Baldur’s Gate 3: Who Are The Dead Three?

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• Who Are The Dead Three?

• Why Are They Called The Dead Three?

When you first start your journey through Baldur’s Gate 3, you’d be forgiven for thinking it to be an alien invasion story. You are, after all, abducted by space-traveling beings, who infect you with their probing. But the story is more about magic and deities than you might think.

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Among the gods most mentioned in the story are the Dead Three, although not much detail is shared if you’re not looking. Their story is a complicated one, starting with the fact that there are plenty of gods of Death, each with their own view of the concept and goals of the mortals.

Spoiler Warning!

Who Are The Dead Three?

The Dead Three are Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul, once mortal men that rose to godhood with their schemes and willpower. Before attaining divinity, they joined forces and slew all in their path, aiming to take the Throne of Bone from Jergal, Lord of the End of Everything.

The goals of the Dead Three are always aligned at first, but they are destined to betray each other in the end. As such, and after defeating countless undead creatures, once they stood before Jergal all they could do was argue. Argue over who would become the absolute God of Death.

But Jergal did not wish to fight them, not out of fear since he feared nothing. Jergal wanted out of his duties overseeing death, and saw the Three as an opportunity. He offered his throne to them, offering guidance when needed. And since the Three would not stop bickering, he suggested leaving the decision to Lady Luck.

So the Three played a game of chance called Knucklebones, with Bane being the clear victor, followed by Myrkul. So in that order they chose their divine realm: Bane became God of Tyranny, Myrkul God of Death and Necromancy leaving Bhaal as the God of Murder.

Why Are They Called The Dead Three?

They used to be called the Dark Three, at least before the Time of Troubles. This era was marked by Lord Ao, the god that oversees all others, stripping all deities of their power and sending them to the mortal realms to wonder.

During this time, the Dark Three did all they could to recover their powers, but were defeated by heroes at every turn. Ultimately, they hatched plans for their rebirth, since their defeat seemed impossible to prevent. Thus, with the three slain, they became the Dead Three. But their influence wouldn’t be stopped for long.

NEXT: Baldur's Gate 3: Who Is Lae'zel?