Who Is Myrkul in Baldur’s Gate 3?

With the last main Baldur’s Gate game released over 20 years ago, there’s a big chance that a good chunk of players are experiencing the Forgotten Realms for the first time with Baldur’s Gate 3. If that is your case, then knowing a bit of lore could enhance your playthrough. While you might not understand any reference that may come across, some stories are worth knowing. One of the most important ones involves the Dead Three. Let us take a closer look at Myrkul’s story before the Baldur’s Gate 3 events.

Myrkul, the Lord of the Dead

If you have followed the story of the Dead Three, that is, the trio comprised of Bhaal, Myrkul, and Bane, you know that these three characters used to be mere mortal assassins who made a pact to gather as much power as possible. They were masters of the physical and mystical arts and even possessed some diving power after killing Maram of the Great Spear. They still desired more. That’s what led them to seek full divinity by confronting the god Jergal, the Lord of the End of Everything.

After being tricked into fighting each other, the Dead Three eventually agreed with the god to divide Jergal’s divine power between the three. Myrkul got to choose which portfolio to choose right after Bane. He decided to become the Lord of the Dead, sovereign of the underworld. Of all the Dead Three, Myrkul was not as prominent as his other two companions, but he was great at inducing fear all across the mortal races.

Myrkul and the Time of Troubles

He became a very well-known and feared deity thanks to his several epic crusades. One example is the episode with Akachi, a priest who renounced his faith and worship of Myrkul. The Lord of the Dead punished him severely, transforming him into a faceless man and spreading fear.

Eventually, he allied himself with Bane again. They planned to steal the powerful artifacts known as the Tablets of Fate. To their misfortune, these were property of Ao, the overgod who ruled all over the other deities. As retaliation, Myrkul and all the other deities, including Bane and Bhaal, became mortal wanderers in Toril.

Myrkul and Bane tried to recover the Tablets of Fate. However, this effort led to the disintegration of Myrkul’s avatar on the way to the Celestial Stairway. The resulting dust then drifted to the Mere of Dead Men, near Neverwinter. Once the dust settled, it caused undead to rise all across the area. The majority of his power was absorbed by Cyric, who after killing Bhaal and absorbing part of Bane’s power, became a powerful god, temporarily assuming the roles of the Dead Three.

The Crown of Horns

However, the remaining of Myrkul’s power entered into the Crown of Horns. Although limited, Myrkul was able to influence whoever used the crown. He effectively continued his reign of fear through silent and subtle suggestions to the minds of mortals. He remained in this state until the Second Sundering. After this event, Myrkul became the Lord of the Dead. However, he ended up sharing his domain with the aforementioned Jergal. Just like Bhaal and Bane, he became a quasi-deity. Since the Second Sundering takes place before Baldur’s Gate 3, Myrkul continues to lurk in the Forgotten Realms in his current mortal state.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available for PCs and will be released for the PlayStation 5 on September 6, 2023.