[Story - Spoilers] About Bolverk

[The Isoscelian]

Good day.
I finished this game a few days ago, and I am still trying to understand what's the deal with Bolverk. I really hope one dev associated to the story could enlighten me on this topic.

So, at the end of TBS2, we're fighting Bolverk, possessed by the - O so angry - Spirit of Bellower, who's body lies in a crate, located in the same room. In my game, I was demolished by Bolverk at the end of the game.

In TBS 3, we're being stalked by Bolverk, leading an army of warped.

- While Juno and company refers to Bolverk as both Bellower AND Bolverk at different point of the story, It is apparent Bolverk is in control, as he speaks as Bolverk. EG, when, at the end of the game, he mentions being baffled by his own alliance with the Dredges (Which makes little sense, as he is leading warped). See, it would make sense having Bellower in charge, leading Dredges to Kill Iver, but I don't understand why Bolverk is leading warped. Or what his motivation is, TBH. He might be angry about having been played by Juno, but I hardly find it enough to justify his attemps to stop them saving the world.

- Bellower was in control at the end of TBS2, but at no point he seems to be in control in TBS3. He does not mention Raze. He shows no sign of hatred toward Iver. During the battle, we don't even see Bellower superimposed on him like at the end of Banner saga 2. Bellower presence cannot be felt anywhere other than in the party's conversations.

- What happened to his body ? I don't consider this point a plothole, as the tower was destroyed, and this point could be explored later. Still. When his body is brought back, why doesn't he goes back to his body, but stays in Bolverk ?

How the character is written in TBS3 is really a huge hindrance for my enjoyement of TBS3. I feel like the main antagonist makes little sense, as his motivation is unclear, due to an unclear characterization.

I would love to read other player's view on this. Maybe I'm just overthinking it.

[Jet]

i agree w/ you 100%

[Aleonymous]

Here's how I understand things:

- I don't recall any direct indication (text, convo) that Bello is controlling Bolvy in Saga3. But, there are plenty of hints... We've asked Alex Thomas (Stoic writer) on this and he said that Bolverk is no longer possessed by Bellower.

- I believe that after the collapse of Manaharr tower, the two are split. Bolverk is reanimated by the Serpent, while Bello opens his eyes when the Silver Arrow is removed. Bolverk probably lost his mind to red rage, so he turns against (a) Juno & Eyvind & Iver, because it's the last "enemies" he was chasing as Bello-Bolvy, (b) the Ravens and Folka, because it's his former warband now seemingly under the control of his enemies (J&E, Iver). I think it's safe to say that Bolverk has gone berserk in Saga3...

- All this enmity of Bolvy can probably be attributed to the "poison" of the Serpent, which he used to help him recover after the collapse of the tower. Most likely the Serpent also gave Bolvy the power to control Warped, be they of human, varl, dredge or horsebron origin.

- Also according to Alex Thomas, Bellower was intentionally left in the background of Saga3; the previous two games are about him: Saga1 (fully) and Saga2 (through mind-control), so they didn't want this last game to be also about Bellower. So, in Saga3, he only "appears" in a text-event in Chapter 21, hunting down the Ravens (Eyvind, Juno, Iver actually).

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All that said, I have to admit that Bolverk (even Bello-possessed) was actually one of my favorite characters in the series; it's not everyday that you get to roleplay a blood-thirsty mercenary and be actually rewarded for being cruel and pragmatic! So, all in all, I was saddened to find out that Saga3 had no gameplay from his POV

[The Isoscelian]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to clarify these points Aleo, I really appreciate it.

Your comments are raising even MORE questions on my side to be honest, but I don't want to convey the feeling I'm being disrespectfull to the Story team by counter-arguing one by one all these points.

Anyway, if you look at the big picture, this tale is still fantastic.