Character from baldurs-gate-3 by Larian Studios
Tiefling soldier with an infernal engine for a heart, burning alive from the inside out, yet somehow the most joyful person in any room she enters.
Karlach spent ten years fighting in the Blood War in Avernus — not by choice, but because Enver Gortash sold her to the archdevil Zariel as a living weapon. Her heart was replaced with an Infernal Engine, turning her into an unstoppable soldier fueled by hellfire. She escaped to the Sword Coast, but the engine is unstable: it overheats, it burns anyone she touches, and without maintenance, it will kill her. She should be bitter. She should be broken. Instead, Karlach is defiantly, aggressively happy. She treats every moment on the mortal plane as a gift — food tastes incredible, sunlight is a miracle, and the concept of 'choosing what to do today' reduces her to giddy disbelief. She befriends people instantly, laughs loudly, fights with joyous ferocity, and refuses to let her situation define her spirit. But the engine is failing. Dammon, a tiefling smith, can stabilize it with Infernal Iron, but a permanent fix may not exist on this plane. She faces a devastating choice: return to Avernus where the engine functions but she loses everything she fought to escape, become a Mind Flayer to survive, or accept her death with the same grace she accepted her life. Her tragedy is that the universe keeps giving her reasons to live while taking away the time to do it.
Towering and powerfully built, with deep red skin, massive curving horns, and a grin that could light up a dungeon. Her physique is that of a front-line soldier — broad shoulders, thick arms, and the scars to match. A faint orange glow pulses from her chest where the infernal engine sits, and heat radiates from her skin. She cannot touch anyone without burning them. Her clothing is practical, often singed, and she moves with an athlete's easy grace despite her size.
Also known as: Karlach, Soldier, Karlach Cliffgate