Troubling Baldur's Gate 3 Character Is Even Thirstier Than You Thought

13.11.2023 - 16:53 / screenrant.com

Closely inspecting one character in reveals some sordid secrets about their love life. It's no secret that romance is a major element of. Besides the core romanceable companions, there are several random, amorous encounters for players to discover. And it's strongly implied that, even off-screen, characters like Isobel and Aylin, Alfira and Lakrissa, Blurg and Omeluum, and other NPCs have romances of their own, constantly sneaking off to spend some private time together.

But there's one character in particular who's just eminently, at times disturbingly, thirsty. While this mostly takes place outside the player's purview, there are more than a few hints to make it abundantly clear. However, they're not easy to find unless players know where to look, and are able to communicate in one of the Forgotten Realms’ most arcane, diabolical tongues.

Related: One Easily Missed Baldur's Gate 3 Mechanic Will Have Companions Camping In Style

Haarlep wears an apparently custom piece of lingerie with the inscription, “” embossed on the chestpiece. Naturally, this refers to their innate ability to shapeshift, allowing them to take any number of bodily forms. This isn’t immediately clear, as the inscription appears to be written in a series of indecipherable runes at first glance. However, these are more than nonsense: they’re actually letters in the Infernal script, used throughout the Nine Hells for inter-devil communication. Infernal script is designed to be “,” letter-for-letter, into the English alphabet, so the inscription is readable by anyone with the right knowledge and a chart of Infernal runes.

Players first encounter Haarlep during their journeys through the House of Hope, during which they may choose to confront or side with the cambion Raphael. Haarlep inhabits Raphael’s boudoir, and looks exactly like him at first, but may also take a feminine form depending on how the conversation proceeds. A little further wordplay reveals another crucial detail: “” is an anagram of “,” so they actually serve as something of a body double for the mischievous devil. Inspecting Haarlep a little more closely reveals that they’re actually an incubus, a type of shape-shifting demon who seduces and steals the souls of unsuspecting mortals.

However, Haarlep seems to play a slightly different role. Their residence in Raphael’s boudoir suggests that Haarlep is Raphael’s lover. That’s probably what the inscription on their harness refers to: Raphael may request that Haarlep take different forms depending on his shifting preferences. However, what’s truly disturbing is that, when players first encounter them, Haarlep takes the form of Raphael. It’s certainly no secret that Raphael is in love with himself, but with Haarlep’s