#pro-omeluum

[chaoticsoulsword]

[bg3 heavy spoilers]

Of all the gaslight/gatekeep/girlboss characters in this franchise, the very one that irritates me the most is The Emperor/Balduran. Not because he manipulates you (everyone kinda does in this game, whatever), but because of the way he does it.

He needs the player to trust him? Okay, I could forgive him for appearing in my dreams as my idealistic knight in shining armor (as he puts it himself!!), but he KNEW what he was doing when he chose to wear the greek tunic. HE KNEW!

He was really trying to seduce the player and use it in his favor to manipulate them more easily. He keeps pressuring the player to use the tadpoles and become stronger in order to defeat the Absolute, but he legit keeps the most important part: he wants YOU to become a mind flayer, a fact he only reveals waaaay later. Consent anyone?

And then? He keeps pushing the mind flayer agenda into you, and only reveals stuff about his past when the player finds out. When confronted about keeping you in the dark, he simply says "it's not relevant to our alliance". IDK, man, you killed your best friend who also turned out to be a dragon and the most important defender of Baldur's Gate. Maybe you should have told me that before going through all the trials??? So I wouldn't waste precious time?? Plus I wouldn't have to fight a very angry dragon because of YOUR mistakes?????

At some point, he even flirts with you, and since mind flayers are incapable of having feelings, what was he trying to accomplish if not emotionally manipulating the player even further?

Oh, but it doesn't stop there. He legit keeps Orpheus in the astral plane and gets angry if you suggest to do things differently, even when the very githyanki are fighting nail and tooth to free him despite all their Vlaakith drama.

But the last drop? The last drop??? It's when he tells ME that the fault of failing to defeat the Elderbrain is MINE because I'm WEAK lmao. And then, when the player finally decides to follow their instincts and free Orpheus, he gets SO BITTER that he will get IN YOUR WAY when you're just SO CLOSE to the Netherbrain, even when Orpheus is right at my side, proving him wrong.

The fact is he's just a patronizing, arrogant sob who can't admit he's wrong. And it pisses me off so much the way he needs to be the chosen one because "oh, I'm so special and evolved yaddayaddayadda".

You know which mind flayer I met and trusted him day 1? Omeluum. Omeluum is cool af and never lied to me. He apologized for making my tadpole stronger. He tells the player to leave him to die during the prison break (and I went through all the trouble to save him anyways because I do like him a lot). Omeluum is kind and humble. The Emperor could NEVER and I never felt more pleased when I killed him in the final act.

Rest in Raphael's arms, beatch. Won't be missed 0/10

[theeflowerofcarnage]

I think omeluum exists in the game to show players that there are good mindflayers but I kinda hate the “omeluum good so emperor bad” comparisons people have. It lacks nuance like? “Well Om tried to find an alternative to brains and tries to cure you meanwhile emps is pro MF powers AND enthralled stelmane” okay and? Om worked with a lich for years, still eats ppls brains in the same morally ambiguous way as emps. As far as I’m concerned they both believe we’re gonna become MF at some point the emperor is just much more practical about it

[avionvadion]

We've angered enough gods, lol. I think there's only... one that's on our side right now??? Anyways, MILD GALE and MASSIVE GONDIAN/IRONHAND GNOMES SPOILERS BELOW.

Welcome to the anxiety club!

PFFFT. Mood.

Astarion, you literally gave up the chance to be a Vampire Ascended. What are you talking about???

OH SHIT GORTASH. HEY. HI. SORRY I MISSED YOUR ORDINATION CEREMONY. MY BADS. HONESTLY HAD NO IDEA WHERE IT WAS TAKING PLACE BECAUSE OF HOW SIDETRACKED AND DISTRACTED I GOT. HOW'S IT GOING??? WASN'T EXPECTING TO SEE YOU HERE.

Alskjfldkjfldkjfldk, I was so tempted to go with number three. I love that it's even an option. You can see Astra contemplating the pros and cons of telling him to "f" off.

OMELUUM!??? BUDDY!??? YOU'RE HERE!??? WHY ARE YOU HERE!???

So many surprise encounters and I'm just trying to finish my massive list of sidequests.

Anyways, long story short I freed all but one of the hostages- that one was killed on his way running out by the enemies. Astra and Wyll were also... blown up, because Astra died and Wyll wouldn't have made it out. Omeluum got Karlach out just in time. Astarion was the first to reach the ladder.

All the baddies decided they were gonna gang up on my girl. T_T It was very rude of them. Poor Karlach had to do all the lockpicking. I had to keep reloading so she could roll natural twenties because she needed a 25. RIP. I probably could have restarted and sent Astarion that way instead, but, well, it's fine.

Everything's fine.

Poor Astarion. I find it absolutely hilarious that the game put him in charge since Astra was out of commission. Just, oh, what's that? Your wife died? Your turn to hold the braincell, then!

Imagine him getting up to the submarine and waiting for everyone to hurry up, and Karlach and Omeluum appearing- but Astra and Wyll are nowhere to be seen, and Karlach is like, "I tried to help her, but the bastards shot her back down! Before I could try to carry her and Wyll, squiddie over here teleported me."

Omeluum: "A thank you for saving your life would have sufficed..."

And the prison is already exploding so Astarion has no choice but to maneuver the submarine to safety.

WITHERS, PLEASE, MAN IS TRYING TO REVIVE HIS WIFE. BESIDES, HE'S MOST LIKELY GREY-ACE, ANYWAY. LEAVE HIM ALONE.

Astarion did not wake up this morning thinking he was going to have to revive Astra and Wyll.

I've.... never actually had to revive a character yet. I've always been able to "help" them back up, so Withers and the twenty Revivify Scrolls I have were just... chilling all seventy hours of my playthrough so far. Huh.

ONWARDS TO THE FACTORY.

BADA BOOM, BABY!!!!

Gods, I can't stand this asshole. Genuinely regret saving him.

YOU TELL HIM!!!! GO OFF, KINGS!!!

I am... so proud of Barcus right now, oh my gods. This is so satisfying. Finally he's breaking things off with that toxic genocidal asshat. I knew it was too much to expect an apology from Wulbren, but for Barcus to call him out on his bullshit and dump his sorry ass??? PERFECTION. I love this gnome so much. He does his best.

DON'T YOU FREAKING DARE LAY A HAND ON MY BOY BARCUS WROOT. I WILL FIREBALL AND MAGIC MISSILE YOUR FACE IN, WULBREN. KARLACH WILL CLEAVE HER AXE THROUGH YOUR SKULL.

HA!

BARCUS, MY BOY!!!!!!!!! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU RIGHT NOW!!!!!

[gotmolokoplus]

Mindflayer Karlach: I don’t know how to feel. I think her Avernus-with-Wyll ending is better for her, ultimately, but am so comforted by how at peace she is. And yet still very Karlach.

She and Omeluum make me hate the Emperor even more than I already do. Especially because I freed Orpheus with a full on mindflayer right next to me and he essentially couldn’t wait to team up. The stupid Emperor did not need to throw a tantrum and decide he’d like to join the Elder Brain after all since he couldn’t eat an innocent person’s brain. What a douchebag.

I keep trying to do a pro-Emperor ending but even when I’m nice to him he’s such a manipulative gaslighter it’s nearly impossible for me to justify siding with him. Just when I think I’ve convinced myself there’s always some new detail around the corner making him just The Worst again. Mindflayers with free will don’t have to be dicks, that’s just who you are I guess, Balduran.

[haresvoid]

Also if you think about it Omeluum really is just a more chill mind flayer anarchist. Pro freedom, anti government. Making rings that allow people to hide from the feds colonies, making anti-braingovernment books, telling others to fight the power. I'm sure it would throw a molotov fireball at an Elder Brain if the opportunity presented itself

[karlachllover]

amanita companion profile

yes i made a profile for my tav as if she were a companion. the brainrot (hah) is severe. she is a half wood elf circle of spores druid. it is long i love her. anyway more people should do this its fun :)

backstory

became very ill as a child, her parents took her to many local healers and found one wise woman that was able to cure the illness but only when amanita was living with her. she was raised by the wise woman with occasional contact with her parents until some point in her teens. she discovered the wise woman was actually the source of her illness and things got Worse. eventually she fled and found a druidic circle to take her in. they stabilised her illness with regular medicine & magic. girl's got fungus in her blood. she now believes the woman was a hag and has a sworn hatred of them all for the violation.

values:

generally pro-nature, anti-hag, anti-dangerous bargains, pro helping others get out of said bargains, often has contradictory opinions on the undead (her 'natural' undead mushroom zombies vs balthazar's 'unnatural' flesh golem & ghouls). a big thing for her is being considered an equal to her friends, so she would disapprove of astarion's ascension & gale's attempt at godhood bc she feels like they leave her behind. she would also leave ur party with wyll and karlach if you side with the goblins in act 1.

opinion on the tadpoles: absolutely hates that someone else has put something in her body without her permission and that she cannot remove. seething with anger at the violation. is relieved the tadpole has prevented her infection from taking hold without her medicine but truly hates the loss of control she feels because of it

approves:

defeating auntie ethel | saving anabella | being supportive of alfira | telling the bluejay his nest looks good | positive scratch + owlbear interactions | saving halsin | freeing the grymforge gnomes | bringing spaw nere's head | drinking omeluum's potion | talking to the ancient rothe | placing flowers on that dog's grave in the underdark | exposing BOOOAL as a fake god | killing balthazar (bonus if its before finding the nightsong!) | freeing the pixie | drinking jaheira's wine after discovering what's in it | defending astarion's choice to araj | releasing wyll from his contract | helping mayrina in act 3 | asking for a poly relationship with halsin (druids4druids) | helping the strange ox | freeing Us the second time you meet it | positive interaction with the spore guy at the society of brilliance | saving omeluum

disapproves:

stealing the idol of silvanus | killing the owlbear mother | making any deal with auntie ethel | any negative interaction with the myconids (except glut) | stealing from temples | accepting any deal with raphael | pushing gale towards godhood | pushing astarion towards ascension | telling wyll to sell his soul to mizora | encouraging shadowheart to kill nightsong | selling nightsong out to lorroakan | absorbing more tadpoles | trusting the emperor too much

special dialogue locations

when the illusion is broken in the bog | after defeating ethel (no bargain struck) | upon first encountering the myconids | just before leaving the underdark via elevator | after meeting both halsin and jaheira (druids4ever) | after killing balthazar but before finding the nightsong | upon talking to the spores guy at the society of brilliance lodge

recruitment:

amanita can be found in the blighted village, having set out to find halsin after visiting the grove before your party. she is trying to convince some goblins to let her past. if you don't pick her up here (and don't destroy the grove), she can be found in the underdark, distracted by rare mushrooms.

companion quest: mushrooms on the brain (this stuff is hazy but is how i imagine her narrative arc :))

feels the call of some unknown rot/decay deity but tries to balance it with silvanus' teachings. her internal battle is decay for its own sake vs decay in order to create life & wielding power over the circle of life vs submitting to it.

the crux is the decision to eat the heart of the hag that infected her or not; unlike most companions, she needs to be actively persuaded to take this darker path. left to decide by herself, she will not eat the heart. if persuaded to eat the heart, she will express regret at the last minute before the transformation happens, but will be unable to stop it.