I have a theory on the cut Halsin content that was supposedly about a Druid Circle. Or maybe I'm just completely losing it. Either way, here it goes.
So there've been some complaints on here about Halsin's lack of character development. I also wrote about this a few times – how his rejection of a relationship is contradictory at times, how he struggles with the events at the Grove, the events that led to the Shadowcurse, and how he mostly complains about the downfalls of civilization once you're in Baldur's Gate / Act 3. How that again ties back to his whole "the term relationship belongs in civilization and civilization is bad" thing he got going. Honestly. all I've seen him banter about in Act 3 so far is how awful city life is.
But there's an interesting conversation you can strike up with him after meeting Yenna, in which he says the following:
"For a while, after the shadow curse was lifted, I felt hope in a way that I hadn't felt in years. I thought that nature would heal, and balance between it and civilisation could be restored, once and for all... Yet since we neared the city, I have seen more and more signs that I was being naive. Refugees, orphans, the downtrodden... all being left behind. If such sorrows are the fruits of civilisation, perhaps there can be no true balance between it and nature."
You can discuss it a bit more with him, but he will not change his mind.
Now researching for my fic I found something interesting from the events of Baldur's Gate 1 / the Shadow Druids of Cloakwood (mentioned in the letter for Kagha). Namely... a very strong resemblance in the understanding of nature vs. civilisation.
The Shadow Druid's Doctrine states:
Balance between nature and civilisation is a myth.
The Shadow druids especially used violent means to drive away civilisation so that nature could heal. Amarande, one of the Cloakwood Shadow Druid leaders,
"was under no illusion that civilization and nature could exist in harmony with one another."
Looks like Kagha wasn't the only one susceptible to the Shadow Druids' teachings.
Now, I obviously don't know what was cut and why, but I think this could be the missing key, the missing link, for Halsin's story (and potentially the path to a more committed relationship). If there was to be a quest with druids, I would bet that it would revolve around the Shadow Druids. First, Cloakwood isn't too far off Baldur's Gate. Second, Halsin's dropping too many hints. I think eventually Tav's choices would influence whether Halsin would join up with the Shadow Druids, or reconcile his hope for a balance between civilisation and nature. And only by doing the latter would he be able to commit himself to a civilisationary construct, namely, a relationship.
Anyway. Thanks for listening and if you want to see this conflict resolved, feel free to read my fic because I will definitely use this there, lol.
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