Baldur's Gate (comic)

Bgcomic01 — Cover artwork by Michael Sass

Baldur's Gate is 18 page promotional comic which was released in 1998.

The story has nothing to do with the events in the game but features a number of characters and locations from it. It revolves around Ajantis and Shar-Teel, who try to track down Eldoth in the city of Baldur's Gate.

Credits

Writing	Lukas Kristjanson & James Ohlen
Pencil/ Ink/ Letters	John Gallagher
Colours	Dean V. White
Cover	Michael Sass

Summary

Ajantis, Shar-Teel, Eldoth, Kivan and Tiax are traveling though the Cloakwood Forest towards Amn as protectors of a young soon-to-be bride of an Amnish Lord. However, the convoy gets attacked by a large band of hobgoblins. They fight valiantly but most everyone dies, including Kivan and Tiax. Ajantis receives a blow to the head, which knocks him unconscious. Shar-Teel wakes him up after the battle and he learns that Eldoth apparently kidnapped the bride and stole the dowry, which is several sacks full of riches, including platinum.

The two of them then set out to track them down, which leads them to Baldur's Gate. Their first stop there is a tavern, where they try to get some information on Eldoth's whereabouts, but no success. They leave the place and outside a human man with an eye-patch confronts them, who tries to sell them information. Shar-Teel however isn't having any of that and simply threatens him into giving them the information for free, which in return leads to Ajantis getting upset with her.

The newly acquired intel leads them to another inn where they find two men (possibly half-orcs) and the bride, the latter one laying dead in her own blood on the bed. Shar-Teel kills one of the men on the spot and Ajantis goes to interrogate the other one, who turns out to be working for Eldoth.

Their next stop is then the Undercellar, which they enter violently. At at table they find Eldoth who was playing poker but flees as soon as he spots his former party members. The duo tracks him into the sewers, where he is awaiting them with a group of hobgoblins at his side, resulting in another bloody battle. Ajantis and Shar-Teel kill the hobgoblins and the paladin wounds Eldoth. Eldoth sitting in his own blood, Ajantis tries to get an explanation from him. Just as he reveals that he had a partner whom he betrayed as well, Shar-Teel kills him.

Ajantis calls her out on being Eldoth's former partner which she calls nonsense. Evidently in anger, she then takes the dowry from Eldoth's corpse and hands one of the sacks to Ajantis, blaming him for accomplishing what Eldoth couldn't: because of his righteous accusations, their group now is really dead. She storms off, leaving Ajantis behind.

The comic then cuts to Ajantis visiting an appraiser who tells him that the sack is mostly filled with copper coins. The next scene shows Shar-Teel out in the wild on a horse, grinning at one of the copper coins from the dowry in her hand. She playfully snips the coin behind her as she keeps on riding.

Out-of-character Moments

There are some things in the comic, that do not add-up to what we know about the characters from the game.

Ajantis and Shar-Teel get along pretty well, all things considered.
Shar-Teel's hatred for men is not even brought up once, even though she travels with Ajantis the entire time.
- Even stranger that she would partner with Eldoth, of all people.
Ajantis cries when he sees Tiax dying.
He also refers to Eldoth as a "Mage." Whether or not this is a genuine error or a hint for Eldoth's class possibly being changed during development is unclear.