How did Sarevok know where to find Gorion and his ward?

[Lozaketh]

So I know a discussion can be had on how that fight should have gone down, or whether the way it went down went makes sense. For example if Gorion had cast group invisibility, or other options. I've read some threads on that which were interesting, but it's not the discussion I'm looking for here.

Specifically, I'm wondering how Sarevok even knew where to ambush Gorion. If it had been on the road that's one thing: people travel on roads, wait on the road for them to pass. But you get ambushed hundreds of feet north of the road. And it wasn't that Sarevok and his posse tracked you, or hunted you down while camped for a night. They appeared to be directly in your way as you traveled across a seemingly random part of wilderness.

On the meta-level I can see lots of explanations. Maybe the developers wanted the road to feel safe, so they put you on the road when you wake up and the ambush site is off to the side. The circles of stones on the ground make it easy for a player to recognize the location and remember the dramatic cutscene. Maybe the developers just wanted Gorion to be traveling off-road, but also wanted Sarevok to ambush him, so they just decided to have it happen without reason.

I suspect those are the real reasons, but for immersion purposes does anyone have explanation for how Sarevok ambushed you there? Divination magic is one possibility but Tamoko survives the fight, so why don't they use it to track you down afterwards? Or maybe there was an informant in Candlekeep who knew the path Gorion was taking, or even just saw him leave the road and the trajectory he was on, then someone got the message to Sarevok quickly. But it'd still be hard to guess the exact path he'd take. And maybe someone knew he was heading to the Friendly Arm Inn (as he said this aloud to you at least, at the gate) but normally the fastest path there would be along the road.

Actually a new idea occurs to me which seems strongest: Sarevok had an invisible associate waiting on the narrow path out of Candlekeep, who might have tailed you a little and met up with Sarevok nearby (perhaps he was waiting on the road) and they rushed to meet your off-road path. It's not like Gorion and his ward were sprinting. (Yes there's only 1 in-game speed but lore-wise people can walk, jog, sprint, etc.) And fighting you away from the walls of Candlekeep is just less hassle for Sarevok, which is why he's willing to spend an invisibility scroll or whatever.

I find analysis like this interesting and I'm wondering if anyone has any other ideas or thoughts on the question.

[Tyler Durden]

My guess is that Sarevok had someone skilled in divination magic locate the ward. He keeps a lot of high level mages around him; Cythandria, Alai, Naaman, Winski, etc, so it's possible one of them is skilled in that sort of magic.

[MidnaFeetEnjoyer]

Look around you while playing the game: assassins everywhere looking for your hide. Sarevok had already achieved status of a high political figure. He's smarter than most mages, more cunning than most thieves. He had associates, subordinates and lackies everywhere, and most of then didn't knew about each other, but knew almost exactly how to identify you. This man was single handedly controlling the whole sword coast to some extent. He had everything ready to be become a literal god and he would achieve that if not for you. It's easy to come to conclusion that he knew where you were because 1. You weren't anywhere else. 2. He could've already had a doppleganger spy, or spies in general somewhere amids the monks, but Gorion was too powerful to tackle with. 3. Again, he wasn't looking for Gorion, he was looking for YOU. He probably already knew everything about Gorion and you long before he started killing bhaalspawn, as well as how to identify a bhaalspawn. He wasn't necessarily 100% sure if he'd find you, but no doubt he used both his tacticionists and diviners, as well as his intelligence on harpers to conclude both the destination and the path you were taking.

[adhdedrn]

According to his diary, Sarevok also spent time in Candlekeep before the game started, researching the prophecies of Alaundo (it's how he found out he's a Bhaalspawn), and other entries in the diary also confirm that a) you're there and b) also a Bhaalspawn. So he knew exactly where you were before the game started but didn't have an easy way to get to you at the time.

He knew where you were and who you'd be with, and he knew there was only one way out of Candlekeep. He would know that Gorion wouldn't stick to the road since that provides no real cover, and that the patch north of the road would be a good spot since there's a really high chance he'd have to pass through it.

[StarScepter]

Well, Gorion lived in CK didn't he? The fact that he lived there wasn't kept secret. So, you just 'camp out' on the Lion Way and wait for your scouts to bingo.

[Sunday Driver]

It's funny that a guy who would be only above noob level and on a par with many unnamed guards you mow through in BG2 is ready to reach godhood. High level play does get kind of strange that way in all RPGs. The early boss character who can rule a nation or area with his power somehow becomes color swapped chaff later being a common one.

[adhdedrn]

Originally posted by Hoxilicious:

It's funny that a guy who would be only above noob level and on a par with many unnamed guards you mow through in BG2 is ready to reach godhood. High level play does get kind of strange that way in all RPGs. The early boss character who can rule a nation or area with his power somehow becomes color swapped chaff later being a common one.

He was probably working his way up to it - from what I can remember, CharName, Imoen, and Sarevok are the only Bhaalspawn in the area, so he was probably feeling kind of "big fish in a small pond."

[MidnaFeetEnjoyer]

Originally posted by Lofwyr:

Originally posted by Hoxilicious:

It's funny that a guy who would be only above noob level and on a par with many unnamed guards you mow through in BG2 is ready to reach godhood. High level play does get kind of strange that way in all RPGs. The early boss character who can rule a nation or area with his power somehow becomes color swapped chaff later being a common one.

He was probably working his way up to it - from what I can remember, CharName, Imoen, and Sarevok are the only Bhaalspawn in the area, so he was probably feeling kind of "big fish in a small pond."

He kills another bhaalspawn in baldurs gate, saying he will be the last, and his victim "the first". This is shown in the first cinematic. He throws that guy from a rooftop of a very high building. That guy says in desperation that "there are others" and that he can show them in an attempt to save his life. Doesn't take rocket science to conclude that this was Sarevok's first bhaalspawn kill and that there are plenty more. Who knows how many Sarevok kills between the cinematic and where the game begins. As well as while you're clearing out Nashkel mines and cloakwood + the whole sword coast being drenched with assassins