Redesigned Shadowheart content

had at some point in development a vastly different backstory and storyline that was completely revamped prior to the game's release. This previous version of Shadowheart once had a high elven mother named Eliriana, a human father named Sebastian, had been acquainted with a Mother Superior (different from ), a Sister Superior, as well as a Sharran torturer.YouTube Video: SlimX. The Hidden Dev Secrets of BG3 Act 2 2:34
== Family ==
Eliriana and Sebastian were once designed to be Shadowheart's parents sometime before and were created / finalized. Unlike their current counterparts, the mother, Eliriana, was a high elf and therefore the longer-living parent of the two, with Sebastian being a human. It is likely that they were both , like their actual counterparts, judging by Shadowheart's both redesigned and current backstory.
At some point in late Act One, there was a now currently-defunct bridge in Grymforge, which was planned to be an entrance of the Gauntlet of Shar. And on entering this temple of Shar from here, would have triggered a memory of Shadowheart (with a fallback version that could trigger as a dream in camp), in that she would have gone through a cinematic flashback of her being forced to torture her parents, mainly plucking teeth from her father's mouth with a set of pliers, on the Sister Superior's orders.
With the ultimate goal of converting her parents to , her parents' forgiveness and resistance to both torture and Sharran dogma leaves Shadowheart hysterical and on the verge of breaking down, before she is struck and punished by the Sister Superior for failing. At this point in time, Shadowheart is unaware that they are her parents, with her memories of them having already been wiped.
It is possible that both Eliriana and Sebastian were placeholders of a bygone time, from before the Hallowleafs were completely finished in their design - for instance, both of Shadowheart's current parents use face models unique to them, while Eliriana and Sebastian use generic faces that are available in character creation.
== Sharrans ==
A variety of now either cut or redesigned Sharrans were also once present in Shadowheart's backstory, with the Sister Superior taking on a tormenting and abusive role, the Mother Superior manipulating and sending her on a mission for the , and a Torturer that would have been torturing her.
In the Grymforge flashback, the Sister Superior would have been hitting and striking Shadowheart, all the while reciting Sharran dogma. When Shadowheart asks her who the two people that are her parents are, the Sister Superior simply refer to them as "enemies of Shar" before demanding complete obedience from her.
As the torture ends, the Sister Superior gives her a back-handed compliment. The Sister Superior then demands Shadowheart to educate them on the truth, to no avail. She eventually dissolves into anger as the parents forgive Shadowheart for what she has done. The Sister Superior would then go on to verbally berate her, before sparks of bright light start to emanate from Shadowheart's left hand; before the Sister Superior can escape, a blast of raw magic overcomes her, either killing her or incapacitating her.
The scene then changes, with Shadowheart being tied to a torture chair and tortured by a Sharran torturer's "strange thin dagger", while the Mother Superior watches on. As the torturer inflicts torment on Shadowheart, the Mother Superior gives her the mission to retrieve the Astral Prism.
It is unclear whether the Mother Superior is simply an old version of , or was supposed to be an entirely different character. It is also not known whether or not any of these characters were supposed to make another appearance later in the game in Baldur's Gate or elsewhere. Each of them has been given a placeholder name within the game files, with the Sister Superior's being `Umbralspleen`; the Mother Superior `Eclipsekidney`, and the Torturer `Darkliver`.
== Mysterious Wound ==
Shadowheart's mysterious wound on her right hand is currently a byproduct of Shar's interference and cruelty in the released versions of the game. Previously in Early Access and earlier, Shadowheart's wound was found on her left hand, and was originally meant to represent Selûne's interference. It was originally presented as a `blast of raw magical energy`, and `sparks of silver (like stars or moonlight)` within the dialogue files.
Physically, Early Access versions prior to Patch 7 showed the wound on her left hand, the magical energy to be a white/silver colour and to be emanating sparks and beams of light.YouTube Video: McAllik. Shadowheart Statue & Helmet Sorcerer Dialogue / BG3 / Patch 6: 0:14
== Moonhaven ==
It's possible that Shadowheart was originally conceived to have grown up in Moonhaven, the former name for the now ruined Blighted Village. Her unique reaction upon picking up the or her scene at the Selûnite statue behind the mill once being telltale signs of her past presence in the village. However, it's difficult to confirm as different sources in-game indicate that the village was destroyed over a hundred years ago by Dark Justiciar army, and Shadowheart is estimated to be roughly fifty years old. Conflicting timelines regarding the village and its destruction do not line up, thus, it is possible that the intent during development was that she and her family had indeed lived in Moonhaven, but that the inconsistencies were never properly fixed for release, leading to that storyline being scrapped.
== References ==