Thanks to MANSCAPED for sponsoring today's video. Get 20% off & Free International Shipping with promo code GHOSTCHARM or visit www.manscaped.com/ghostcharm What other villains do you want to see videos on?
If you choose to do a video on Raphael, you may find it interesting that in order to avoid Yurgir, the last Dark Justiciar ALSO made a pact with Raphael; to avoid Yurgir. This way, there was a stalemate, and if Yurgir died before finding/killing the Justiciar (that he never could by the dealmaker’s own hand), then Yurgir would become Raphael’s servant. We know this by the book at the foot of the statue halfway down the floating elevator requiring orbs, as well as finding the rats in Raphael’s House of Hope if you kill them.
After the BG3 series is done, I want to shout out the game Tyranny as another very complex, nuanced take on evil. It was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind Kotor 2, Fallout New Vegas and others. I highly recommend ! Though, it may be difficult to pinpoint one single character in there, I would recommend the player character themselves - the Fatebinder. Cheers Ghost, love your videos every time.
Major spoiler warning for BG3!!! Asides from Ketheric the most interesting of the Triumvirate is actually a certain customizable player origin known as the Dark Urge, who was Bhall’s champion before Oren, and as it turns out was the original mastermind of the Mind Flayer crisis, no whether you choose to follow Bhall’s destiny for you or defy them is up to you.
@@benjiboy9907 yeah I feel like Myrkul is the most interesting god, therefore his chosen is too. Bane and Bhaal are much more one track minded than Myrkul it feels like, granted that may just be how I’ve interpreted them in the games.
Quick note, when that goblin hurls the spear through Ketheric's armor, that's actually pretty lore accurate for goblins. They get a passive feature known as "fury of the small" IIRC, which makes them more likely to hit weak points. It's just too bad weak points don't matter when you're immortal. Edit: Halberd, not spear. Sorry, the clip wasn't playing when I wrote the comment so I was going from memory.
@@roaringthunder8069 third person to tell me its a halberd. I get it already, I accidentally said spear. Shall I delete my entire comment and hang myself for the sin of getting a word wrong? The entire rest of the comment still applies, just try to find it in your heart to forgive me for mixing one polearm up with another.
I like how ketheric says “you have no idea what you have done” when he dies. I think he realizes that without him you are probably going to fail and either the nether brain breaks free or either gortash or Orin take control of the brain which would be way worse.
Ketheric was the one who balanced the trio. He never cared for the subtle traps of word play that Gortash attempted to trick him with, and Orin just simply couldn’t kill Ketheric, meaning she held no power over him with fear. Mrykel picked their chosen well
Something super interesting about the yurgir contract is that it was Raphael who taught rat boy how to transform, and orchestrated Yurgir's entrapment there just so he could trap him in a deeper contract later on. I fucking love this game
I really loved how act 2 subtly tells you the story of ketheric's slow downfall without solely relying on long expositions or cutscenes like in many other games, pretty much all of the areas in act2 gives you a certain information about him whether its from notes, environmental storytelling and quests, you slowly start to piece the puzzles and it ends up shaping him into one of the most interesting characters in the BG series, i think Larian studios heavily improved in the storytelling department and act 2 really shows it.
You just... Pass him in strength then... He is "immortal", but the party is stronger. It's also a commentary on dnd rules in some sense. The stage play ends here. I felt more scared in the city... As I couldn't really tell either of the pointed ones being villains, even if they were crooked, or anything else. Then it was just me... And... What? The city felt more dead than shadow cursed lands. Eerie feeling was going through. Closest and most trust worthy beings in the city were surprisingly the ones that should have been the least so.
I enjoyed that, on a ruined battlefield, a dead soldier has a scroll containing Thorm's speech to his troops...a speech that was apparently so inspiring that this man transcribed it on the spot, I guess in case he survived to share history.
Bro its so wild how Ketheric has like 20, 30 lines in this game, appears for like half an act and is still the best and most iconic villains in recent gaming.
Regarding Isobel's death... It was cut content, so ignore it if you wish. There was a bit of clues in the game that were removed, that alluded to a story where the Emerald Conclave had a meeting with the Selunites from Moonrise, and that Isobel was somehow possessed by an unknown (sharran) source and she became enraged and attacked the druids. Halsin, in self defense, killed both Isobel and her dog. The dog bit was left in game. He died defending Isobel, that much is still true, which implies she died a violent death. And Halsin's old glaive now makes a lot more sense on why it was named Sorrow. But yeah all of the other clues to that story didnt make the final cut.
actually what you described is just one version of the Isobel's death. the Halsin version was more early on. the latter version was that Isobel was killed by Balthazar, but Balthazar framed it on Nightsong/Aylin. Nightsong/Aylin was not Angel daughter of Selune back then, but a Sharran priest. Ketheric thought Aylin murdered his daugther so forced her to be an avatar of Shar, brought out the shadow curse. also originally Ketheric covertion to Shar was because of his wife Melodia's death.
It was only slightly alluded in earlier builds of early access, nothing concrete, and Kethric was like .... 1 mention, and Isobel non-existent as a character at all In game glaive name still makes sense, it is just re-branded with flavor text as sorrow of Kethric, and Halsin took his glaive as mentioned in the druid's journal in the grove that re-caps events of the curse "..our wounded were safe, I returned, searching for survivors.." ".lost, but I found his shade. I put it to rest and took his glaive..." ".blade infused with shadow. I have locked it away, to serve as a reminder that even victory can taste bitter." "For every drop of blood spilled, a piece of the soul perishes - until nothing remains but regret." the flavor text on the glaive now
The first time I met Ketheric in game I had no idea he was played by JK Simmons but instantly recognized his voice, mostly because he might've been the only person in the game by that point who speaks with an American accent lmao
I wish Ketheric got more screentime. Dude is so cool. I loved the "seen it all, felt it all and extraordinarily tired of it all" performance by JK Simmons.
I absolutely love that if you attack him before engaging in conversation during that goblin event he'll just be like "?????? Who the fuck is this guy??? Can you not? In my own home? Can you fuck off??"
One of my favorite lore reveals in the game about Ketheric is actually in Act 1, in the Grymforge, when you encounter an Elder Deep Rothé. if you can Speak With Animals, it reveals it has been alive for centuries, and personally witnessed "The Ketheric Thorm", for whom "the rocks shiver". It also speaks of a great Horned One, that smelled of burning, and eggs (sulphur), who came and killed everything. Such a cool little touch of flavor that you could completely miss because its literally just a random bunch of Fancy Oxen standing around in a corner.
I like how the champions of the dead three are shown in a way to possibly coax you into following them by showing Ketheric, by far the most sympathetic of them as a way to make you think there might be more humanity in them then there is. Then you meet Gortash and he's definitely more slimy but at least he comes off initially as pragmatic and able to see some reason but then it all unravels as Orin shows the pure vile and unmasked horror of what the intentions are in the end.
Honestly, I can never get enough of JK Simmons roles in any media he is in. So often he seems to always be put to the side as a character that’s essential to the plot, but often times is usually a stepping stone and doesn’t have much lines, but the lines he does have are almost always the most impactful and memorable lines in the entire movie, game, show, etc.
Ketheric's intro is also fascinating to experience if you play as the dark urge, since it hints futher into the petty, vindictive side of his character.
@@dopaminedrought395wasn’t even an Axe, it was a Halberd, if your gonna correct someone over something trivial at least give them the actually correct information.
If your going to cover the dead three maybe also talk about the emperor because despite not being the main villain the story is basically centered around his villainy and relationship with the player
I'm always in awe at how well they wrote a character who is objectively the one who saves you countless times, and yet is STILL intentionally hated by most players. Hard to get those two right together. Very impressive by Larian.
I'm gonna say it, Kethric was the best bad guy in bg3. Mainly because you can almost level with him and understand his motives and why he did what he did.
wasnt it raphael that transformed the sharran into the rats? the guy wanted to survive and raphael wanted him alive as well. one poorly worded deal later and raphael turns him into a bunch of rats screwing over everyone at once. the architects deal is satisfied and his soul's damned, raphael gets rid of yurgir, and the rat guy is, well, stuck as a bunch of rats.
Yes. He did this before Yurgir's contract so that he could be trapped in an even worse contract later on, which you can see in game if you persuade Yurgir to let you search for the last Justiciar, kill the rat guy, and then talk to Yurgir. Lots of interesting dialogue there.
I wish I could like this video twice. The entire Villainpedia series is stellar, but your love for the baddies of the BG series really shines through. Thank you for these biopics on our favorite people we love to hate!
Wow literally JUST killed this bastard after weeks of thinking about him. I haven't felt that powerful of a lead up to a villain in a video game in a long time. I literally dreamed about him once
The scene where Ketheric lets the goblin chuck an axe at him and let's them try again, sent shivers down my spine. A true villain who doesn't get emotional but just shows how powerful he is.
Always a bittersweet day when Ghost releases another Banger video and I immediately consume it and am left wanting more:( Very Patrick-esque with da chocolate. High Quality, good sir!
You should do a video on Saren from Mass Effect 1. I think he's a perfect first villains to introduce a new universe. Honestly you should make more Mass Effect videos, the characters and lore is great.
Pre-watch comment: I just got home, about to fire up Baldur's Gate to start a new run, as I just finished my previous one. Come onto UA-cam to find something to go on in the background as I've overplayed Act 1 to the point where I think I could probably do it blindfolded now, so background noise is good to have on. And then I see a new Ghostcharm video on Ketheric Thorm? Gods. Damned. Amazing. This is gonna be the perfect thing to listen to and enjoy while I'm slogging through the first hours of BG3. Edit: Gods damned UA-cam never showed me you did an Irenicus video. Guess I know what I'm watching after Ketheric.
I cant watch this until I finally get back around to beating bg3 buf for now ill trust that this is gonna be an amazing video because everything you touch turns to gold and ill return after i do beat it. Much love my dude!
Did anyone else finish act 2 the quickest of the three? I'm a completionist and even killed all of the rats in the Sharran gauntlet. I just felt like there was more to do in acts 1 and 3 considering you have the underdark and creche to explore in the first part of the game and the entirety of Baldur's Gate in act 3. Act 2 is probably my favorite act. Wish it was just a little longer
I think it was pretty well, since it was all condensed in the shadowlands. Act 1 you had the many places to go at the start and Act 3 was the conclusion(even if it felt rushed personally) but had a lot of loose ends to wrap up. Act 2 was pretty much a main course fit in the middle of the game... like it's own short story.
Act 2 was also the shortest of the 3 acts for me, which is why I had to double-take when Ghostcharm said it was long for him. But also like you, Act 2 is my favorite: It's condensed, there's a good amount of content in it, and the overall arc of the shadowcursed lands is wonderful to go through. Act 1 is a good as a starting point, but depending on how many runs you do it can get predictable, especially if you explore every corner of it like I did. Act 3 unfortunately suffers the most, especially after Act 2, of having too much content. The condensity of Act 2 was sorely needed and, even after 700 hrs, I still haven't completed it because of how disjointed it all is.
It's absolutely the smallest in terms of area but I can absolutely see why it might take so long. It is very very dense in terms of actual plot and where the game really starts. Whole act just carries a certain weight behind it.
I thought the creche was part of Act 2 since it was closer to the shadowlands, and the mountain pass seems like the main route with the alternate option to take the underdark elevator. Counting the creche as act 2 adds them all to be relatively similar even if it still leaves act 2 lighter than the others.
@zaclittlejohn2701 I've always interpreted the underdark and the intended main path since Halsin heavily implies it's the most ideal route; There's less ground to cover through the cursed lands to reach Last light inn, and it's considerably the easier of the two routes depending on your level (those death guards are quite the deterrent on harder difficulties). Plus, you can complete the underdark and the creche before setting any foot in the cursed lands; if you try to go to the creche from the cursed lands, you risked potentially losing Halsin (at least, this was the case until like a few patches/hot fixes in). I don't think he did the same if you tried to go back through the elevator, but someone who tried would have to check that.
A great story for a Paladin who fallen and became a Oathbreaker Paladin and necromancer or maybe a lich of sorts. All in the service of a lesser deity of death in his last days. But the reasoning of Isboel dying from Shar isn’t a stretch. Considering it’s definitely something Shar would do to Spite her Sister. Especially against someone who is noticed by her sister. Also where she can swoop in and “save” them. Similar to what was done to Shadowheart. Crazy enough, being the Chosen of a deity makes you have powers comparable to a demigod. At least from lore. Obviously BG3 Tampered down the power, considering things get ridiculous in the higher levels.
I agree but I think JK Simmons would eat the entire budget if he'd stayed the whole game and the character wouldn't have hit the same if they'd gotten somebody else to voice him. We already got Jason Isaacs as one of the other Chosen and I imagine that was already expensive as hell
He is the best villain in the entire game, the character design, the voice acting, the level of impact on the story... Ladies and gentlemen this is the chosen one.
Some time ago i read a comment saying "Ketheric Thorn as a villain could have had his own complete game". I mean, he was just a midboss but his character was awsome and better than some main antagonists and final bosses in other games.
It was in the early access of the game, that its revealed that Halsin killed Isobel. It was more or less an accident. An argument that got out of hand. But it really explains why Halsin is so determined to stop the Shadow Curse. Even the spear that Rath gives you under the library in the Grove is named "The Sorrow" and it causes psychic damaged when used. Hinting at the deep levels of guilt Halsin feels. And futher explaining why he had notes on Ketheric Thorm. The developers removed these details for whatever reason
I never saw that introduction cinematic lmao, I did all the Shar Temple stuff before even getting close to Moonrise Towers, I was like "better go find that nightsong thing before meeting Ketheric". This also means that I couldn't save the refugees because by the time I got there they were already dead.
Ketheric reminds me a lot of the first season's antagonist in the french animated show called Wakfu (it's pretty much the french Avatar the last airbender). He's called Nox, and is also a pretty tragic character who has done a lot of bad shit because of grief and loss.
A lore error that is often overlooked is that Dame Aylin isn't an Aasimar. The issue with that assertion is Kethric needs an immortal for his invincibility; taken straight from the Player's Handbook(2024) by WotC "Aasimar (pronounced AH-sih-mar) are _mortals_ who carry a spark of the Upper Planes within their souls." So she can't be the source of his invincibility if she's an Aasimar. Furthermore Aylin is apparently the daughter of Selûne, which would make her an Empyrean. An Empyrean is immortal with a caveat. Taken from the Monster Manual(2014) by WotC "Empyreans don't age but can be slain... When an empyrean dies, its spirit returns to its home plane. There, one of the fallen empyrean's parents resurrects the empyrean unless he or she has a good reason not to." This is typical of Outsiders, which cannot be truly killed outside of their home plane. While that _still_ leaves the issue of not being actually invincible, there are three different deities involved here. Any one of them could have made Aylin that way.
I read somewhere where originally Aylin was labeled as a celestial who came to Reithwin from Mt. Celestia, thanks to Ketheri's pure heart. The daughter of Selune bit was added later.
Maybe everyone in the game just failed their religion check to know about Empyreans. Calling Aelin an aasimar is like calling Raphael a tiefling. There is some logic in it, but it's inaccurate by the sheer scope of the power of one of their parents, and by extension their own.
@@Azuraall A non sequitur, I'm not quite sure what Raphael is. He resembles a Cambion, but with the colossal amount of conflicting information concerning his parentage there's no real way to know.
I always thought the hands on his shoulder pieces of his armor was weird. But after watching this video and the last part of it in particular. It shows that no matter how much of a badass or general he was. He always had someone else’s hands on his shoulders guiding his way.
10:40 Now that you say it. Even her daughter having Slune's daughter as close as as she is didn't save her. Being a salty father can be understandable.
Not really related to the episode, but I think there would be a lot to explore in a Villainpedia talking about Khotun Khan from Ghost of Tsushima, or even a Heropedia discussing Jin Sakai. I remember being genuinely shocked by the depth of both of those characters my first time playing Ghost.
I would love to see you make a video on the Emperor! Almost all of his actions resulted in direct consequences for the player, and his manipulation definitely informs us a ton on how mindflayers think about others
The Urge canonically is the intended experience, that's been confirmed a couple times now I believe. Agree about Ketheric though; his time is brief but he's intimidating as fuck and you can actually feel every word he says
I love how level like 3 or 4 goblin one shots ketheric with a non magical halbard, meanwhile it takes a level 6 me 4-6 divine smites with powerful magical artifacts and weapons to kill him... Makes sense.
Great video. Act 2 is honestly my favorite part of the game and ketheric is probably my favorite part of it. It’s cool how in this game, you face off with the strongest of the dead three first, it’s more realistic and isn’t a kind of a staircase progression.
Ketheric and Raphael are some of the most interesting and in depth villain's in all of the games I have played and they both happened to be part of the same game.
I literally just played bg3 on my first playthrough and fought ketheric last night then watched videos on his backstory. Now a ghostcharm is up?? Nice nice nice
After I saw you make a bg1 and bg2 video then I knew bg3 was next. I was convinced you were gonna do a video on Ketheric because imo he's the most unique, but to get a video on all 3 of the main antagonists? Oh ghost you spoil us
The lore of the forgotten realms goes a lot further back, Ed Greenwood had said on his own UA-cam channel that the foundation for the forgotten realms goes back to the 1960s in his own personal writings
I feel left out when most of the fandom praises Ketheric's character, and I just involuntarily roll my eyes and yawn whenever he does his woe is me schtick.
I wish Ketheric would've gotten a Magic the Gathering card when they released their Baldur's Gate set. I have a Myrkul Commander deck & it would've been cool to have a card of him in the decklist.
Ghostcharm you are truly a man after my own heart making the kinds of content i enjoy seeing most on the platform, glad to have discovered your channel, excellent video, excellent taste in games, keep up the good work brother
Ketheric is a villain that I genuinely felt bad for, he was manipulated and used as nothing more than a puppet by the gods a fallen paladin twisted by grief and sorrow. I kinda wish you could help him redeemed himself atleast in the eyes of Seluna and Isobel in so he could go to the same afterlife as Melodia even if he just dies anyway after a Darth Vader style redemption.
i want a compilation of every time ghost says some variation of "the childhood/ early life of this character is unknown" lol I know it's just a common thing in games but every character video I'm expecting to hear the line again haha
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What other villains do you want to see videos on?
Manscammed. Don't promote scam products
If you choose to do a video on Raphael, you may find it interesting that in order to avoid Yurgir, the last Dark Justiciar ALSO made a pact with Raphael; to avoid Yurgir. This way, there was a stalemate, and if Yurgir died before finding/killing the Justiciar (that he never could by the dealmaker’s own hand), then Yurgir would become Raphael’s servant. We know this by the book at the foot of the statue halfway down the floating elevator requiring orbs, as well as finding the rats in Raphael’s House of Hope if you kill them.
After the BG3 series is done, I want to shout out the game Tyranny as another very complex, nuanced take on evil. It was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind Kotor 2, Fallout New Vegas and others. I highly recommend ! Though, it may be difficult to pinpoint one single character in there, I would recommend the player character themselves - the Fatebinder. Cheers Ghost, love your videos every time.
Handsome Jack, from Borderlands 2. Would be a perfect subject for your channel.
The Emperor from Bg3!
Ketheric is by far the most interesting of the dead three's champions imo
More interesting than his daughter and her butch.
Gortash’s backstory and relationship with Karlach is pretty cool, but I wish his motivations went beyond “le world domination”.
True, but act 3 is kinda half baked and assumedly a lot of character development was left on the cutting room floor to push the release forward.
Major spoiler warning for BG3!!!
Asides from Ketheric the most interesting of the Triumvirate is actually a certain customizable player origin known as the Dark Urge, who was Bhall’s champion before Oren, and as it turns out was the original mastermind of the Mind Flayer crisis, no whether you choose to follow Bhall’s destiny for you or defy them is up to you.
@@benjiboy9907 yeah I feel like Myrkul is the most interesting god, therefore his chosen is too. Bane and Bhaal are much more one track minded than Myrkul it feels like, granted that may just be how I’ve interpreted them in the games.
Quick note, when that goblin hurls the spear through Ketheric's armor, that's actually pretty lore accurate for goblins. They get a passive feature known as "fury of the small" IIRC, which makes them more likely to hit weak points. It's just too bad weak points don't matter when you're immortal.
Edit: Halberd, not spear. Sorry, the clip wasn't playing when I wrote the comment so I was going from memory.
I thought she chucked an axe into him?
But also, that's cool! I didn't know that!
Was a halberd i believe looks like a spear-axe
Its a halberd.
Literally the halberd model.
@@roaringthunder8069 third person to tell me its a halberd. I get it already, I accidentally said spear. Shall I delete my entire comment and hang myself for the sin of getting a word wrong?
The entire rest of the comment still applies, just try to find it in your heart to forgive me for mixing one polearm up with another.
This passive is also activated in Tactician and above, resulting in those little buggers hitting REALLY hard for their level.
I like how ketheric says “you have no idea what you have done” when he dies. I think he realizes that without him you are probably going to fail and either the nether brain breaks free or either gortash or Orin take control of the brain which would be way worse.
Ketheric was the one who balanced the trio. He never cared for the subtle traps of word play that Gortash attempted to trick him with, and Orin just simply couldn’t kill Ketheric, meaning she held no power over him with fear. Mrykel picked their chosen well
Something super interesting about the yurgir contract is that it was Raphael who taught rat boy how to transform, and orchestrated Yurgir's entrapment there just so he could trap him in a deeper contract later on. I fucking love this game
So that means Raphael bought Rat Boy's soul?
@@Isomnophiliayup. There is a little journal at the feet of the Shar statue in the Gauntlet that tells you all about it.
There even one of the rats in the house of hope
To someone who's never played this game, that is one hell of a sentence.
In the game of selling souls, only the devils win
I really loved how act 2 subtly tells you the story of ketheric's slow downfall without solely relying on long expositions or cutscenes like in many other games, pretty much all of the areas in act2 gives you a certain information about him whether its from notes, environmental storytelling and quests, you slowly start to piece the puzzles and it ends up shaping him into one of the most interesting characters in the BG series, i think Larian studios heavily improved in the storytelling department and act 2 really shows it.
You eventually even use it to solve a real puzzle in the crypt.
You just... Pass him in strength then... He is "immortal", but the party is stronger. It's also a commentary on dnd rules in some sense. The stage play ends here.
I felt more scared in the city... As I couldn't really tell either of the pointed ones being villains, even if they were crooked, or anything else. Then it was just me... And... What?
The city felt more dead than shadow cursed lands. Eerie feeling was going through. Closest and most trust worthy beings in the city were surprisingly the ones that should have been the least so.
I enjoyed that, on a ruined battlefield, a dead soldier has a scroll containing Thorm's speech to his troops...a speech that was apparently so inspiring that this man transcribed it on the spot, I guess in case he survived to share history.
Act 2 was the best by far.
And it spells it all out for you if you find Ketheric's stuff like right before the fight
Bro its so wild how Ketheric has like 20, 30 lines in this game, appears for like half an act and is still the best and most iconic villains in recent gaming.
Quality over quantity. Every line he spoke carried a purpose, and a deep weight behind it. Such an intimidating villian.
Very similar to Armstrong from MGR
Regarding Isobel's death... It was cut content, so ignore it if you wish.
There was a bit of clues in the game that were removed, that alluded to a story where the Emerald Conclave had a meeting with the Selunites from Moonrise, and that Isobel was somehow possessed by an unknown (sharran) source and she became enraged and attacked the druids. Halsin, in self defense, killed both Isobel and her dog.
The dog bit was left in game. He died defending Isobel, that much is still true, which implies she died a violent death. And Halsin's old glaive now makes a lot more sense on why it was named Sorrow.
But yeah all of the other clues to that story didnt make the final cut.
I really wish it stuck in the game as it would greatly enhance Halsin as a character and give him more reasons to be involved in act 2
actually what you described is just one version of the Isobel's death. the Halsin version was more early on. the latter version was that Isobel was killed by Balthazar, but Balthazar framed it on Nightsong/Aylin. Nightsong/Aylin was not Angel daughter of Selune back then, but a Sharran priest. Ketheric thought Aylin murdered his daugther so forced her to be an avatar of Shar, brought out the shadow curse. also originally Ketheric covertion to Shar was because of his wife Melodia's death.
It was only slightly alluded in earlier builds of early access, nothing concrete, and Kethric was like .... 1 mention, and Isobel non-existent as a character at all
In game glaive name still makes sense, it is just re-branded with flavor text as sorrow of Kethric, and Halsin took his glaive as mentioned in the druid's journal in the grove that re-caps events of the curse
"..our wounded were safe, I returned, searching for survivors.."
".lost, but I found his shade. I put it to rest and took his glaive..."
".blade infused with shadow. I have locked it away, to serve as a reminder that even victory can taste bitter."
"For every drop of blood spilled, a piece of the soul perishes - until nothing remains but regret." the flavor text on the glaive now
@@nickrubin7312 wonder if he recognizes Sorrow if you wield it while talking to him.. probably not, but would be cool.
Hello Rob
Another one of jk Simmons banger roles
The GOAT Simmons
Another day, another JK Simmons banger
I’m happy about it bc now his legacy is 100% written in stone with this game.
shhh nerd. Nobody uses the word banger anymore. You are lacking behind
The first time I met Ketheric in game I had no idea he was played by JK Simmons but instantly recognized his voice, mostly because he might've been the only person in the game by that point who speaks with an American accent lmao
He probably was the only character in game that asked you for photos of Spiderman.
@@HiMyNameIsHsuYee funny since he has a literal spider-man working for him
@@dependent-ability8631 oh my god it didn't occur to me until you mentioned it lmao
That wasn't an American accent, it was just a different Faerunian accent.
Omniman
“Bow you dog, BOW” is one of my favorite lines in the whole game. Always gets me so hyped to fight him
That scene with Ketheric's introduction taking two 100% lethal attacks is so damn fucking metal. Never get tired of it.
I wish Ketheric got more screentime. Dude is so cool. I loved the "seen it all, felt it all and extraordinarily tired of it all" performance by JK Simmons.
I absolutely love that if you attack him before engaging in conversation during that goblin event he'll just be like "?????? Who the fuck is this guy??? Can you not? In my own home? Can you fuck off??"
He says that?
@@LilSleepDoctor not exactly that but he acts very confused and offended and then commands everyone to kill you
One of my favorite lore reveals in the game about Ketheric is actually in Act 1, in the Grymforge, when you encounter an Elder Deep Rothé. if you can Speak With Animals, it reveals it has been alive for centuries, and personally witnessed "The Ketheric Thorm", for whom "the rocks shiver". It also speaks of a great Horned One, that smelled of burning, and eggs (sulphur), who came and killed everything. Such a cool little touch of flavor that you could completely miss because its literally just a random bunch of Fancy Oxen standing around in a corner.
I like how the champions of the dead three are shown in a way to possibly coax you into following them by showing Ketheric, by far the most sympathetic of them as a way to make you think there might be more humanity in them then there is. Then you meet Gortash and he's definitely more slimy but at least he comes off initially as pragmatic and able to see some reason but then it all unravels as Orin shows the pure vile and unmasked horror of what the intentions are in the end.
Honestly, I can never get enough of JK Simmons roles in any media he is in. So often he seems to always be put to the side as a character that’s essential to the plot, but often times is usually a stepping stone and doesn’t have much lines, but the lines he does have are almost always the most impactful and memorable lines in the entire movie, game, show, etc.
Ketheric's intro is also fascinating to experience if you play as the dark urge, since it hints futher into the petty, vindictive side of his character.
he certainly learned how much more petty and vindictive my character can be
I remember the first time I got the goblin throwing the spear part and my jaw was the floor. The aura Ketheric had in the moment was incredible
Yeah when I first saw the cutscene my first thoughts were oh shit I have to fight Omni man.
I missed this cutscene entirely on my first playthrough, because I thought if I go to Moonrise Towers, the battle will begin 😂
it wasn't even a spear, but a Very Heavy Axe - it would obliterate anyone else
@@dopaminedrought395wasn’t even an Axe, it was a Halberd, if your gonna correct someone over something trivial at least give them the actually correct information.
@@chainsawboy2388 bg3.wiki/wiki/Very_Heavy_Greataxe
Ketheric feels like an example of "you're allowed to love someone but you are not allowed to possess them"
If your going to cover the dead three maybe also talk about the emperor because despite not being the main villain the story is basically centered around his villainy and relationship with the player
I think that might be a slippery slope given the story implications of who The Emperor is.
@@CunningLingu1st A slippery slope to what? He is most assuredly a villain.
@@MinecraftRick He was absolutely a villian
Probably the most repulsive villain to me imo, biggest gaslighting manipulative pos
I'm always in awe at how well they wrote a character who is objectively the one who saves you countless times, and yet is STILL intentionally hated by most players.
Hard to get those two right together. Very impressive by Larian.
I'm gonna say it, Kethric was the best bad guy in bg3. Mainly because you can almost level with him and understand his motives and why he did what he did.
42:58 I never got this interaction but props to that goblin for throwing a normal halberd into his magic armor like that
It's a cool reference to the goblin racial ability Fury of the Small.
@@vashaniI think it's just a reference to chucking a fuckin' halberd at a guy
@@noklish5194 i think it's a reference to ungugduggug the first human to learn how to throw rocks at things
@@noklish5194 gameplay or in this case, cutscene and lore integration.
Level 4 goblin with tavern brawler probs lmao
Who up thorming they ketheric 🤷♂️
Meeeee :3
AYO?
Can't wait for the Gortash video where you have to talk about how active his fanbase is about pestering Larian to let us kiss him
wasnt it raphael that transformed the sharran into the rats? the guy wanted to survive and raphael wanted him alive as well. one poorly worded deal later and raphael turns him into a bunch of rats screwing over everyone at once. the architects deal is satisfied and his soul's damned, raphael gets rid of yurgir, and the rat guy is, well, stuck as a bunch of rats.
Yes. He did this before Yurgir's contract so that he could be trapped in an even worse contract later on, which you can see in game if you persuade Yurgir to let you search for the last Justiciar, kill the rat guy, and then talk to Yurgir. Lots of interesting dialogue there.
I wish I could like this video twice.
The entire Villainpedia series is stellar, but your love for the baddies of the BG series really shines through. Thank you for these biopics on our favorite people we love to hate!
Wow literally JUST killed this bastard after weeks of thinking about him. I haven't felt that powerful of a lead up to a villain in a video game in a long time. I literally dreamed about him once
I really like how you include meme clips in your videos. They're sparse enough that they catch me off guard and usually give me a good laugh.
The music that kicks in after ketheric gets axed by the goblin is amazing
I aspire to grant my D&D villains such gravitas.
I’d love for you to cover the Emperor
PLEAAASEE
The scene where Ketheric lets the goblin chuck an axe at him and let's them try again, sent shivers down my spine. A true villain who doesn't get emotional but just shows how powerful he is.
*Steve Myrkul resurrects Ketheric*
“Did I do that….”
i love the ambience audio from The Witcher 3 you put there. So cozy and familiar.
Ghostcharm dont miss! Another bopper. Ketheric was such a tragic villain... my favorite kind
Always a bittersweet day when Ghost releases another Banger video and I immediately consume it and am left wanting more:(
Very Patrick-esque with da chocolate. High Quality, good sir!
You should do a video on Saren from Mass Effect 1. I think he's a perfect first villains to introduce a new universe. Honestly you should make more Mass Effect videos, the characters and lore is great.
With the chapter name "Bone Daddy" you already know this is gonna be a banger
Pre-watch comment: I just got home, about to fire up Baldur's Gate to start a new run, as I just finished my previous one.
Come onto UA-cam to find something to go on in the background as I've overplayed Act 1 to the point where I think I could probably do it blindfolded now, so background noise is good to have on.
And then I see a new Ghostcharm video on Ketheric Thorm? Gods. Damned. Amazing.
This is gonna be the perfect thing to listen to and enjoy while I'm slogging through the first hours of BG3.
Edit: Gods damned UA-cam never showed me you did an Irenicus video. Guess I know what I'm watching after Ketheric.
I absolutely beg for an episode on Raphael! The man has the voice of an angel despite appearances. Absolutely love seeing more Baldur’s gate content!
This boss fight was like 5 parts long and it was awesome.
I cant watch this until I finally get back around to beating bg3 buf for now ill trust that this is gonna be an amazing video because everything you touch turns to gold and ill return after i do beat it. Much love my dude!
Did anyone else finish act 2 the quickest of the three? I'm a completionist and even killed all of the rats in the Sharran gauntlet. I just felt like there was more to do in acts 1 and 3 considering you have the underdark and creche to explore in the first part of the game and the entirety of Baldur's Gate in act 3. Act 2 is probably my favorite act. Wish it was just a little longer
I think it was pretty well, since it was all condensed in the shadowlands.
Act 1 you had the many places to go at the start and Act 3 was the conclusion(even if it felt rushed personally) but had a lot of loose ends to wrap up.
Act 2 was pretty much a main course fit in the middle of the game... like it's own short story.
Act 2 was also the shortest of the 3 acts for me, which is why I had to double-take when Ghostcharm said it was long for him. But also like you, Act 2 is my favorite: It's condensed, there's a good amount of content in it, and the overall arc of the shadowcursed lands is wonderful to go through.
Act 1 is a good as a starting point, but depending on how many runs you do it can get predictable, especially if you explore every corner of it like I did.
Act 3 unfortunately suffers the most, especially after Act 2, of having too much content. The condensity of Act 2 was sorely needed and, even after 700 hrs, I still haven't completed it because of how disjointed it all is.
It's absolutely the smallest in terms of area but I can absolutely see why it might take so long. It is very very dense in terms of actual plot and where the game really starts. Whole act just carries a certain weight behind it.
I thought the creche was part of Act 2 since it was closer to the shadowlands, and the mountain pass seems like the main route with the alternate option to take the underdark elevator. Counting the creche as act 2 adds them all to be relatively similar even if it still leaves act 2 lighter than the others.
@zaclittlejohn2701 I've always interpreted the underdark and the intended main path since Halsin heavily implies it's the most ideal route; There's less ground to cover through the cursed lands to reach Last light inn, and it's considerably the easier of the two routes depending on your level (those death guards are quite the deterrent on harder difficulties).
Plus, you can complete the underdark and the creche before setting any foot in the cursed lands; if you try to go to the creche from the cursed lands, you risked potentially losing Halsin (at least, this was the case until like a few patches/hot fixes in). I don't think he did the same if you tried to go back through the elevator, but someone who tried would have to check that.
A great story for a Paladin who fallen and became a Oathbreaker Paladin and necromancer or maybe a lich of sorts. All in the service of a lesser deity of death in his last days.
But the reasoning of Isboel dying from Shar isn’t a stretch. Considering it’s definitely something Shar would do to Spite her Sister. Especially against someone who is noticed by her sister. Also where she can swoop in and “save” them. Similar to what was done to Shadowheart.
Crazy enough, being the Chosen of a deity makes you have powers comparable to a demigod. At least from lore. Obviously BG3 Tampered down the power, considering things get ridiculous in the higher levels.
A great villian, wish he was the main threat instead of a midgame boss
I agree but I think JK Simmons would eat the entire budget if he'd stayed the whole game and the character wouldn't have hit the same if they'd gotten somebody else to voice him. We already got Jason Isaacs as one of the other Chosen and I imagine that was already expensive as hell
One of the best channels and most underrated video series on all of youtube.
Another amazing video!
He is the best villain in the entire game, the character design, the voice acting, the level of impact on the story... Ladies and gentlemen this is the chosen one.
Some time ago i read a comment saying "Ketheric Thorn as a villain could have had his own complete game". I mean, he was just a midboss but his character was awsome and better than some main antagonists and final bosses in other games.
You are one of if not my fav UA-camr right now. The quality of videos you make are amazing
Need a Worldpedia on Faerun
i would not damn my worst enemy to that purgatory
At least you can provide a laundry list of important characters. Collab with him?
I really hope you do the rest of the trio and of course their gods.
Ketheric gives me massive Corypheus vibes (Dragon Age Inquisition)
"I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own"
It was in the early access of the game, that its revealed that Halsin killed Isobel. It was more or less an accident. An argument that got out of hand. But it really explains why Halsin is so determined to stop the Shadow Curse. Even the spear that Rath gives you under the library in the Grove is named "The Sorrow" and it causes psychic damaged when used. Hinting at the deep levels of guilt Halsin feels. And futher explaining why he had notes on Ketheric Thorm.
The developers removed these details for whatever reason
I never saw that introduction cinematic lmao, I did all the Shar Temple stuff before even getting close to Moonrise Towers, I was like "better go find that nightsong thing before meeting Ketheric". This also means that I couldn't save the refugees because by the time I got there they were already dead.
Ketheric reminds me a lot of the first season's antagonist in the french animated show called Wakfu (it's pretty much the french Avatar the last airbender). He's called Nox, and is also a pretty tragic character who has done a lot of bad shit because of grief and loss.
A lore error that is often overlooked is that Dame Aylin isn't an Aasimar. The issue with that assertion is Kethric needs an immortal for his invincibility; taken straight from the Player's Handbook(2024) by WotC "Aasimar (pronounced AH-sih-mar) are _mortals_ who carry a spark of the Upper Planes within their souls." So she can't be the source of his invincibility if she's an Aasimar.
Furthermore Aylin is apparently the daughter of Selûne, which would make her an Empyrean. An Empyrean is immortal with a caveat. Taken from the Monster Manual(2014) by WotC "Empyreans don't age but can be slain... When an empyrean dies, its spirit returns to its home plane. There, one of the fallen empyrean's parents resurrects the empyrean unless he or she has a good reason not to."
This is typical of Outsiders, which cannot be truly killed outside of their home plane. While that _still_ leaves the issue of not being actually invincible, there are three different deities involved here. Any one of them could have made Aylin that way.
You should go on “Um… Actually”
I read somewhere where originally Aylin was labeled as a celestial who came to Reithwin from Mt. Celestia, thanks to Ketheri's pure heart. The daughter of Selune bit was added later.
@@NoodleArms2004 Sounds about right, an oversight like that is usually due to a change in planning.
Maybe everyone in the game just failed their religion check to know about Empyreans.
Calling Aelin an aasimar is like calling Raphael a tiefling. There is some logic in it, but it's inaccurate by the sheer scope of the power of one of their parents, and by extension their own.
@@Azuraall A non sequitur, I'm not quite sure what Raphael is. He resembles a Cambion, but with the colossal amount of conflicting information concerning his parentage there's no real way to know.
I always thought the hands on his shoulder pieces of his armor was weird. But after watching this video and the last part of it in particular. It shows that no matter how much of a badass or general he was. He always had someone else’s hands on his shoulders guiding his way.
10:40 Now that you say it. Even her daughter having Slune's daughter as close as as she is didn't save her. Being a salty father can be understandable.
36:57 made me laugh for NO reason because this was my EXACT reaction upon talking to them
your explanations to gaming story/lore is on another level than other bigger channels, we need assays of 5 hours baldurs gate full story
Not really related to the episode, but I think there would be a lot to explore in a Villainpedia talking about Khotun Khan from Ghost of Tsushima, or even a Heropedia discussing Jin Sakai. I remember being genuinely shocked by the depth of both of those characters my first time playing Ghost.
unironically a helpful catch-up lore video if you're like me and stopped playing a year ago at the start of Act 3 and never got back into it.
Holy shit. Just found you, never been this impressed with a UA-camr before. Voice, lore, presentation. Jaw on the floor.
I am now interested in Baulders Gate as a whole for the first time. Thank you
I wonder if Evil-campaign Dark Urge deserves a video to himself?
I would love to see you make a video on the Emperor! Almost all of his actions resulted in direct consequences for the player, and his manipulation definitely informs us a ton on how mindflayers think about others
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is the best villain in BG3 and the Dark Urge is the true MC of that game.
The Urge canonically is the intended experience, that's been confirmed a couple times now I believe. Agree about Ketheric though; his time is brief but he's intimidating as fuck and you can actually feel every word he says
Honestly one of the smoothest ad transitions I’ve ever heard
I love how level like 3 or 4 goblin one shots ketheric with a non magical halbard, meanwhile it takes a level 6 me 4-6 divine smites with powerful magical artifacts and weapons to kill him... Makes sense.
The noise I made when I saw this in my sub box... Can't wait to watch. Love your videos on the Baldur's Gate games!
Great video. Act 2 is honestly my favorite part of the game and ketheric is probably my favorite part of it. It’s cool how in this game, you face off with the strongest of the dead three first, it’s more realistic and isn’t a kind of a staircase progression.
Ketheric and Raphael are some of the most interesting and in depth villain's in all of the games I have played and they both happened to be part of the same game.
Over an hour of an essay about Ketheric Thorm is my excuse for being late today.
Ohhhh baby!! Ghostcharm is back, we making it out of the Druid's Grove with this one!
I literally just played bg3 on my first playthrough and fought ketheric last night then watched videos on his backstory. Now a ghostcharm is up?? Nice nice nice
I don't even have to watch this to know it's going to SLAP but I'm still going to. Love the Pedia series!
Actually goated episode Ghost, good work!
This guy's backstory could have been an entire game itself. That's wild XD
Why has it taken so long for a video like this to exist?! I want more!!! I’ve subscribed waiting for the next one ❤
I only just put together than the Absolute’s icon is the combination of the dead three’s! Crazy
Bhaal doesn't get much visual representation, though.
Fantastic Video well done! You covered a lot of information and truths. Sums it all up
After I saw you make a bg1 and bg2 video then I knew bg3 was next. I was convinced you were gonna do a video on Ketheric because imo he's the most unique, but to get a video on all 3 of the main antagonists? Oh ghost you spoil us
The lore of the forgotten realms goes a lot further back, Ed Greenwood had said on his own UA-cam channel that the foundation for the forgotten realms goes back to the 1960s in his own personal writings
I feel left out when most of the fandom praises Ketheric's character, and I just involuntarily roll my eyes and yawn whenever he does his woe is me schtick.
This was so well done. Definitely going to do another playthrough after watching this.
What a great video!
Time to continue BG3, so i won't spoiler myself watching the next 2 videos.
grief can make even the kindest person do the worst things he just wanted his daughter back,now this is how you do a badass sympathetic villain
kethric is definitly my favorite villain.
I installed BG3 again yesterday, and now you drop this
It's a sign that I'm on the right path
Video is literally 1:11:11.
I wish Ketheric would've gotten a Magic the Gathering card when they released their Baldur's Gate set. I have a Myrkul Commander deck & it would've been cool to have a card of him in the decklist.
It’s always a great day when Ghostcharm uploads! Thank you! I can’t wait to see your take on Ketheric!
Ghostcharm you are truly a man after my own heart making the kinds of content i enjoy seeing most on the platform, glad to have discovered your channel, excellent video, excellent taste in games, keep up the good work brother
I’m a bit disappointed to hear nothing about the scrapped ideas of Halsin being the killer of Isobel via the spear “sorrow”
Every one of the Tavs shown in this video are so cool! The Dragonborn is so badass!
Jk Simmons is a real one, may he never not stop being a legend.
I can't wait to see the next two parts of this series! What a terrific cast of antagonists this game has.
Ketheric is a villain that I genuinely felt bad for, he was manipulated and used as nothing more than a puppet by the gods a fallen paladin twisted by grief and sorrow. I kinda wish you could help him redeemed himself atleast in the eyes of Seluna and Isobel in so he could go to the same afterlife as Melodia even if he just dies anyway after a Darth Vader style redemption.
Do a villianpedia of Brother NieR please! He's a villain that had no idea he was a villain until the end.
i want a compilation of every time ghost says some variation of "the childhood/ early life of this character is unknown" lol I know it's just a common thing in games but every character video I'm expecting to hear the line again haha