it is a conscious choice of mystra to initially present herself as this benevolent, courteous, and merciful being. a practiced and perfected approach she knows will compel gale to follow her demands with the least amount of resistance on his part. he already refused to follow her instructions when she sent elminster to request his death — his effective father figure, gale’s self-proclaimed hero, mentor, and the one who plucked him from obscurity in the first place — so another appeal is in order.
narrator: "elminster's visit weighs heavy on your mind. his face you did not expect to see again."
narrator: "when you last saw him, you were in your prime. no orb, no tadpole. a mage of growing renown, all power, pride, and potential - beloved by the goddess of magic herself.
narrator: "it's one thing to have fallen from such heights, but to have elminster himself now witness your humiliation is almost unbearable."
gale: [his disappointment cuts deeper even than mystra's. he was your hero.]
narrator: "while most know of elminster the legend, few know him as you have. he plucked you from obscurity. offered you his guidance. his faith. and most recently, his pity."
yet it is curious how quickly she changes her tune once gale doesn’t readily agree to her demand to return the crown of karsus to her, no questions asked. or even dares to impugn, or criticize her reasoning for leaving him to die.
gale: "a great ask indeed. you've given me much to think on - as you always did."
mystra: "so be it. follow the needles of your own wisdom. we shall see how truly it leads you."
gale: "because i disobeyed you. you punished me for it."
mystra: "how so? you think i should have cured you? erased the consequences of your actions?"
gale: "you break up with me, cut me off from the weave, leave me to die, and that's all you have to say? 'you look well'?"
mystra: "i did not come here to suffer a mortal's admonitions. certainly not yours."
gale: "you were threatened. you realised you couldn't control me."
mystra: "you were many things to me, but never a threat. and never a saviour."
nodecontext: sharper, almost a warning - don't entertain such thoughts, gale. you won't like where they lead.
gale: "i don't know. i need time to think."
mystra: "so be it. follow the needle of your own wisdom. we shall see how truly it leads you."
particularly interesting to note is how she uses his surname as a tool to chastise and taunt him. only referring to him as "gale dekarios" in the context of him displeasing her, when he doesn't readily obey, whether he simply wavers (needing time to think) or outright declines her instructions. she uses the very name he had actively discarded and refuses to be referred to at this point in time. a deliberate reminder of his fallible humanity, of the flaws he tried to distance himself from. she knows this.
gale: "i won't let you down again. when the absolute is vanquished, i will surrender karsus' powers to you. you have my word."
mystra: "thank you. may the weave's light guide your purpose, and it's wisdom guide your hand."
mystra: "the future of magic rests on your shoulders, gale of waterdeep".
mystra: "i promise you - it is a burden you are strong enough to bear."
gale: "i don't need your forgiveness. the crown of karsus will be mine, and the karsite weave will obey me."
mystra: "crown yourself, gale dekarios, and you will learn what it is to carry such weight upon your shoulders."
mystra: "if it does not crush you, i will."
nodecontext: an icy edge entering her voice - a hint of a challenge gale will face if he pursues this course.
nodecontext: here we glimpse the true, unimaginable power of mystra. she's still in control of herself, but her anger should be palpable.
i have already addressed the overall topic of mystra & gale's relationship in several posts i wrote some time ago [x] [x] [x]. however, since then we have received new snippets of information with patch 5 that shed more light on the progression of their relationship as a whole. this post is intended to be an update of sorts, containing a more comprehensive list, as well as lore excerpts for added context and proof. i will split this essay into several sections for coherency — buckle in, cause this is going to be a long one!
✧ mystra's history of manipulation ✧
one of the epilogue letters revealed that elminster first sought gale out when he was about 8 years old. which according to gale's canon age being 35 (as listed on his idle champions character sheet) means that their first meeting occurred around 1465 DR. although elminster's wording suggests that this may merely be an estimate on his side.
furthermore - in the ending where gale dies in the attempt at ascension, raphael has the following to say:
raphael: "you were the spark of ambition that rekindled gale's ambitions, after mystra had so cleverly put them to rest."
insinuating that mystra did make an active effort to keep gale in line, to temper his ambition, lest his thirst for more knowledge would eventually prove bothersome for her. keeping an eye on him at all times, keeping him close, placating him, and urging him to be patient.
what distinctly stood out to me is how this also aligns with some of azuth's quotes in the temptation of elminster, while he gives advice to a then-young sage of shadowdale.
we are her treasures, lad—we are what she holds most dear, the rocks she can cling to in the storms of wild art. she needs us to be strong, far stronger than most mortals ... tempered tools for her use. being bound to us by love and linked to us to preserve her very humanity, she finds it hard to be harsh to us—to do the tempering that must be done. she began the tempering of you long ago; you are her 'pet project', if you will. [...]
"you serve mystra differently. she watches you and learns the human side of magic in all it's hues from your experiences and the doings of those you meet—foes and friends alike. yet the time has come for you to change, and grow, to serve as she'll need you to, in the centuries ahead."
and yet again, there is a reoccurring pattern in her relationship with sammaster, another of her chosen, as well:
sammaster fell to his knees and wept upon mystra's feet. they ended up spending ten days together. this made him the first chosen of mystra since the seven sisters. when he asked for the reason that mystra had chosen him, she replied that she had foreseen that one of her chosen would be killed in battle, and he would be the replacement. he left this encounter feeling as though he and mystra were in love.
