Baelen Bonecloak | Baldurs Gate 3 Wiki

Not excusing physical abuse - but derryth is just as or more abusive it seems. Wonder why baelen started drinking? What was the final straw that made him feel like he had to hit derryth which in turn made her poison him?

The poison took away his memory. It reduced him to his base personality before he had to deal with derryth's emotional abuse. It took away his memory of how derryth used to abusive him, 'forcing' him to cope with alchohol until he finally snapped.

Dwrryth's personality wasn't changed by poison, she by all accounts had always been this way, though it seems it has gotten worse since the poison. Likely due to the regret eating away at her...

If you talk to the Rothe in their camp, the animal will vouch for Baelen's good character. The animal has been with them a long while as deep Rothe's are long lived, loyal creatures (though we mostly hear of them used as drow fodder).

Anyways, abusive relationships come in all forms. Males typically abuse in more direct ways, and usually due to some build up of pressure until a snapping point.
Females usually abuse in more sinister, indirect ways due to some resentment or power dynamic - whittling away at someone until they break.

This quest shows both sides and is beautifully written, though it seems most aren't able to pick it up.

If you haven't lived with both forms of abuse you won't be able to recognize it. Lucky them I guess.

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Giving Baelan the Noblestalk actually turns out good for both of them

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How is this even controversial, like some people need to start living in the real world.

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(Spoilers incoming but just had to say to these people without a clue) Some of the comments on here "men are evil in the game" I don't know if you've noticed but there's plenty of evil women too, like the one who did what she did to Shadowheart. Like Kagha, like Minthara, did you just casually forget them? Dammon is a lovely man. Also Oskar is in a relationship with a woman...and he isn't considered evil. Play the whole game before getting your self all wound up, misogynist. You missed the whole picture when you fixated and projected. I'm literally a dude who has been abused by women in relationships but I am not seeing some stupid agenda in a game FFS. Some women do IRL get stuck in loveless marriages where the man hold the power of money (like with Baelen and Derryth) that's just something that happens, the sooner you realise the quicker we can do something about it.

Also the "apparently men don't deserve healing in this game" As an Astarion lover, I am pointing you right here! A lot of us (men, women, others) go to great lengths to heal that man when playing this game. Make your comment make sense!

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This was a bit of a dumb quest. We REALLY should be able to make an insight check/cast Detect Thoughts to figure out that neither one of them are very good people, and then be able to choose which one to help (or do nothing).

The dialogue with Derryth after you give Baelen the mushroom implies that she takes some avantage of him (you can say that its her fault that she is in this situation beacuse she uses him). That seems to be the case, since she sends a mentally ill man to risk his life for profit.

I still think Baelen is the shittier of the two by a lot, but yeah, we should be able to get the full picture before choosing.

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He is a divination wizard who foreseen his wifes poisoning, turning him into an enslaved dimwit so he preemptively punished her.

You can either give the Noblestalk him, where he will regain his sanity and be free from the verbal and physical abuse or give it to his wife where she will keep it hidden from him, continuing to profit from him.

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Men r bad, I get it jeeeeezz

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Weird... Usually when people lose their minds, they become angrier (speaking from direct experience with family, and talking with others having similar problems). Story didn't make any sense to me. Also he is way forward about implying he wants to beat the **** out of her. Feels totally out of place when considering how all the other npcs in this world act. Feels more like a writer letting out some angst to me.

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The writing is way too on the nose with this couple. Which is especially misleading, because abuse is typically subtle.... And many abusers are well trained at putting on a positive front. I hope no one takes this writing seriously, and still looks out for real signs of abuse.

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if you have sovereign glut in your party he can walk around the explosive mushrooms without triggering them at all, you're free to look everything/save the trash npc if you want to/ etc to your leisure

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There is a magic ring (+1 nature/+1 survival) on a skeleton if you jump along the lefthand side (skeleton is on one of the outcrops behind Baelen).

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Baelen is not a good person, disregard the previous comment. There is dialogue with his wife where she implies that he would beat/abuse her, and lie to other people to get them to like him. Others have mentioned that he is also just as bad to animals. Derryth shows fear when he is "cured" and Baelen makes threats to her as well as early as meeting in the Underdark.

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SPOILER//ACT 3
In Act 3 (assuming you gave Derryth noblestalk, i'm currently unsure of different outcomes but it seems to be implied the stone would not be open if Baelen was in charge because of his drinking problem / if you did not give Derryth the noblestalk to keep the store open) when you go to their shop, she gives you a discount and you can buy up to three noblestalk for yourself around 137 coins each if you do not raise the attitude score.

This becomes useful because Noblestalk can restore your health to full, and remove all negative conditions. I've had issues giving it to Shadowheart, but apparently you can unlock "memories" with it according to some of my friends.

You can pry into the couples life when you meet up again. Derryth asks you to leave her past alone, but is still appreciative of what you've done for her. She mentions that even if Baelen can't really do anything on his own, she still takes care of him and puts him to housework instead of out in the field. You can easily sneak behind the counter to explore/steal/find a hatch and a secret entrance to Baelen's alchemy workshop. Or you can go upstairs and find some letters/diary stuff.

You will find a diary that his attitude and mental deterioration has been worsening. His violent tendencies ramp up again and she has thoughts of slipping poison in his food, especially if she gets hit again. You can find letters where Derryth admits she chose the wrong man, his abuse was unknown to her when she was younger and regrets it and wishes she got with a different man. In the basement of the shop you can find a journal from Baelen trying to figure out some potions for the shop. He notes that he wants to kick her out and fend for herself on the street, this is before the brain was in it's current condition.

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The best outcome dealing with him is to get the nobelstalk in the back of the cave with misty step, get out of there, and then shooting a fire arrow into the mushrooms. This guy is the worst and tbh you're doing him a favor lol

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Some spoilers on the story of him and his wife:
-Originally they came to Underdark to look for mushrooms and herbs for their alchemy shop in Baldur's Gate. Especially noblestalk as it is a very rare and potent alchemical ingredient. Later on when we meet them in their shop and sniff around in the underground below their shop we find a note regarding Baelen and his condition. He is slow because he is suffering from a degenerative brain disease that can be cured by a potion made form noblestalk. There is also a potion of psychic resistance suggesting they are trying methods to slow down the disease. In my playthrough I didnt manage to pick up the noblestalk before it exploded leaving baelen to suffer and not recover. In another playthrough he recovered and seems a pretty good person. Only one of the few people I really felt sorry for in the whole game.

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Somehow i can talk him about his wife,without ever meeting her

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this mfer comically situated between eight million glowing green fire barrels

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I can throw the bag using Mage Hand, Baelen gets it but the quest wont advance :(

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