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vaelastormreaver · 15 days ago

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Masterpost of cut content, changes, and etc for early game builds of Halsin

I have found a lot of cut things relating to Halsin, some from developer interviews, a lot from the datamine, and some from other sources. I decided to compile those here.

Some disclaimers and clarifications first:

I use the term "early build(s)" to distinguish it from both release and from the Early Access test period. If you don't remember something here, it's because it was removed without ever being implemented in Early Access.

I do not have the energy to link or upload the datamined files, etc, so instead I will state where I found them and you are free to look if you want to.

This list is not exhaustive. There are likely even more things that we will never know about.

The game underwent many, many rewrites; some characters existed in ways you would not recognize today, before being rewritten.

I am not including things that were changed after release, IE the unfinished Halsin vs Minthara ultimatum that started to be worked on from patches 4-6 but was never implemented.

With that said, let's jump in! I will try to organize these roughly in order of how early the game build was, but it's not always possible to know how far back a given change was, so it won't be precise.

If I missed any, please feel free to let me know!

Halsin wasn't always the only Archdruid at the Emerald Grove; there was once a second Archdruid, Denor, who worshipped Eldath. She and Halsin had a fight because she was worried about the Shadow-Cursed Lands, and she went off to investigate a lead and got captured, presumably leading Halsin to try and go save her. Likely to simplify that plot, they instead made the Grove solely consist of Druids of Silvanus, and Halsin and Denor's plots were combined into just Halsin. (This was recovered from datamined files.)

Halsin used to be an elderly man; this has been confirmed by both Kevin (writer of Lae'zel and Wyll) and John (Halsin's writer). Halsin's pipe is an artifact from this time, which they never removed. This caused a lot of confusion for the writers when Halsin got de-aged to what we know today, causing a lot of fans in Early Access to thirst for him, as the last the writers had seen, he was, well, an old man. There were streams at this time with writers explaining they had been baffled at first until they saw Halsin's then-new model.

Listening to old voice files from back when each Tav narrated their own story, Halsin originally had two bear companions, a male and a female, who were mates. It was possible to cause both Halsin and one of the bears to die at the goblin camp, leaving the other bear heartbroken at losing both their mate and their master.

Halsin had a friend, the cut Origin character Helia, and they would have been imprisoned together. (This was recovered from datamined files.) Helia had two recruitment locations, one in the forest and one in the worg pens, and in fact there is still text in the post-release file for the worg pen scene mentioning it could be her or Halsin there. Her recruitment dialogue mentioned that goblins had taken Halsin away (more on that below) and it seems (though not confirmed, but just putting pieces together) that which location Helia was recruited from would influence where you found Halsin; if you found her in the forest, he'd be in the goblin cage, but if you missed Helia there and found her in the pens, he'd be taken to Moonrise. Leading to...

It was possible for Halsin to be imprisoned in Moonrise. There was an audio file recovered where Minthara would mention the Druid the player was looking for was there and she could get them an audience with him, and there are multiple tags referring to Halsin being imprisoned in a pod (such as a dialogue option to leave him in his pod), as well as an eventflag suggesting Halsin could have been tadpoled. More specifically, there was a flag set for saving Halsin before he was tadpoled, which by implication also strongly hints he could have been tadpoled there. There was also a cut dialogue line from an unknown character (possibly, but not certainly, Helia or a Druid) saying, "Halsin! What did they do to you???" which also hints at this. Another line said, "easy, Halsin. We're all friends here," and was removed at the same time that all references to this outcome were, suggesting it was part of that same path. (Possibly tadpoled Halsin would have been disoriented and aggressive, causing the player to need to reassure him they're friendly, though that is sheer speculation on my part.)

As shown in the concept art book, Halsin's scar used to, in fact, be from a battle, instead of being attacked for rejecting a she-bear's advances.

As is very well-known by now, Halsin was responsible for Isobel's death. Rather than being promoted to Archdruid after the battle, he was always in charge, and represented the Druids and Harpers in a negotiation attempt with Ketheric. Instead, some unknown force (believed to be Shar) caused Isobel and other combatants to go temporarily insane and attack each other. She attacked Halsin, and he immediately reacted in self-defense, stabbing her with the glaive Sorrow. He believed it became cursed as a result, because holding it filled him with such sadness, and anyone who used it would take psychic damage as well. Essentially, his trauma and regret from killing her was so great that it gained a physical form in the blade. Further, that was the main reason for his guilt regarding the Shadow-Cursed Lands, leading to...

Halsin's friendship with Thaniel was a later addition. Before, Halsin only mentioned having seen him briefly in his meditations; he wanted to save Thaniel because it would break the curse over the land, not because it was Thaniel himself.

Halsin's mission in act 2 was much bigger, and was trimmed significantly as a result- being far too big for an optional sidequest for a non-Origin character. Instead of waking Art Cullagh to get information on the Shadowfell, you fought the three Thorms to get a bone from each of them, which you would then bring to Isobel, who would grind them up for use in a ritual. Then you would defend Halsin while he tried to open the portal (more on the portal below), instead of defending him while he was inside it. You were then instructed to go to the Shar temple to wait for him, after which the quest would presumably end with Halsin, overjoyed and grateful beyond words for your help, bringing Thaniel to recover in Last Light and promising light would return to the lands soon.

During this quest, Halsin would also give you a dagger called Promise, which would help him find you from the Shadowfell. He also mentioned that a sign of his spirit would manifest itself in the Shar temple when the player had found the right place. That's where the "you are the beacon that will guide me home" line likely originated from.

The portal quest was different, as noted above. Most notably, there are still files in-game for a scenario where, despite being warned repeatedly not to touch the portal, you could wait for him to open it and then attempt to enter, causing it to collapse. Horrified and heartbroken, Halsin would yell at you, and you could give an explanation ranging from "sorry I panicked" to "I worship Shar and didn't want you to succeed, hahaha dumbass." Halsin, heartbroken, would leave to be alone to grieve, and then would leave you forever.

Oliver was likely not a part of this quest originally; he, along with Art's story, were added when the quest got trimmed down from what it had been, but still needed some little quest progressions, so they tweaked the story to give it some meat back without making it such a daunting quest as it was before.

There was once going to be a scene of Halsin and Jaheira having a very heated argument during act 2. What it was about, and how it would have ended, has never been discovered; the only thing we know is the title of the file from an early datamine. It is possible it could have been about Jaheira learning about Halsin's responsibility for Isobel's death, as she is shown in canon to be protective of Isobel, or it could be about their different priorities over whether the cult or the curse should be a priority.

Worth noting here are various changes to characterization (rather than noting every single one individually). Halsin was more openly emotional (particularly after you saved Thaniel), often sassier, and his abilities as a healer were emphasized more strongly back then. He teased you about if the tadpole would share your hangover the day after the party, he would dryly say he can't cut your tadpole out or he'd be removing it from a corpse, etc. It is also possible, though has never been confirmed, that we might have been intended to learn his last name of Silverbough at some point, as John has mentioned an earlier character outline having said that as his last name, in reference to Celtic mythology.

Halsin had voice lines referencing Orpheus; you could mention him to Halsin, and he would mention he wanted to meet anyone who knew about these tadpoles.

Halsin's sex scene with him wildshaping into a bear seems to have once been intended for a different scene where the wildshaping occurred offscreen and was also played for laughs; this was pitched by Baudelaire Welch, and then John Corcoran turned it into a part of the main romance. What that original pitch was, what the context would have been, etc, are not known. Just that the wildshaping was originally an offscreen gag in another scene. (Possibly Sharess' Caress?)

There were going to be scenes, near the end of the game, where the elder brain would torment the group with hallucinations of themselves that would pick at their weaknesses, fears and insecurities; these files still exist in rough draft form in the game. Halsin's particular hallucination would have hinted at his struggles with feelings of meaningless, and his wondering whether he should just give up, etc.

There is also a voice line that still exists for characters who were in your party, but left either due to plot events or their approval dropping, being captured by the Absolute and showing up to fight against you in the courtyard battle. Halsin was included here as well, being an enemy who would yell "For the Absolute!" at the start of his turns.

It is possible, though not certain, that the writers intended for you to be able to bring Halsin back to act 1; he and Minthara both have voice lines for the creche. However, it is possible that this was just added to cover the exploit where casting silence on either of them would leave them unable to initiate their scene where they refuse to return with you.

I hesitate to include this one, as I have yet to find anything even remotely concrete (the closest things being an ambiguous tag and the circumstantial evidence of there being many hanging plot threads), but it is widely believed that there was supposed to be a continuation of the Shadow Druids plot which would center around Halsin, based on Halsin's uncertainty in act 3 of whether they might actually be right, a tag referencing Kagha's act 1 turn from the Shadow Druids if this happened, a line from the Shadow Druids mentioning they were going to Baldur's Gate, and the reveal that Ketheric had the Shadow Druids sent to the Grove to weaken the Drudis there as he knew from experience what a threat they could be.

Hope you enjoyed that deep dive! I don't THINK I forgot anything, but on the off chance I did, do feel free to let me know and I will update this post!

#halsin #halsin silverbough #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #early access

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vaelastormreaver · 1 month ago

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Not A City Bear

Halsin has some anxieties about being surrounded by so much stone, cold and unfeeling. Luckily, the easiest way to get back to nature can be found in your arms.

i didn't do a word count for this one, and if there's any typos i'm sorry lol. tldr it's wednesday and i'm a recovering catholic. enjoy some heretical and blasphemous smut, i guess? and an excuse to use some of my favourite words.

NSFW Below

Halsin x Tav (female reader)

The city gnaws at him.

It’s in the way Halsin hesitates on the threshold, broad shoulders brushing the doorframe as he ducks through it, face drawn tight as if the cobblestones outside have worn down his ease. His eyes, so often rich with the warmth of forest glades and soft birdsong, are sharp now, restless. You see it immediately-- the tension in his jaw, the subtle twitch of his fingers as he unclasps his cloak.

His face is clean and smooth, scrubbed of the evidence of the road and the long nights of travel. Gone is the dirt under his fingernails and the smell of earth and grass from his tunic, replaced by some soft fragrant perfume that smells foreign on the tall elf. Halsin's eyes scan your face, flitting back and forth between the walls and you, his jumpiness evident.

He doesn’t speak. He just comes to you.

Large hands find your waist before you can ask if he’s alright, and he buries his face in your neck, breath hot and uneven, staggered with the depth of his sudden anxiety. You feel him inhale deeply with a shudder, like he’s trying to breathe in everything you are. His cheeks rub gently against your skin, and the sigh that leaves him is heavy and relieved.

“The city is... too much,” he murmurs against your collarbone, voice roughened by strain. “Stone everywhere. No wind. No soil. I needed…” You can feel his hand against your back as he clutches at you, trying to find the words.

His lips brush your throat as he attempts to speak. Once. Then again. Slower.

“…you,” he finishes simply, weakly.

You thread your fingers through the strands of thick hair at the nape of his neck, grounding him the way only you can. “Then take what you need.”

That’s all it takes. Halsin lifts you as if you weigh nothing, lips finding yours with a hunger that’s quiet but immense-- like roots spreading beneath the surface he flows into you, the essence of him, masculine and heady. He doesn’t throw you to the bed. He lowers you to it with reverence, like you're something sacred, the very culmination of mother Earth and soul-- a being born of love and to love.

His hands are gentle, but they're not shy.

They know your curves, your textures, the sounds you make when he slides his palm up your thigh and brushes the edge of your underclothes. Halsin knows that your breath will come sharply when he presses you just there and when he kisses you just here. Every movement is unhurried, but no less demanding.

His touch coaxes, not commands.

His tongue explores, not delves.

Halsin peels you apart delicately under his calloused but gentle hands, folding you open for him with a touch that feels like worship, and when your thighs part, the sound that leaves him is a wordless catechesis.

“I feel more alive,” he whispers, mouth against your breast as he frees it with a grasping and clumsy paw, “when I’m inside you.”

And gods, he proves it.

His tongue is slow, teasing. His hands cradle your hips as if they’re delicate stems and blooming in the space where the meet, beautiful and rosy. When he pushes into you, it's like a prayer—long, aching strokes that make your back arch and your breath catch. Halsin buries himself fully, pressing his forehead to yours as he rocks into you with the the fervor of fresh spring.

The bed creaks softly, muffled by the thick walls and distant city din. Here, in this quiet room, you give him the wilderness he craves. The nature of beast and man. He pants your name into your mouth as he moves deeper, slower, hips grinding as if trying to become part of you.

“You’re my forest,” he groans, voice cracking like a rock slide. “My earth. My peace.”

You wrap your legs around him and pull him in, again and again, until the pressure mounts between you both like summer thunder. The sounds of skin on skin feel loud in the small room and you whimper under him, hips rocking in tandem with his to force him deeper. You tremble first, helpless under his touch, and he follows, moaning low in his throat, holding you as if the city will tear him apart if he lets go.

When it’s over, he stays inside you, still pulsing, still breathing your scent in like he might lose it the moment he leaves. One large hand cups your face, thumb brushing your cheekbone as if he's memorizing the shape of you.

“I can face the stone again tomorrow,” Halsin says, lips soft against your temple. “As long as I have this. You. A place to return to.”

And just like that, you anchor him, the druid, warrior, lover; he's tamed not by chains, but by the promise of your hands.

#halsin #halsin silverbough #bg3 #fanfic #baldur’s gate 3

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