, which was now wearing the Crown of Karsus and had become the Netherbrain masquerading as the Absolute. The Netherbrain sought to have all three Chosen of the Dead killed and specifically picked the Emperor, unbeknownst to it, to lead a team of illithids on a nautiloid to search for and steal from the Githyanki the Astral Prism containing their prince, Orpheus.

Although successfully stolen, the Emperor quickly discerned the potential of harnessing the Prism's awesome power. Understanding this opportunity as a means to possibly earn its freedom, it instead chose to use the Prism to shield itself (and those close to it) from the influence of the Netherbrain, thereby setting into motion the chain of events in the game where the player character and their companions are able to pose a serious threat to the Netherbrain and its cult of the Absolute.

Events of Baldur's Gate 3

Act Two finale

On the way to Baldur's Gate, the party is ambushed by a group of Gish'ra warriors while resting at Wyrm's Lookout. On entering the portal to the Astral Prism, the Dream Guardian calls out for help, which starts  Help Your Protector. However, upon reaching the Dream Guardian, it is revealed that the true identity of their dream visitor is an mind flayer known as the Emperor.

After defending the Emperor, it explains how it used the power of the Prism and Orpheus to protect the party from the Absolute, and recites to the party its history as an adventurer and its urge to find freedom from the Absolute. The Emperor offers the party an Astral Touched Tadpole, which causes the user to transform into a partial-illithid. It insists on and is in favour of the player character transforming into a mind flayer freely and of their own volition - as compared to becoming a mind flayer unwillingly and with the influence of Elder Brain.

Act Three

Elfsong Tavern

The button to the storeroom

As the party approach the Elfsong Tavern, the Emperor remarks that the tavern is the location of its old hideout, which starts  Visit the Emperor's Old Hideout. The hideout proper is in the basement, past the Knights of the Shield's hideout. Behind the statue to the north, on the right side of an indent is a hidden button at X: -734 Y: 577 ( DC 13 Perception check). This leads to the area where the Emperor kept many precious mementos of its life before transforming into a mind flayer; some of which can be uncovered by passing additional perception checks. These items include:

• Unique Shell at X: -726 Y: 586
• Emperor's Wardrobe at X: -727 Y: 590
• Butter Fork at X: -731 Y: 596
• Stelmane's Portrait at X: -732 Y: 597
• Sword of the Emperor at X: -734 Y: 589
• Chains at X: -739 Y: 594
• Empty Brain Jar at X: -745 Y: 593
• Recipe for Fiddlehead Soup at X: -744 Y: 587
• Dog Collar at X: -742 Y: 584

The Wyrmway

Once completing trials in during the quest  Wyrmway, the party can find the corpse of Ansur the Dragon. Interacting with his body awakens Ansur's spirit, which briefly possesses the player character in order to communicate. As Ansur's introduction concludes, he detects the Emperor within the Astral Prism.

Ansur reveals that the Emperor was in fact formerly Balduran, the founder of Baldur's Gate. Furthermore, he explains that while the Emperor initially did not want to become a mind flayer, it eventually fully embraced its new form, and its comfort with this caused a rift between the Emperor and Ansur. After "exhausting all possibility of reversing (the Emperor's) condition", Ansur was agonizing and the Emperor (as seen in the letter on Ansur's body) tried to convince him to leave. Ansur then attempted to murder the Emperor during its sleep as a mercy killing, and the Emperor killed Ansur in self-defense.

This development is somewhat foreshadowed when the player character first meets The Emperor in their true form, as the song that plays during the encounter is a variation of The Elf Song, which prominently features Balduran in its lyrics and also can be heard while long resting in the Elfsong Tavern.

Endings

Let the Emperor use the Netherstones

The Emperor, unless convinced otherwise, is mostly concerned with its own survival and prosperity. Should the player character allow it to wield the Netherstones, it follows through on destroying the Elder Brain, at the cost of letting it "assimilate" with Orpheus.

If the player character suggests that the Emperor take control of the Netherbrain, it mentions the thought of becoming the Absolute did cross its mind. But unless otherwise persuaded, it refuses, claiming that whoever becomes the leader of the Cult of the Absolute is automatically in an open war with the Githyanki, a war it is not certain that it can survive. The Emperor destroys the Netherbrain, and the parasites within its control in this ending.

The Emperor controls the Netherbrain

It is also possible, after suggesting it to take control of the Netherbrain, to persuade the Emperor to do so. However, in this scenario, it does not free the player character or the party, instead assuming total control of them and making them mindless thralls, continuing The Grand Design.

Orpheus is freed

If the player character frees Orpheus, the Emperor abandons the party, and sides with the Netherbrain for the sake of its own survival, as it believes Orpheus wants to kill it.

Attack the Emperor

The Emperor can be attacked and killed when it first reveals itself to be a mind flayer. This results in the influence of the Netherbrain taking over control of the party, ending the game.

List of interactions

See Dream Guardian to read about its previous conversations with the player character when it was in disguise.

There are a limited number of opportunities to interact with the Emperor, and as such, opportunities for conversation or romantically-styled interactions are much more limited compared to the other primary romancable characters.

Conversation scenes are available, but only occur during Act 3, after its "true" identity is revealed to the player character, and all scenes require a long rest to trigger. The Emperor will also occasionally talk to the player character as they walk through different locations in Baldur's Gate.

Conversation scenes

Known conversation opportunities with the Emperor currently include the following cases, but each scene appears to have multiple outcomes which affect the tone of all subsequent conversations.

Depending on the player character's choices, the Emperor's behaviour has many possible states. The more the player treats the Emperor like a "person", the more it acts as such (compared to other illithids). Conversely, the more the player character treats The Emperor like a monstrosity with hostile intent, the more it responds with threatening language and visions of it acting like a hostile illithid.

Identity revealed

During Help Your Protector at the start of Act 3, a conversation is automatically triggered when the player character ventures far enough into the Astral Plane. A combat encounter in some form is inevitable from this conversation, and then another set of conversation options are available after the combat resolves. The Emperor has nothing further to say when this conversation ends, even if the player character tries to interact with it further.

Regarding Duke Stelmane

When the player character first explores the Rivington area, being in proximity to certain characters or objects results in the party being "informed" about the recent death of Duke Belynne Stelmane. This triggers a line of ambient commentary from The Emperor. The next time a Long Rest is triggered, the player character may trigger a scene discussing The Emperor's reactions in more depth. However, certain dialogue choices made during earlier conversations seem to disqualify the player from this scene; if the player character does not long rest before completing the quest Visit the Emperor's Old Hideout, this scene will be skipped entirely.

On conclusion of Visit the Emperor's Old Hideout

This scene may be available to trigger (by long resting) after the player character completes the quest Visit the Emperor's Old Hideout.

Possible states for this scene appear to vary heavily depending on the player character's choices in prior conversation scenes, with the general differentiating factor being the "attitude" the player appears to express towards illithids, and towards the Emperor, through their selected options in these prior scenes.

If the player character tried to kill the Emperor in Act One, by choosing the dialogue option "You do a great impression of a human. But you're not fooling me.", the Emperor offers to share memories through a vision. This vision shows Stelmane paralysed in pain, being brainwashed, and turning into the Emperor's puppet. Her face emotionless, and the Emperor puppeteering her gestures to get a sense of company. Such was its true relationship with Duke Stelmane.

The Emperor uses this memory to frighten the player character. It gives them orders, and threatens to make them half-illithid if they refuse.

Romance

“	Everything you ever dreamt of and more. The single greatest experience of your life.	„
	— Narrator, on the player character's night of romancing the Emperor.

The Dream Guardian being hugged by the player character during a dream sequence cut-scene.

The Emperor, in its Dream Guardian form, and the player character, sharing a kiss.

The player character and the Emperor share a "kiss".

The Emperor's attitude in conversation changes in ways which appear to be reactively appropriate to the way it is treated. If the player character chooses to reject its advances, for example, by selecting the option "Absolutely not, you freak!" at any opportunity, the Emperor's treatment of the player character takes a much more hostile tone in all future interactions.

If the party visit Crèche Y'llek prior to the start of Act Two, trying to kill the Dream Guardian subsequently locks the player character out of romancing the Emperor, and from interacting with it in general.

Choosing a Romance path

In terms of game mechanics, it is possible to romance the Emperor. However, doing so manifests somewhat differently from that with companions. Development towards this particular romance is more muted and subtle, as the Emperor generally cannot be interacted with outside of cutscenes, and actual romance progression is limited to Act Three of the game.

There are several possible ways to interact with the Emperor in the available conversation scenes. Thus far, game play has shown that the primary way to unlock "romantic" options with the Emperor is by choosing dialogue lines which generally treat it more like "any other person", empathize with its feelings (such as they are), and do not show hostility towards its actions, or its illithid characteristics.

It is not necessary to accept the powers of the Astral-Touched Tadpole to unlock these "romantic" options. However, the Emperor does seem to take offence to destroying the tadpole.

The scene which occurs after completing  Visit the Emperor's Old Hideout is generally regarded as the "primary" romantic scene. As long as the player character is receptive to the Emperor's advances, conclusions to this scene allow the player character to engage in more intimate activities with it. In doing so, the Emperor offers the player character intimacy in its (native) illithid or Dream Guardian form, stating, "I can make this easier for you if you like. My other form might be more familiar for you to navigate." Choosing its native form results in the narrator relaying an arguably closer relationship with the Emperor afterwards, though this is a somewhat subjective experience and either choice brings the player character to a "romanced" relationship with it.

Conversation options which acknowledge this romance (after the primary scene has concluded) appear to exist in a limited number of places. For example, it is possible to tell Raphael "I don't want any part of this — the Emperor is my lover." during a specific conversation, if initiated after the romance scene has happened.

Engaging in the primary scene has no effect on other ongoing romances, even when romancing Lae'zel, who is generally quite hostile to illithids.

Early Access Version

The Emperor's existence confirms the Dream Guardian as being an illithid influence, albeit in a different way.

In Early Access, the Dream Guardian (known then as Dream Visitor) was implied to be a mental manifestation of the player character's tadpole, or even the Absolute itself, as it eased them towards using their powers more, as well as showing them a future of domination and control. During this time the player character also felt urges of violence towards the Dream Visitor which are slightly reminiscent of the Dark Urge's unique interactions in the final game.

In the Full Release, the Emperor plays a similar role, in the sense that it also encourages the player to expand their potential through using the tadpole's power, but is much less aggressive. In addition, its interests seem to be aligned against the Absolute.

Related Literature

• Crumbling File
• Dear Ansur
• Evading the Elder Brain
• Journal
• Missive from the Emperor
• Old notes
• The Astral Prism Heist

Combat

Main article: The Emperor/Combat

Achievements

Mind Blown

Romance the Emperor.

Gallery

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  The Emperor's model

• 

  Concept Art

• 

  They called me The Emperor

• 

  The Emperor feeding on criminals

• 

  Character portrait by Edward Vanderghote

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  Render by Nikolai Chugunov

Notes

• The Emperor has multiple pieces from the Baldur's Gate 3 Original Soundtrack associated with itself. They all share a common leitmotif and play during scenes & scenarios in which it is relevant or present.
  • The Emperor's Theme plays when his identity is revealed during the Act Two finale.
  • The Emperor's Theme (cello version) plays during the Emperor's romance scene.
  • The Song of Balduran, as part of the official Baldur's Gate 3 Original Soundtrack by Borislav Slavov. The song itself tells the tale of how Balduran transformed into the Emperor.
  • The Song of Balduran (ghostly version), which is the in-game version of the Song of Balduran that plays at the Elfsong Tavern's camp.
  • The Hymn of Balduran, an orchestrated version of the soundtrack that plays when the Emperor is revealed to be Balduran by Ansur, prior to Patch 7.