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fantasyfictionfables · 16 hours

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I have been thinking on this question for a long time: How did Gale the orb? Considering that DUrge and Gortash had to go to Hell to steal the Crown from Mephistopheles (one of the major nine archdevils), I feel like Gale probably went on some horribly dangerous quest to get this thing. I imagine his family and friends probably didn't see him in the months preceeding him geting the orb, and suddenly hear he's back in the city and no longer taking visitors. But I'm interested in how others envision him coming into possession of it.

Hello hello Anon ☺️

This is such a great question, thank you!

It’s interesting that you mention Gale going on some horribly dangerous quest, because I think it’s safe to say that Gale must have embarked on many such quests during his time as Chosen.

WARNING: I nerded out way too hard about this, so it’s going to be a loooong one. Bear with me 🙏🏼

Let’s start with the basics.

What do the Chosen of Mystra do?

In a nutshell, their main concern is to fight evil and imbalances in the Weave, but also to promote and advance the use of magic in a safe and controlled manner, so as not to put the world (and magic itself) at risk.

So, a bit like itinerant teachers/researchers/preachers, they will go out into the world to spread magic and further the existing knowledge of it.

On some occasions, they will offer counsel to rulers and others in a position of power (think of what mages do in The Witcher).

But, on many occasions, they will also need to stop anyone misusing the Weave (by whatever means necessary), and ensure that only those who are deemed as ‘deserving’ are allowed to wield magic. Sounds dangerous, right?!

And then, there is the issue of Silver Fire, which all Chosen of Mystra are canonically imbued with (so we can assume that Gale, too, must have been able to wield this at some point). This is an extremely powerful magical flame which is, essentially, made of pure Weave and capable of obliterating any objects, undead creatures, and most living beings on impact. Probably something that at least one or two ill-intentioned (and deluded) magic users would kill to get their hands on, right?!

So, yes — I think it’s safe to say that Gale has most definitely experienced his fair share of danger before both the orb and the tadpole found a new, cosy home inside his body.

Now, on to the next point.

How did Gale come across the orb?

Okay, so this is what Gale says when he tells us the story of his downfall (Gale’s Folly, as he calls it):

[…] in the course of my studies I learned of a book. A Netherese tome in which a piece of the fractured Weave had been sealed beyond [Mystra’s] reach.

But what does this mean?

It means that, although the orb lodging itself inside his body and feeding upon his magic was an event that Gale could not have foreseen, him coming across the orb was no accident at all. He knew of the book, he knew that it contained some extremely powerful magic, and yet he sought it out anyway. Why?

Love? Ambition? The desire to please his goddess? Sure. But also, he honestly believed that the book contained a piece of Mystra’s lost Weave, and what danger could there ever be in that? Besides, if he ever even thought that opening the book might be dangerous, he also thought that his abilities as an Archwizard and a Chosen would save him.

Is it hubris to believe in yourself and your abilities? Is it hubris to believe that you are capable of doing exactly what your goddess has tasked you with: protecting and nurturing her magic?

Of course, Mystra never asked him to retrieve the book — he went out on a limb and did it of his own volition. But it shouldn’t have been any harder than retrieving a magical artefact at her request, or dealing with dangerous magic on her behalf. He had done it so many times before, and he had never failed. It should have been easy. Only, this time, it wasn’t.

Should the Netherese provenance of the book have warned him of its dangerous contents and dissuaded him from opening it? Sure. But, really, how much more dangerous could it have been than facing Shar’s Shadow Weave? That is one of the Chosen’s main responsibilities, after all, and we can assume that Gale must have had some dealings with that, too.

Besides, the Chosen are tasked with researching magic to improve upon the existing knowledge of the Weave. So, Gale was, once again, doing his job when he decided to go look for the book and retrieve the magic inside it. Sure, wizards are innately curious — but it wasn’t curiosity that killed the proverbial cat here (or unleashed the orb, in this case), it was lack of information.

If Mystra had been more forthcoming about the existence of the Karsite Weave and its dangers — if she had not tried to gatekeep the information from her Chosen — Gale would not have sought out the book, and he most definitely wouldn’t have opened it, in the misguided belief that he was properly equipped to deal with its contents.

Finally, let’s move on to the crux of the matter.

How did Gale acquire the book?

Well, where could such a book have been hiding? Surely, it can’t just have been lying around on a dusty shelf in some gods-forsaken bookstore.

If The Annals of Karsus, a tome containing no real magic (except for a Scroll of Dethrone), is kept locked away in the vaults of Sorcerous Sundries (because the knowledge contained within it is dangerous), it makes sense for a book that actually contains dark, powerful magic to be also stashed away in a secure location, where people cannot chance upon it and accidentally unleash its catastrophic contents.

As an aside, I would also like to imagine that such a tome must require a very complex spell to be unlocked (it’s not Tom Riddle’s diary, just there to be opened by anyone with hands), one that only an extremely adept practitioner of the Art could master. Definitely not something that your average Lorroakan could open, but certainly no big deal for a Chosen.

So where exactly did Gale find the book?

Well, let’s look at where some of the most powerful artefacts in Forgotten Realms lore are stored and, hopefully, we’ll get some ideas.

The Nether Scrolls, a collection of scrolls created before Netheril with the purpose of gathering all known magical knowledge into one location: although information about their current location is scarce, what we do know is that some of them were once stolen by the elves and stored at Windsong Tower, a school of magic in the ancient elven city of Myth Drannor, long before the events of BG3.

The Scepter of the Sorcerer-Kings, designed by the Netherese to strip gods of their power: its current whereabouts are also unknown, but it’s mainly been owned by powerful spellcasters (who I don’t think would have simply left it lying around for anyone to grab).

The Scepter of Savras, an artefact created by Azuth and capable of containing the essence of a god. It is known to have been in the possession of Syluné Silverhand (daughter and Chosen of Mystra) for many years, and then eventually handed back over to Azuth before the Spellplague, when it vanished again or was possibly destroyed.

The Crown of Karsus: this was held in Mephistopheles’s vault prior it being stolen to control the Netherbrain.

The Blackstaff: stored inside Blackstaff Tower, seat of Blackstaff Academy. We don’t happen to know of a wayward young apprentice who managed to steal such a powerful item just to prove his worth, do we?

Based on the examples above, I think we can safely assume that the book would most likely have been in the possession of a powerful individual/institution with strong links to the arcane.

Because of its worth, and the inherent threat it posed, I would be tempted to lean towards it being stored in the vaults of a respected magical institution, where it could be easily protected by a group of people rather than one single person who might be tempted to open it.

See where I’m going with this?

No, I’m not saying that Gale stole something from under the Blackstaff’s nose again (although it would admittedly be incredibly funny).

All I’m saying is that many respectable institutions would have gladly opened their doors to The Great Gale of Waterdeep, Chosen of Mystra™️, and that it probably wouldn’t have sounded all that weird for him to want to view such an artefact.

People probably even let him handle the book unsupervised, because surely a Chosen would know of its danger? And, surely, he would never do anything to threaten the safety of the Weave (and Mystra along with it)?

So, yes, for all the perils that Gale must have faced in his career as Chosen, I think that getting access to the book was actually extremely easy for him. Getting it out of such an institution, however, must have been an altogether different matter, one that required considerable skill.

So how did he do it?

Charm, a penchant for mischief, and plenty of talent.

Sure, Gale may often complain about having to be stealthy; however, is he or is he not the same guy who stole the Blackstaff as a child? I’m sure he can be plenty sneaky when he wants to!

Besides, let’s not forget his magical prowess! Who knows, maybe he just cast Wish and the book simply materialised into his hands without him even needing to leave his study!

Okay, surely protection wards would have been in place to avoid just such a scenario, but it’s a fun thought nonetheless.

In all honesty, I think that he did it by simply making use of his best skill, the one we know he’s great at: elaborate illusions.

Think of that scene from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, when the image of an empty corridor is projected onto a screen so that Ethan Hunt can freely sneak into the Kremlin’s archive and steal precious information while the guards remain blissfully unaware.

Exchange technology for magic, throw in some extra charm and a masterful bit of sneaking, and voilà, you have one very smug wizard, a mysterious book ready to be opened, and the promise of greatness just lying there, within reach…

What could possibly go wrong?

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