Scattered throughout Baldur’s Gate 3 are hundreds of items that can help boost the party during their quest to save Faerûn from the Absolute. While some of these will have small pieces of lore attached to them, there are others with more detailed backstories that can change how they are viewed. Two of these items can be found in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, and tell one of the creepiest and most heartbreaking stories I’ve seen in a long time.

Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3 sees the party leave the lush green lands surrounding the Emerald Grove for the oppressive and atmospheric landscape of the Shadow-Cursed Lands. While helping the Harpers and Halsin figure out how to lift the Shadow Curse, the party can also find some of the best environmental storytelling in the game as the history of the Reithwin is uncovered. While exploring, the party may find, hidden among the shadows and undead, two useful rings with a twisted backstory.

Two Useful Items Have A Tragic Tale

Use A Great Spell That Has An Interesting Side Effect

Tucked away in two locations in Act 2 are a pair of rings that allow one wearer to cast warding bond on the wearer of the other. This is a very useful spell, especially for squishier characters, with many using BG3’s hirelings back in camp to keep the buff without using up party member spell slots. Warding bond gives a plus one bonus to AC and saving throws, but by far its most useful aspect is that it grants resistance to all damage.

Giving a character feats such as Tough or Durable will help with their hit points, allowing them to survive more damage.

Warding bond is not without its drawbacks, though, and it is this that forms the crucial detail in the terrible tale of the rings. While the character with the warding cast on them enjoys the benefits, any damage taken by them is also taken by the caster. Of course, I think that it is worth it to give another character damage resistance, and with the right feats, the caster should remain alive at camp.

Where To Find The Rings

Two Skeletons Hold The Rings & Diaries

Both rings are found in the west of the Shadow-Cursed Lands, in Reithwin Town, southwest of the Last Light Inn. One ring, True Love’s Caress , can be found in Reithwin Graveyard, not too far from where Arabella can be encountered. Leaning up against a tree will be the skeletal remains of Miranda, along with her diary. Interestingly, this diary offers no hints of the true nature of this woman’s marriage, as she speaks of her unbreakable bond with her husband.

Her husband’s ring, True Love’s Embrace , can be found on his body inside Reithwin’s House of Healing. Tucked between two beds behind Sister Sinda, the party can find his skeleton on a mattress and can take the ring along with his diary. Now the party has access to two very useful items that allow warding bond to be cast once per long rest. However, the husband’s diary holds a horrible secret.

The Diary Tells The Creepy Story

Sharrans Have Interesting Views Of Love

The unnamed husband’s diary entries speak of his relationship with Miranda, a cleric of Shar, and the threat they faced with the upcoming conflict with the Harpers. In the second entry, he is overjoyed when Miranda proposes to him, blessing the rings as she performs the ceremony herself. However, understanding the spell woven into the pair of rings, it is clear that Miranda was activating warding bond to keep herself safe in battle.

The husband’s remaining entries spell out the tragic tale, as he becomes weaker and weaker as his wife wins battle after battle. I think the worst part is when he disobeys her and speaks to a nurse at the House of Healing, and it seems obvious that the nurse quickly figures out it is the rings, but dares not go against a cleric of Shar.

I think what these two items, and the accompanying diary, do fantastically in Baldur’s Gate 3 is explicitly make it clear now little regard Sharrans had and still have for the lives of others in pursuit of their goals. Although Miranda loved her husband, gaining Shar’s favor by winning in battle was far more important for her, reducing the love of her life to a mere tool.