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Enver Gortash is one of the Chosen of the Dead Three, villains who are ubiquitous withBaldur’s Gate 3’sthird act. A slaver and arms dealer, Gortash manages to compete in villainy with the likes of a homicidal, siblicidal maniac, and a general who changes godly allegiances like jackets.
Perhaps this is because, of the three, Gortash is the most rooted in real-world evil, or perhaps it’s his connection to Karlach, the tiefling barbarian. Whatever the reason, Gortash is a politician who will do whatever it takes to maintain his seat of power, even if it means offering to share it. But who is this so-called (perhaps slightly exaggerated)“handsome younger man with a quick, easy smile?”
Gortash’s Origins
Born to cobblers Sally and Dravo Flymm in the Lower City, Gortash grew up from humble beginnings.
If one speaks with Sally and Dravo using the Speak With Dead spell, they will reveal that he was “always tinkering” and enjoyed creating even as a boy.
It could reasonably be inferred that his intelligence drew Raphael to the family in the guise of a warlock, utilizing their debt to the Guild toconvince them to sell their son to him.
With little resistance, they would do so, somewhat abusivelydescribing their child as a ‘foolish, needy boy’whose troublesome behavior was solved only by selling him to the cambion.
Upon usingSpeak With Dead,Dravo seems to justify his decision to sell Gortash, whereas Sally will balefully mutter “At least he got to live.”
What Raphael got out of having Gortash in the House of Hope is unclear, butit could be speculated that this was where Gortash would have observed and absorbed political deals, helping nurture his eventual foray into the politics of Baldur’s Gate.
The House Of Hope
Gortash’s childhood inRaphael’s House of Hopewas an extraordinarily unhappy one.
While the game doesn’t detail what Gortash may have done within the home,dialogue with Nubaldin(the former jailer and current keeper of the Chamber of Egress) reveals that he used to beat him when he cried, painting a bleak picture of his adolescence.
Undoubtedly miserable and resentful,Gortash was able to escape back to Baldur’s Gate.
Return To Baldur’s Gate
Upon returning to the city,Gortash started dealing in weapons and arms, attempting to supplant and dominate the existing black market. He finessed control over it fromthe Knights of the Shield and the Zhentarim, making himself their most powerful competitor and ally.
The Zhentarim are a mercantile organization that seeks to accumulate influence to further their chokehold on Faerûn’s black market.
In a letter called “Inroads,” which can be found in theKnights of the Shield’s Hideout, a guild member writes thatGortashhad a considerable amount of control over the Chionthar Valley’s arms, muscling in on whatever looked lucrative.
There’s some evidence thatGortash had infernal iron, conceivably from contacts within the Hells or his flight from it, as can be found in Franc Peartree’s home, who was his distributor. This access to infernal ironwould havemade him indispensable to the market.
Karlach And Gortash’s Relationship
Whatever the reason for his quick integration into the underground Baldurian economy, Gortash’s rising power meant that he was increasingly in need of someone to watch his back.
Gortash would hire a young tiefling woman,Karlach Cliffgate.By all accounts, they became friends and trusted one another.
This trust, it seems, was misplaced.Gortash offered Karlach to the Archdevil Zarielas part of a diabolical deal in much the same way that he was sold, kickstarting a deeply unhappy period in Karlach’s life.
While it was not explicitly stated what he received in full within the game, upon Gortash’s death, the player can cast Speak With Dead on his body and instead contactBane, The Lord of Tyranny,who will tell you to go to the docks to see the result of Zariel’s deal.
The result, it seems, isthe Steel Watch, contraptions that use the same infernal engines that Karlach houses in her chest.
‘Military Advisor’ To Lords
Gortash enmeshed himself with Baldur’s Gate’s elite sometime after Karlach’s sale, and, as Wyll can tell you during a long rest,fashioned himself into a ‘military advisor,‘likely using his knowledge of the black market and weapons to put himself at an advantage with the patriars.
This earned him a spot with said elite, giving him overt political acumen beyond his reputation in the Undercity.
The Chosen Of Bane
At an unspecified point,Gortash became the Chosen of Bane,the god of tyranny.
He used this newfound pact to accumulate more political power, both through seduction (engaging in an affair with a much older woman, Lady Jannath’s mother) and threats (such as to his distributor, Franc Peartree).
This section will havespoilers for The Dark Urge’s plotline!
He was led to the other two Chosen:Ketheric Thorm, residing inthe Shadow-Cursed Lands, and The Dark Urge. The three would conceive of a plan toenslave a Netherbrainto act as a false god.
Gortash himself led the charge to return to steal the Crown of Karsusfrom the archdevil Mephistopheles’ vault, returning to Avernus with the Dark Urge, a feat that would ultimately be successful.
The Dark Urge would be supplanted sometime after by Orin the Red, who Gortash found difficult to work with and highly erratic.
Gortash then orchestrated the construction of the Steel Watch, police-like automatons that used the same mechanics as Karlach’s infernal engine.
Demonstrating a fair amount of cunning, Gortash and Ketheric planned for the latterto march upon Baldur’s Gate with an army of the undead, which Gortash would defeat in a faux battle andpush to be chosen as Archduke of the cityfor his valor.
How to ensure the Steel Watch was created without a hitch? Imprison the families of the workers to ensure they keep working on his unethical technology, of course.
Gortash And The Dark Urge
It was during his time as military advisor that Gortash originally encountered the Bhaalist referred to as The Dark Urge, a playable origin character.
Through various notes scattered around the Mindflayer Colony and Act III,one can piece together that the two had a close relationship, with some fans evenspeculating that there may have been some romantic undertones.
One particular instance is in the infamous “Forgive Me, Father” letter, on the workshop table in the Mindflayer Colony, detailing the respect the Dark Urge held for Gortash.
Regardless of the actual nature of their relationship, Gortash shows visible relief when the Dark Urge turns up, furthering the idea that he mayactuallybe capable of holding relationships with individuals, as Karlach implies.
Indeed, this may make his decision to betray those who trust him even more heinous.
Taking Down The Knights Of The Shield
It would also be around this time thatGortash would start investigating the Knights of the Shield, noting that their leader,Duke Belynne Stelmane, had recently suffered a stroke but continued to have an assertive influence over the organization.
His investigations would lead him to discover thatthe Emperor, a mindflayer, was controlling her psionically.
The stroke Duke Stelmane suffered was a likely consequence of his psionic manipulation.
Gortash would deliver the rogue mindflayer back to the Netherbrain, taunting him the entire time. The Knights of the Shield would fully collapse after this.
A Desire For Revenge
Finally, he would go back to the beginning. After helpingdevelop the process for ‘tadpoling individuals,‘Gortash would return to Flymm’s Cobblers, where his family sold him many years ago.
Gortash would infect his parents with mindflayer tadpoles himself, using the control to make them parrot their love and adoration for him to anyone who entered their shop. Perhaps it was a humiliation tactic, or perhaps it was simple revenge.
While small, this simple action is who Gortash has become by the start of the game:A man who desires control over others above all else.He is a character who wishes to remake the world according to his vision: lying, cheating, and strong-arming whoever he can to ensure he stays on top.
