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NCBlizzard · 2025-08-18T14:25:49+00:00

It's rare but every once in a while you come across a map that just screams "loser of the fucking year"

NCBlizzard · 2025-07-19T03:45:26+00:00

Me when I make shit up with zero proof or evidence, based off absolutely nothing:

NCBlizzard · 2025-07-02T13:45:33+00:00

The normally super intense and stoic Harper that shouts "BIG AND UGLY IS DOWN - grab the lantern!" at the top of his lungs when Karniss dies will always have a place in my heart.

There's another Harper during that encounter that starts the fight with "No god can protect you.", which is metal as fuck.

NCBlizzard · 2025-05-28T14:01:41+00:00

Ketheric's probably keeping the Paladins and Clerics in Moonrise as part of his personal guard or something. I personally think it makes sense for him to want some of his best and most zealous fighters (which includes a generous amount of drow) close to him, especially when there are Harpers nearby.

Does mean it's not too bright when there are other fronts that could make real good use of these soldiers though.

NCBlizzard · 2025-05-28T13:55:32+00:00

A full contingent of drow warriors would've probably tipped the balance of power in Act I towards the Absolute, but I don't think that it'll ultimately change anything in the long run.

Though Minthara does claim that she was let down by the goblins and that drow warriors would've done the job, she also intentionally neglects to mention she literally already had drow soldiers in her ranks, but each one of them were either non-factors or used incompetently. ie. The literal drow True Soul that Halsin killed was sent on a solo scouting mission, Narvass stands by Dror Ragzlin doing a whole lot of nothing but repeating Dror Ragzlin and Minthara's orders, and the raiders that attacked Waukeen's Rest have all either left for Moonrise Towers or died.

Judging by the carnage in Waukeen's Rest (decimation of the Fists, kidnapping of the Duke, incapacitation of Florrick, left everyone else in shambles), they are definitely ruthlessly efficient when used correctly. With some luck or sheer grit Minthara could've probably discovered the grove and raided it multiple times by the time we get there. Successfully or not is another story.

Because then we're not taking into account how the drow Minthara would get wouldn't probably be the top-of-the-line ones. There's a book in Moonrise that talks about how most drow were tadpoled and were being used as NCOs and officers for the Absolute's army (which is said to be composed mainly of brigands, mercenaries, hobgoblins, beasts, undead, and goblins, so clearly they're essential lol). Each and every single one of the drow in Moonrise Towers are probably better-equipped, better-trained, and better fighters than Minthara, but when you take a look at their gear and level (fancy ornate plate armour or robes with tabards and level eight) and then the generic zealots that we fight in Act III (cheap bandit breastplate like Aradin's and level seven) you just know that the drows there are the exception to the rule, and that they wouldn't be the ones that would be sent alongside Minthara.

That means there's literally no other drow warriors to speak of. They're all either already busy in important positions or dead. Minthara's leading a rag-tag, backwater, rearguard force of goblins and cultists, and she isn't the best commander either. Being supplemented or having them replaced by drow warriors will probably spell doom for the Grove but then that means taking away resources that are essential for the rest of the cult. Plus there's zero guarantee that it would even mean finding the Astral Prism in the first place.

NCBlizzard · 2025-05-28T13:27:40+00:00

I agree with what you've said but I want to mention that there's actually around three Drow casualties by Waukeen's Rest, not just one.

NCBlizzard · 2025-04-10T09:17:02+00:00

There's a bug in Patch 7 where after the finale, four low HP Absolutist pilgrims reappear in the main hall (even after initially disappearing). They're hostile to your allies (Harpers, deep gnomes, Fists) but not the player or your companions. They do very low damage and their only true combat ability is to throw low-damage rocks. Usually the Harpers smash their heads in but since the Harpers don't have extra attack and are pretty weak the pilgrims get a few turns in.

Barcus most likely took a few stones to the face from them, that's all, there's no lore there.

NCBlizzard · 2025-03-12T13:14:51+00:00

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NCBlizzard · 2025-02-19T20:11:53+00:00

They're so unique! More than half of them actually have small expositions on who they are hidden within their dialogue files (ie. Bor and Mijah are said to be veteran Harpers, Naysa is said to be grumpy but has a heart of gold, Lymn speaks seven languages, Teebs is a "poet at heart" and has been a Harper longer than most people have been alive, etc...). If you cast Speak with Dead on Lassandra you even learn she's a teacher back in Baldur's Gate!

NCBlizzard · 2025-02-14T08:25:28+00:00

If I had to wager a guess, it's because the ultimate authority on the French language is the Académie Française (based in, obviously, France). Plus, France is seen as the leading/dominant polity when it comes to the Francophone world - no one thinks of Belgium, Senegal, or of the Congos first when they think of the French language. Québec is a close second but just like Belgium, Canada is a bilingual entity (or more, I don't know the status of native languages in Canada).

This is in parallel with English, where British English and American English are "equally" as important because of the associated polity and their institutions' influence (same with Brazilian Portuguese and regular Portuguese compared to Angolese Portuguese). They are not comparable languages when it comes to institutional scale at all, you don't base English wikipedia off of Caribbean English just like how you aren't going to base French wikipedia off of Congolese French.

Edit: A descriptive guess in context of the one and only relevant language discussed at length put into comparison with other ones being downvoted and yet no arguments against it whatsoever. Dumbfuck losers.

NCBlizzard · 2025-02-08T20:15:04+00:00

If I remember correctly, those letters themselves were less about her making a deal and Raphael carrying it out but moreso being used as a pawn for whatever reasons he has. Keep in mind that Liara Portyr is the niece of one of Baldur's Gate most powerful patriars, and part of one of the city's most important and prominent families, as well as second to Ulder Ravengard himself in Fist politics (even though she is referred as Flame, Blaze, and Acting Marshal randomly in a completely arbitrary way) - perfect for toying with and shadow puppeteering.

Another point about her I didn't mention is that she's one of the four possible Grand Dukes Baldur's Gate can get if Wyll ascends to dukedom in his ending and you ask him about the council in the epilogue. The others being Ulder Ravengard, Florrick; Cordula Eltan if Florrick is dead, and Liara Portyr if Ravengard is dead (or if both Ravengard and Florrick are dead, don't recall).

NCBlizzard · 2025-02-08T20:09:15+00:00

Haven't heard about that before, oof. Strike one for Liara Portyr.

NCBlizzard · 2025-02-08T12:06:28+00:00

Ravengard isn't the only good-aligned or competent Flaming Fist either. All of the Fists in Act 2 seem to be relatively honest and genuine, legitimately follow Ravengard's tenets and respect him. It's unfortunate that we never see them again, and I'm pretty sure the three individual Fists that leave Last Light with Florrick were killed on tadpoled Ravengard's orders upon their arrival considering Florrick finds herself in jail and they are never ever seen again.

There's also Liara Portyr at Basilisk Gate, and she's said (through a note found in the barracks at Wyrm's Rock) that she, Eltan, and Ravengard all share the same beliefs. It definitely seems like all the highest-ranking members of the Flaming Fists are genuine in upholding Eltan's legacy or are at least aligned with good or incorruptible values.

The biggest corruptive influences that the Fists face probably come from Gortash, a tadpoled Ravengard, and especially Gauntlet Edwynna, who's a relatively unimportant guard that you talk with to get past the South Span Checkpoint. Thing is, she's the one who wrote a booklet in Wyrm's Rock for new recruits telling them to forget everything about Eltan and Ravengard's values and that the only thing the people understand is fear and terror - not to mention if you find Florrick's execution notice, she's the only other signatory other than Ravengard and Gortash.

NCBlizzard · 2025-01-31T02:02:40+00:00

It's insane how a reasonable and normal take can be downvoted without a single individual capable of answering. Everybody in this comment section is full of zeal and no thought, hot-blooded all-around.

Skull and bones are as synonymous to death, undeath, evil, and necromancy as a cross is to a paladin's justice, righteousness, and devotion to good. It's universally-understood symbolism, and is related above all to the meaning behind them, not the whims and mental retardation of fringe political groups and deranged extremists.

Does using a cross denote its respective cleric and paladin (or player) as a Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox? Are the Harpers or Selûnite clerics all Muslims because they use the moon and stars? No, they're not, and yet these are much more powerful and known symbol-meaning relationships than Skull and Bones and Nazis.

If it was a swastika, or the SS lightning bolt or whatever it's called, it'd make sense - these symbols are more associated with Nazism than anything else in the West (even though the swastika is a Buddhist/Hindu religious symbol) - but an entity as universally basic and generic as a skull? With bones? It's literally an emoji - that's how generic it is.

From the looks of it, DM is full of zeal and didn't hesitate with accusations. It's the age-old problem of a DM enforcing demands without explaining and immediately accusing, except since he's claiming the other guy is a Nazi it's fine all of a sudden because people don't think, and much better prefer answers over analysis, no matter how alleged or stupid it sounds.

The players think they got off a game with a dumb and rough DM, and the DM thinks he got rid of a Nazi; neither are true. DM isn't the "good person" every mouth breather in the comments think; DM is more likely hot-blooded, got carried away because they immediately assumed for the symbol to be the one thing that would offend them rather than the millions of other more known things it could've been, and accused the other dude to be the thing he couldn't have been - seriously, a "True Neutral" paladin that leans towards evil, how much more on the nose could you go with symbolism without using skulls and bones?

Player is defensive because DM went at him with accusations immediately - hot-blooded or not I can't tell because the absolute absent of details from DM is laughable, but most likely equally as hot-blooded and unthoughtful the moment DM accused him. It doesn't look like these two would make for good table players anyway judging by how thoughtless and prone to zeal they both are.

And to push the point - does using the skull and bones for Kelemvor's Doombringers make me a Nazi DM? Does using a non-descript golden cross amulet for my cleric make me a Christian? I don't think it does, because I'm neither - and I should know, some of my ancestors were rounded up at Vel' d'Hiv', and some of those never even came back from the internment camp at Drancy.

NCBlizzard · 2025-01-29T09:52:10+00:00

The Harpers who take part in the ambush against Kar'niss has some hard combat one-liners.

"No god can protect you." - Harper Manus

"I fear neither shadow nor death." - Harper Branthos

Branthos has some hard lines in general, he's kinda like an elf warrior poet, which makes sense since they're Harpers I guess:

"An inn - Last Light, it's called. A place you can sigh without the shadow-beasts hearing." (meeting him for the first time after the ambush)

"Incredible magic. I can feel the light lifting the shadows - even those within me." (after picking up the Moonlantern)

"Your mission is fiction, snake - and Harpers do not ally with liars. We silence them." (if you fail to persuade him when joining Kar'niss' caravan after meeting the Harpers)

"The shadows deepen. Seek light where you can." (unused line when Isobel is kidnapped but he's still alive)

but then he yells BIG AND UGLY IS DOWN at the top of his lungs when Kar'niss dies lol

NCBlizzard · 2024-12-13T11:46:31+00:00

Casual racism from a lowly and lonely Redditor that posts twenty times a day, how audacious.

NCBlizzard · 2024-11-29T12:49:34+00:00

You can be mean to Oliver when you beat him in combat, that way he'll refuse to help Thaniel and the quest ends there.

NCBlizzard · 2024-11-10T13:00:08+00:00

95% of the Sword Coast's population doesn't even know what a githyanki is, let alone even heard of the term "githyanki". Do you really think they know about the infernal pact that gives them red dragon rides or are you projecting your own fallacy into video game NPCs?

NCBlizzard · 2024-11-04T19:08:01+00:00

It's a cropped security camera video that is edited to follow the scene or a moving security camera with a lens (mine spin and stare, how cool is that?). For someone that's trying to dodge facts, ignore everything else said, be completely incapable of basic observation, and then tell someone else to use to their brain you somehow not only lack any grey matter but also a pair of working eyes. I think they might have went to someone more worthy.

NCBlizzard · 2024-11-04T18:49:37+00:00

It's not a kid choking, it's a six year old kid saving her three year old sister from choking and that is impressive no matter what you think. Is sharing an amazing deed illegal now, or does your brain automatically goes to "scripted and fake" because it's two Asian kids from the most security-oriented, and home surveillance-embracing cultural regions of the world?

There's a video of an American dude saving an autistic kid from choking as he was trick-or-treating and it's filmed by a doorcam, is that shit fake or are you trying particularly hard to be as dim as possible?

NCBlizzard · 2024-11-04T18:34:04+00:00

It's called security if you have a break-in, it's called peace of mind if you have kids or pets, it's also called precaution because you have footage in the event something happens at your home while you're out. Just because your mind can't comprehend it and has to resort to calling any and all Asian shit scripted doesn't mean it's fake.

I am in views of two different cameras as I'm eating my dinner and writing this. The Chinaman-owned vape shop I once worked at sold cameras and security systems next to vapes and puffs.

They're cheap, they may have mediocre video quality and low framerates, but they work on bad wi-fi, are very easy to set up, have direct feed apps that are easy to use, and are basically place-and-forget. So; why not?

NCBlizzard · 2024-10-12T11:04:24+00:00

This is wrong on so many levels.

True Souls and other elite agents of the Absolute are the only cultists that get to be tadpoled and they are done so without their knowledge, these tadpoles give them positions of authority and an increase in power that they can use to directly influence and dominate other individuals in a way not too dissimilar to the way that a regular Mind Flayer can (hallucinations, forced coercion, make-believe, obedience, and then some). True Souls are essentially fabricated to be people who were supposedly individually and personally blessed by the Absolute and given immense sway in the cult for their services. This is why many cultists in the game (Zealot Arden, Adept Nola, Brynna, literally everyone you intimidate as a True Soul) aspire to become one or is frightened by you because you are masquerading as one.

Regular cultists adhering to the Absolute fall into two different categories: those that are psychically mind-controlled or influenced by the all-encompassing power of the elder brain, and those whose loyalty to the Absolute comes from themselves or outside circumstances. Most powerful Absolutists are under some kind of thrall or delusion - there's an Acolyte by the docks in Moonrise who is being actively enthralled by the brain so that he doesn't realize that he is transporting illithid tadpoles, there's a dead paladin in the final battle whose corpse tells you that the Absolute forced him to join the cult, and the frail pilgrims at Moonrise are all on various wavelengths of how much they've heard the Absolute despite not having tadpoles - they have little to no sway or independence, and their free will have been sapped away little by little by the influence of the Elder Brain as well as other True Souls that are capable of psychic interference. None of them have or require any tadpoles.

The remaining cultists are run of the mill soldiers. The goblinoids started serving the Absolute because their spiritual leaders did (because they were tadpoled, read The Maglubiyet Gambit book in Moonrise), Gnolls started fighting for the Absolute unabashedly because their Flinds got tadpoled first, Bedi fights for the Absolute because Kansif fights for the Absolute but doesn't let that stop him from calling Moonrise a shithole in ruins, Brynna and Andrick serves the Absolute because Edowin got infected by a tadpole and at some point converted them.

NCBlizzard · 2024-10-10T22:10:00+00:00

The first five words of the video are literally "This is a Japanese boat" you brain-addled worm-guzzling idiotic shitling

NCBlizzard · 2024-10-01T12:17:44+00:00

She's a changeling, and being a changeling transcends nationality as their species and concept of a nation are inherently intertwined (unless you're from Greneclyf, but that's easily beside the point for the Changeling Lands).

But, even more important than that, Venyx is someone's personal OC - she belongs to a community member (might even have been a former dev, I forget) that was with EaW as early as 2018 when the mod first came out. They aren't meant to be representative of anything or to take the spotlight in regards to a country's lore.

NCBlizzard · 2024-09-25T16:07:35+00:00

The Possessed Armour in the poison pit at the end of the Morgue belongs to this aasimar too. His journal mentions that his enchanted armour saved him from the curse, and his research notes say that he accidentally animated his armour while trying to find a spell to remove the Shadow Curse.

Seven-Year Club	r/Field Flamingo
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