Halsin's Sorrow from early access
The old datamine looks like an alternate universe. I find some parts of it much interesting than in the full release. The part of Isobel's death, when Halsin killed her in self defense, after she attacked him for unknown reasons. Then Ketheric unleashed the shadow curse. These events were mentioned in Halsin's diary. And it's really emotional.
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[This is an ancient notebook, whose ink is faded and pages are starting to crumble. It's not easy, but some words can still be made out.]
How do you describe events like these? An accident? A tragedy? The cruelty of fate?
It does not matter. Isobel is just as dead.
I can't remember what happened with any clarity. We were negotiating. She with [...] I led the druids. [...] words grew heated [...] threw the first punch. It was mayhem.
[...] stared at me, my glaive's blade buried in her stomach and shock in her eyes. I can't believe she wanted to hurt me. It was pure instinct - the heat of combat.
[...] washed the blood from my hands. My glaive was still there, coated in her blood, but something else felt different. There's a sickness in the blade. It seems cursed, but by whom? Selûne herself?
It is locked away now. I do not trust its power in the wrong hands. And I never want to see it again.
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In Ketheric, I see my errors made manifest. He did not fall - he was pushed. His grief was twisted by shadow, but none could deny my hand gave that grief shape.
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He gave the glaive the symbolic name Sorrow. And in the description it caused psychic damage to the one who used it.
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A heavy, cold energy clings to the glaive like the blood rusted to its blade. It fills your very being with regret
The wielder takes 1 Psychic damage whenever they deal damage using this blade.
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Halsin saw Ketheric not as an enemy, but as a victim of circumstances. After all, he knew what it was like to lose family (in theory). And he obviously blamed himself that his actions provoked such a chain of tragic events. Even if it wasn't intentional. But he also understood that Ketheric needed to be stopped and put an end to the curse. That was his motivation to join you.
So earlier he was more intertwined with the main plot of Act 2. And I can only imagine what emotional interactions this trio could get. How would Halsin react to seeing Isobel resurrected? What would Ketheric say to the person who took his daughter's life? And what would Halsin answer him?
In the release version if you kill Isobel, then during the audience you will have an interesting conversation with Ketheric. He will tell you the story of his family so that you understand what it cost him. Maybe this is a rewritten dialogue of the previous plot.
Isobel also has cut content. Оriginally more scenes were planned with her. For example, in one of them she sang.
Anyway, although this is no longer canon, I hope someday the developers will reveal new surprising details about what was left behind the scenes.