A Baldur's Gate 3 player thinks they've found the forge that Karlach mentions in her special epilogue scene.
When the new Withers-hosted epilogue scene launched earlier this month in Baldur's Gate 3, it gave our companions some brand new dialog. Specifically, Karlach mentions a demonic forge, which Zariel - the unseen character who kept Karlach as a soldier-for-hire for a decade - will likely have under guard by a legion of cambions.
oh hells this is the forge she mentioned pic.twitter.com/QduomFeOgGDecember 9, 2023
This, according to the second screenshot in the tweet, is none other than Bel's Forge, from the Dungeons & Dragons prequel to Baldur's Gate - Descent Into Avernus. Avernus is the layer of hell that Zariel presides over, and it's where Bel, the titular owner of this particular forge, plots the demise of Zariel herself.
It all fits surprisingly well: most of Karlach's endings send her back to Avernus, and once there it wouldn't take much for her to ally herself with Bel. While technically Zariel's second-in-command, the Descent Into Avernus campaign makes it abundantly clear that Bel despises Zariel, and the opportunity to get one over on their boss would likely appeal. Bel's Forge houses some serious kit, and it seems unlikely that it wouldn't be capable of sorting out Karlach's infernal heart. Our Tiefling friend ends Baldur's Gate 3 having very much not dealt with Zariel, so the story is undoubtedly open for more Karlach-centric adventures in this vein.
Obviously that's all just pure theory, but Bel's Forge fits the description for Karlach's future goals. Going by the tweet above, and the responses to it, there's a lot of demand out there for further adventures of Karlach, but with the Baldur's Gate 3 epilogue having come and gone, we wouldn't hold our breath for it.
Just in case you missed it, Baldur's Gate 3 claimed the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2023, and game director Swen Vincke definitely wasn't expecting the award.
