Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign that acts as a loose prequel to Baldur’s Gate 3, as it explains the origins of the Tiefling crisis and introduces characters who will be important in the game, like Duke Ulder Ravengard.
A user on theBaldur’s Gate 3 Reddithas discovered a familiar face in Descent into Avernus, as Duke Belynne Stelmane is named in the book. Her entry mentions how she suffered a seizure after an encounter with a mind flayer.
This small reference would have huge relevance in Baldur’s Gate 3, as it refers to theEmperor and how they influenced Baldurian politicsby using their psionic powers to influence Duke Stelmane and the mental struggle between them, which took a toll on the Duke.
Baldur’s Gate 3 underwent many changes during development, such as theNightsong’s design being totally reworkedand one of the main villains being a potential companion.
It’s unclear exactly how much of the original story remained in the final game, especially regarding the mind flayers and the Emperor’s identity.
There’s a chance that the Duke Stelmane reference was originally something small that was expanded when the narrative direction changed, or maybe it was there the whole time as an intentional hint at a story beat that would take years to fruition.
Whatever the case, Descent into Avernus has lots of little nods like this that people will notice in Baldur’s Gate 3.
It’s just a shame that Larian has confirmed thatBaldur’s Gate 3 won’t receive DLC, as that would have been the perfect way to follow up on the campaign’s events, with Tav facing off against Zariel, the Archduchess of Hell, among the fiery pits of Avernus, in a battle that caps off both storylines.
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Scott Baird is a Games Writer on Dexerto’s UK team, specializing in Pokemon, Baldur’s Gate, Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, and Magic The Gathering, and Nintendo games. He also has bylines at Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, Screen Rant, The Gamer, and TopTenz.
