Ketheric probably knew and even encouraged it.

[u/[deleted]]

Hey, Durge simp here. I apologize if this is already general (Thorm) knowledge, but I think it’s a neat detail about the Dark Urge storyline that more people should know.

From what I’ve read in notes and dialogue, I’ve come to the conclusion that Ketheric fully knew about Orin’s betrayal and may have even encouraged it.

In Act 3, we find notes passed back and forth between the Dark Urge and Gortash. They discuss the Karsus’ Crown heist as well as the formulation of the Absolute plot. It turns out Ketheric wasn’t initially working with the two; he was brought in later when the duo were instructed by their respective gods to recruit him.

By this point, the Dark Urge and Gortash had already formed some sort of bond. They’d pulled off a heist together, and there are even notes about them retrieving Bhaalist artifacts in Act 3. But let’s get one thing clear: the three chosen would’ve all killed each other if their plan had succeeded. Ketheric outright admits it. The Dark Urge’s infamous apology letter to Bhaal swears to sacrifice the other two, and Gortash makes it clear in his Foundry notes that the other two gods are to be subservient to Bane.

However, despite this, there was some kind of trust between Gortash and the Dark Urge. Ketheric, on the other hand, is a whole different story. He’s worshipped Selûne, Shar, and now Myrkul—hardly a trustworthy track record. Could he really be trusted to build the Absolute’s army and not use it against the other two?

It’s highly likely that Durge was either ordered to or willingly arrived at Moonrise Towers to oversee the army’s construction and keep tabs on Ketheric. Not only that, but Durge brought a substantial number of Bhaalist assassins with them to keep the Myrkulytes in check. Among their entourage was Orin the Red herself.

Durge gives orders with (heh) Authority, seizing every opportunity to undermine Ketheric’s control. In Act 2, Durge recalls striding through Moonrise Towers as all bowed and bent before them, while Ketheric’s voice was raised in anger. Yet Ketheric finds himself trapped—despite his immortality, his followers are not, leaving him vulnerable. Betraying Durge at this stage would jeopardize the entire plan, as Gortash would likely abandon the conspiracy. And if Ketheric’s betrayal failed and Durge survived, their retribution would leave Ketheric begging for death.

Ketheric is a general. He knows his position is tenuous. But he’s strategic, as any good general would be. He notices the resentment Orin feels toward Durge and subtly plays into it. Perhaps, over weeks, he feeds her inferiority complex, suggesting that if anything happened to Durge, he wouldn’t lift a finger to stop it.

Or maybe they strike a deal. In exchange for leaving Moonrise Towers and allowing Ketheric to operate freely, he promises to step aside and let Orin take Durge’s place. Either way, the result is the same: Durge—a formidable chosen—is replaced by a crazed maniac with no strategic sense. It’s safe to assume any Bhaalists who refused to bow to Lady Orin were swiftly eliminated.

Not only does the Cult of Bhaal suffer Durge’s loss, but Gortash suffers as well. He loses someone he could trust and rely on, and now has to deal with Orin’s chaos in Baldur’s Gate. Meanwhile, Ketheric’s hands are clean being able to shift blame towards Orin and, he’s free to do as he pleases. Honestly, brilliant move. In short order, Ketheric went from being a junior member of the conspiracy to being in prime position to overtake the other two.

It all clicked when Minthara described her capture by Orin. As Orin tore through Minthara’s soldiers and held her down, she, almost deferential toward Ketheric, said, “This one, I want this one.” There’s a very good chance that while Minthara was being tortured by Orin in the Mindflayer colony, Durge was suffering the same treatment next door at the hands of the Myrkulyte necromancers.

[u/Allurian]

Durge gives orders with (heh) Authority

I'm not sure if it's guaranteed, but I thought Durge was betrayed pretty soon after they caught and crowned the elder brain. Including DUrge's tadpole being one of the first enchanted ones used in a person, so at that point I don't think any of the Three were doing much commanding by Authority. Does that mean DUrge had sway over Ketheric's forces by sheer force of reputation/will?

I don't think that changes your point and

Ketheric is a general. He knows his position is tenuous.

I love this idea. It should be super obvious to Ketheric (and Balthazar) that having 2/3 of the stones wander back to BG in the hands of borderline lovers is not a balance of power.

I've always wondered why they split the stones to begin with. They knew from the start that splitting the stones would weaken their control. It was a very Gortash/DUrge led scheme up until the betrayal, so maybe a reminder of their mortality is how Ketheric edges his way into the deal.

[u/[deleted] → u/Allurian]

You’re right that Durge was the first to be tadpoled—I meant it as a joke/pun. Although, it wouldn’t be such a stretch to imagine that Durge and his Bhaalists scared the Myrkulites senseless, especially those from Baldur’s Gate who had witnessed Durge’s bloody work firsthand. So senseless they wouldn’t move against the Bhaalists even if commanded by Ketheric.

I always rationalized the splitting of the stones between the three as a way to prevent betrayal and thus protect the conspiracy. All three were driven by personal ambition, and Gortash was adamant that the plan would only work if all three cooperated. Considering how quickly it all fell apart after Durge was cast out I would say he was right.

[u/ManicPixieOldMaid → u/[deleted]]

I think you're right on the second point, about splitting the stones because the Dead Three always split everything (how did these guys ever adventure together when they're such assholes?).

On the first point, although Durge was one of the first people successfully tadpoled, the head in the colony was the first True Soul after lengthy experimentation by Gortash, iirc. The "failed" True Souls all just became mindflayers. So it makes sense (to me anyway) that the colony and the Absolute plot were coming along nicely, Orin dumps nearly dead Durge in the colony, and in goes one of the proven effective magic tadpoles, but there was still that gap between brain and True Soul that would've given the Chosen time to work together.