Despite being steeped in the lore of the Forgotten Realms, Baldur’s Gate 3 strives to make itself accessible to new players. It goes out of its way to provide concise information and explanations for characters connected to past events, such as the fall of Netheril and Sarevok’s conquest of Baldur’s Gate. One event in particular deserves a lot of explanation, being the fall of Elturel on Avernus, something that actually happened during an established period Dungeons and Dragons module before BG3 it happens.
Descent into Avernus It’s a 2019 D&D campaign book that follows the city of Elturel and its inhabitants as they are dragged to hell by the archdevil Zariel. Generally, BG3 does a good job of showing how these events affected the world, specifically in its relationship to the tiefling refugees encountered throughout the game from the city. But one character, Zevlor, is linked to a specific group of Day this is never fully explained in the video game: the Hellriders.
Zevlor’s role as Hellrider has history
Who were these hellish warriors?
Essentially, Baldur’s Gate 3The Hellriders of Elturel were once elite warriors who fought for Elturel before the city fell into hell. As the name suggests, they fought mainly on horseback and helped defend the city from early threats. Many of them were clerics and paladins, sworn to serve their people. The position was highly respected and, more importantly, the Hellriders were supposed to serve for life.
Zevlor was once a Hellrider, although he now appears to reject the title. It seems that some Tiefling refugees have already been included in their ranks, including Tilses and possibly Cerys. They are the most formidable warriors among the refugees, even without mounts to ride into battle, and carry weapons and armor with special Hellrider enchantments. Although he no longer wants to be called Hellrider, Zevlor still cares deeply for his people and puts his strength into keeping them safe as they travel to Baldur’s Gate.
D&D’s Descent into Avernus Details the Hellriders
A past linked to a certain archdevil
Historically, the Hellriders are linked to Zariel, as explained in Descent into Avernus module. Once, when Zariel was still Celestial, she led an army in the Blood War to help combat demons trying to terrorize Faerun. Many of the Hellriders joined her, but when the fight turned against them, they retreated, abandoning Zariel and allowing her to be captured by demons. This was what eventually resulted in Zariel becoming an archdevil, and she continued to hold a grudge against the Hellriders who abandoned her.
Centuries later, Zariel would return to take revenge on the city of Elturel. Through a deal gone wrong with the town leader, she would drag the city itself to Avernus, recruiting its people for the Blood War to make up for his ancestor’s betrayal. This event was what drove tiefling refugees like Zevlor to Avernus, and they would not escape until a group of adventurers managed to save them. These adventurers, of course, would have been players of a Descent into Avernus campaign.
Baldur’s Gate 3 begins right around the time the Descent into Avernus would have ended, with Elturel’s tieflings now exiled from the city and turned into refugees. Although it wasn’t their fault, tieflings generally got the blame for what happened given their hellish ancestry, and now they must look for a new home. It is likely that tieflings like Zevlor, who must also deal with the guilt of the previous Hellrider’s defection, felt compelled to take leadership positions in the group of refugees to guide them to safety.
How being a Hellrider shaped Zevlor in BG3
Betrayal and loyalty are central to Zevlor’s story
Knowing about Zevlor’s past and the guilt he may carry influences his story very well throughout the game. Assuming Zevlor survives the attack on the grove in Act One, the tiefling refugees in Act Two will end up being attacked by Absolute forces, and Zevlor will have been unable to protect them. According to the refugees, he also froze and encouraged them to surrender after being influenced by the Absolute. This betrayal of his people contributes to Zevlor’s guilt over his failure as a protector and forms a nice parallel to the Hellriders of old.
However, that’s not where Zevlor’s story ends. Players can rescue him from the Illithid Oubliette, and he expresses remorse for letting his people down. Then, in the Third Act, he may appear in the final fight to help the group fight the Absolute. This moment of returning to the fight and once again winning the Hellrider title is a great ending to Zevlor’s arc that gives him and his ancestors a moment of redemption in Baldur’s Gate 3.