Baldur’s Gate 3is a sprawling game packed with NPCs and magical items, a surprising number of which connect to one another in the story if players look hard enough. Things like the lightning-powered creations of Yrre the Sparkstruck being inspired by their creator’s time with Lenore, the arcane cleric of the Underdark tower, make the world feel very alive. And evensome of the unsolved mysteries inBaldur’s Gate 3work toward making its world feel larger.
One such mystery revolves around an iconic magic item that players can find early in the game — theIron Flask. The Flask isa unique legendary item that resembles a small hellish furnace, and it can be used to hold an insanely powerful being as a prisonerinside it. It is being sent to somebody via the Zhentarim’s Black Network, but the game never confirms who. This Flask, and the Spectator held within, have been the focus of many discussions within the player base. But after some research, I think I know to whom this Flask belongs.
Tracking The Iron Flask Across Acts One And Three
Following This Item From The Frontiers To The Lower City
The party can first findthe Iron Flaskin a cave during Act One, whereit is being smuggled by members of the Zhentarim. The two Zhent with the Flask, Olly and Rugan, are being accosted by Gnolls, and will only survive if the party intervenes on their behalf. They are grateful, and that gratitude can be exploited to either steal or strong-arm the Flask from them. At that point, it becomes a one-use throwable item that can set loose a hostile Spectator. But where are these two headed with their cargo if left unimpeded?
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Their first destination is the Zhentarim hideout below Waukeen’s Rest, where there is an underground passage that leads through to the Underdark. In all likelihood,the Zhents' intentions are to move it through that passage and out the other end, where they will end up fairly close to the city of Baldur’s Gate. As players can learn if they never steal the Flask, but do save Olly and Rugan, Baldur’s Gate is their intended destination. Another Zhent agent, Slick Inatra, can be found with the Flask in her possession at the Guild headquarters.
Another NPC, Postmaster Danzo, can be found in Rivington awaiting the arrival of the package containing the Iron Flask. But based on how Inatra ends up with the Flask, it’s likely he is just a middleman to get the Flask through the city walls.
Unfortunately, even if players side with the Zhentarim in the Zhent-Guild battle,Inatra never actually delivers this cargo to its recipient.While the Zhentarim are the smugglers getting the item from point A to point B, the game’s story ends before players can ever learn who in the city actually paid to receive the Flask andthe creature within.
The Lower City Holds Numerous Suspects Who May Want A Spectator
Several Suspicious Characters Who May Want This Aberration
That’s not to say, however, that we can’t speculate based on the characters players can meet in the lower city. There are a number of rich and magically-inclined individuals who would likely have both an interest in the Iron Flask and the connections through which to hire the Zhentarim. Three stand out in particular as the main suspects:the wizard Lorroakan, the alchemist Araj Oblodra, and the diabolist Helsik.
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Each of these NPCs trades in illicit magical items and has little moral scruples when it comes to working with a group like the Zhentarim.All three are also fairly wealthy: Lorroakan possesses a vault full of magical goodies, Araj was originally from a noble Drow family, and Helsik hasthe devil Mammonat her back to finance her pursuits.
Figuring out whether the Flask’s recipient was interested in it for the Spectator inside, the item itself, or both, is part of what makes this mystery so interesting.
As for why each of these characters would want the Flask, there are different answers for each. Lorroakan is researching ways to trap an Aasimar called the Nightsong and may have wanted the Flask as a way to do so. Araj Oblodra is performing experiments on rare magical creatures for her potions and poisons, and Spectator eyes are quite useful in that regard. Helsik is a merchant who trades infernal items, andthe Flask seems to resemble many other infernal devices seen inBG3, so it’s possible the Flask originated in the Hells.
Araj Oblodra Is The Most Likely Recipient
This Poisoner Has The Most Cause To Want The Flask
Ultimately,the majority of the evidence seems to point towards Araj Oblodra as the culprit who ordered the Iron Flask, and there are several specific details backing this up. Number one, Oblodra is already known to experiment on live Spectators, given the one found tortured in her lab’s basement. Spectators are dangerous and would be difficult to transport without something like an Iron Flask, so this might actually be a tool she uses often.
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Number two, Araj’sconnections to the Underdarkwould give her greater knowledge of the Zhentarim’s network and of Spectators in general than the other two suspects. And number three,both of the other suspects have more efficient ways of transporting goods than using the Zhent.Lorroakan has access to teleportation circles, and Helsik seems to procure most of her goods from the Hells, not the other way around. While this can’t be confirmed, it seems most likely that Araj Oblodra is the individual who ordered the Iron Flask toBaldur’s Gate.
