User blog:Mattia Garavini/Pure Evil proposal: Amelyssan the Blackhearted

Another PE from the Baldur's Gate games. This time i'll talk about a nasty power hungry witch called Amelyssan, also known as Melissan.

What's the work?
Baldur's Gate is a Role-Playing Game series set in the High Fantasy setting of Forgotten Realms, using an adaptation of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition ruleset. The focus is on quests, characterization and dialogue, combined with a solid combat system and a continuous plotline. The original games were developed by BioWare and published by Black Isle Studios. More recently, other developers have taken up work on the series — updated editions and a new expansion were produced by Beamdog, which was founded by BioWare alumni, and in 2019, it was announced that a full new game would be created by Larian Studios. (Of Divinity Original Sin fame).

The plot of the main games center around a hero (often called Charname by fans) who is regularly pursued due to power granted by a mysterious father of divine origin: Some want those abilities for themselves, others are simply fearful of what the hero may become because they know that great powers can get to your head and turn you evil. The first game centers around the hero learning about the powers and their source; the second deals with the consequences and choices that come with that power and knowledge.

The series is best known for its memorable selection of sidekicks, which your hero can have up to five of at any time. All have distinct, if sometimes simple, personalities and backstories, and most will drag you into at least one side quest unique to them if they stay on your team long enough. Especially in the sequel, they become fully fleshed-out characters and have a tendency to make comments or suggestions about the current situation, and interact with each other extensively.

Who is she and what she has done?
Melissan, also known as Amelyssan the Blackhearted, was a priestess of Bhaal the god of murder and the main antagonist of Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, the exoansion of Shadow of Amn. Before his death, Bhaal required someone to guard his essence in order for his resurrection to occur, and entrusted the task to Melissan, meaning she had access to his essence.

Eventually, she wanted the power for herself, and pretended to protect the Bhaalspawn while turning them against each other, so their divinity would give her more power. Melissan is the final enemy of the Charname's saga.

Amelyssan the Blackhearted, former High Priestess of Bhaal, poses as a kind woman called Melissan, saving the children of the dead God from the brutal blood purges and giving them sanctuary in the city of Saradush. However, behind the scenes, she is the one manipulating the purges, killing any individual with any connection to Bhaal as she absorbs the essence of each killed child of Bhaal, while simultaneously forming a clandestine team of powerful Bhaalspawn called The Five to plunge the world into war. Amelyssan manipulates Charname into eliminating the Five, but not before she allows their armies to invade the city, slaughtering everyone within, including the refugees who trusted her. Having gathered all of their Godly essence, Amelyssan is willing to throw the cosmos into chaos to, instead of resurrecting her God, betray him and take his place as the new God Of Murder.

Heinous standards
Being the most powerful priestess of the evil god of murder wasn't enough for her and she had no issues with causing lots of bloodshed and absorb the spiritual essence of Bhaal's children killed in her purges in order to be able to usurp her former master's place as the new god of murder.

Mitigating factors
Not really. She only posed as a benefactor for refugees in order to trap them in the city and have them killed by the armies of the Five, as well as to manipulate Charname and his/her companions.

Final verdict
Keep. Keep. Aaaaaand keep.