The truth behind one of Baldur's Gate 3's most hotly-debated lines might have been found lurking in a 28-year-old D&D source book

gamesradar.com:

The answer to one of the most hotly-debated lines in Baldur's Gate 3 might have been found lurking in a decades-old D&D source book.

This article contains late-game spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.

If you've made it to the end of Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3, you'll have met Enver Gortash. The archduke of the city is up to some nefarious deeds, and you get your first peek at him beneath Moonrise Tower, shortly before you head to Baldur's Gate itself. For many players, that first peek was a source of some confusion.

See, you're technically first introduced to Gortash in Act 1, when you're presented with a vision of the Absolute's chosen. You don't get to see them as anything more than a silhouette, but we do get descriptions of them: the central figure is "an armored male elf," but the figure on the left is described as "a handsome younger man with a quick easy smile."

The thing is, ever since the community started to get a proper look at Gortash, many of them have found that description to be somewhat lacking. There's the 'Gortash facelift' mod that aims to improve his appearance, the posts describing him as a catfish or simply asking why on earth anyone thinks he's actually attractive, and the comparisons to edgy frontmen of overly emotional bands. There's clearly something there, but 'handsome' does not appear to be the descriptor the community has settled on, and as a result that initial introduction has been heavily queried in the months since Baldur's Gate 3's release. Finally, however, one player might have found the source of all that confusion.

Earlier this week, a post on the Baldur's Gate 3 subreddit offered an "explanation for Gortash being described as handsome and young." That post highlights a description of Bane's Avatar:

Bane preferred never to be seen in person and hence almost never sent a pure avatar to the Realms. He did possess mortals from time to time to serve as his ersatz avatars, preferring young and good-looking men of slim build, cultured