Summary
The concept of a warlock is one of the more interesting premises inDungeons & Dragons. Sorcerers are just born with an innate ability to cast magic because of the virtue of their birth; that’s boring right? The high-risk, high-reward power acquisition method of making a dangerous deal with a demonic entity is far more exciting than someone having natural talent.
InBaldur’s Gate 3, warlocks can choose between three different subclasses (four after Patch 8 releases), each with a different flavour of infernal contract. The Fiend subclass is similar to Wyll Ravengard’s deal with Zariel; the player sells their soul to a demon or devil in exchange for powerful abilities. The Archfey subclass involves a deal with a powerful fey creature, while the new Hexblade subclass being added in the upcoming Patch 8 will grant powers in exchange for an agreement with a creature from the mysterious Shadowfell.
An Ancient Evil
The description of the final subclass, The Great Old One, reads as follows: “You pledged something unthinkable to an unspeakably ancient entity - which in return furnished you with powers of cerebral entropy and control.” There are a plethora of potential ancient entities which are applicable here, but one keen-eyed player believes they’ve identified the specific Great Old One involved in this deal.
ElectricArrow456posits a simple theory based on post-game dialogue with Gale (if Gale has ascended to become the god of ambition). They describe a unique dialogue option where a Great Old One warlock mentions “He Who Lurks”. A similar title, “That Which Lurks”, is ascribed to Ghaunadaur, a greater god of abominations, oozes and outcasts.
Ghaunadaur is a member of the drow pantheon, and is described by Lolth as “being old even before Ao’s time.” Ao is responsible for creating many of Faerun’s deities, holding the title of “The Overgod”, meaning Ghaunadaur is certainly ancient and obscure enough to be described as a “great old one.”
Whether or not the dialogue is referring to Ghaunadaur, or if it’s intended to be generic to allow players to imagine whatever appropriate deity they want, is unknown. Given the ambiguity of the other subclasses, the latter seems more likely.
However, Ghaunadaur is certainly a deity that fits with the theme of the Great Old One subclass, making our original poster technically correct.
