#anyways in my dream where you give wyll the chance to decide for himself

[bhaalble]

Sorry I keep posting about this but I really can't get over how there was a missed opportunity in not giving Gortash and Wyll more of an interpersonal relationship. We know Ulder didn't have a very high opinion of him but I do think depending on how Gortash was playing his cards his ideas might've held some initial intrigue for a younger version of Wyll Ravengard. Gortash has a tendency to position himself as a man of the people, reinvested in the safety of every day Baldurians. There's a way where he could even posture himself as an alternative to the Flaming Fist and their (mostly deserved) reputation for only protecting the patriars. I think at a glance that idea would catch Wyll's interest, considering his start as the Blade of Frontiers was largely about protecting those who no one else bothered to protect.

There's also Gortash's status as an outsider, something that I think would directly connect him to Ulder in Wyll's mind. Two men born outside the nobility, who unlike most of the politicians they work alongside had to work for every drop of status they got. Wyll left Baldur's Gate before Gortash's political career took off properly and he was allowed to be a little more open about his explicitly fascist politics. I think giving him some lingering fondness/reflexive defensiveness of Gortash could've made for some extremely interesting Act 2 and 3 conflict with him and Karlach. I don't think he'd be extremely defensive about it to her face, he'd be of course horrified what was done to her. But imagine him privately confiding in the player that he knows how easy it is to get in over one's head with devils. Is it not just as possible that he made a deal, like Wyll, with the best of intentions and, like Wyll, that deal had devastating consequences? It may be too early yet to cast judgement when he's not around to defend himself.

And then. You know. You find his dad under Moonrise and it becomes pretty clear.

I think it could really be another avenue through which to examine Wyll's personal connection to the city, especially the city's nobility. By Act 3 he is of course fully with Karlach on the stomp this fucker train. But there's a new weight now to the interactions with Gortash where he's present. Gortash is at first full politician trying to win him over. Wyll, you know how difficult your father can be, I don't WANT to tadpole him but you've seen for yourself how easily he can tunnel vision on his views of right and wrong. Baldur's Gate faces unprecedented problems, is it so unlikely that we need unprecedented solutions? Depending on player choices I can even see him leveraging his history with devils (and escaping them) to offer Wyll some alternative means to get out of his contract. Perhaps even reverse or cover up what Mizora's done to him appearance wise. The chance to be welcomed back into Baldur's Gate as its pride and joy, fully human, with a father finally happy to embrace you and a city in desperate need of heroes. All you have to do is swallow down the fact that it'll be premised on a lie.

I think it'd be a good way to bring forward the conflict of Wyll's act one personal quest, both by reiterating the conflict between Wyll and Karlach. And also by doubling down on the question that quests introduce. What will win out: your fear of the devil and your desire to buy into your own image as slayer of dragons killer of demons (and the heartless)? Or your own innate goodness and desire to do the right thing, even at extremely high costs?