Irenicus in Baldur's Gate?

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[Not sure where this should be posted as it relates to BG1 but has got info about a villain from BG2 so it might well need moving to the BG1 forum, but here goes...]

In SOA, you start the game captive in Irenicus' dungeon which means that you were captured sometime after the first game ending and the second game starting. This implies that Irenicus had his mind set on capturing you in BG1 but didn't make his move until after the game was finished and Sarevok was dead.

What I thought might be a cool and interesting idea for a mod would be for Irenicus' influence to be felt in the first game. There could be extra encounters with hired assassins and mercenaries sent to bring you in. Obviously you couldn't be brought in during BG1 as this would cut the game short and move you to BG2 without Sarevok being defeated which would upset the entire storyline of SOA and TOB.

What do people think? A workable idea?

 

It's doable, and not really a bad idea. What about TotSC, though?

 

He wouldn't fit into the Werewolf Island plot but I could well see him being worked into the Shandalar part where the party are teleported to the island to retrieve his cloak. Maybe a group of fighter-mages hired by Irenicus to capture the PC could be there. That place needs an extra decent fight or two because aside from the first fight with Andris and his fellows mages, the others fights are much too easy.

I could also see Irenicus' influence being at work in Durlag's Tower. Hired mercenaries could be there lying in wait for the PC knowing that, sooner or later, the lure of the Tower would be sure to draw him there.

Maybe there could even be a few Irenicus spells in the game. There are spells along the lines of Mordenkainen's Sword, Tenser's Transformation, Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting... why not Irenicus' Blasting spell? Or something similar.

As the party move closer and closer to the final fight with Sarevok, Irenicus' influence should be felt more keenly. His mercenaries are making their presence known in Baldur's Gate as they hunt for the Bhaalspawn, leading to several random encounters as you move between various parts of the city (something sadly lacking from BG1 but evident in the sequal).

An interesting twist might be to have the group hired by the Iron Throne to slay Sarevok (the ones you encounter outside the temple near to the end of the game) actually led by an apprentice of Irenicus' or a vampire lieutenant of Bodhi's.

 

I'm kinda sick of people hiring many different (and of ascending difficulty) assassins to kill the PC. Just for once would someone overestimate the PC?!

Besides, I think that would kind of ruin the whole surprise and mystery of Irenicus. You don't know who he is, even in his dungeon. If someone is sent to capture you, then there will probably be ,common to BG, a note or something hinting at who hired them.

I think a more subtle approach would be more appropriate. Like mysterious spies lurking behind you and when you capture one of them, you realize he's been mentally dominated and/or labotomized.

I don't know. Hopefully, if this mod ever makes it to the screen, it will be compatible for BG2 so one can use it with TuTu/BGT. I doubt many people play with the original engine anymore.

 

I've only played TotSC once, and this has probably been said before - but doesn't Shandalar appear in SoA?

And would I renicus know that the character was a spawn of bhaal? Only Sarevok knows because of Gorion and a couple of other harpers.

 

Of course Irenicus knows the PC is a spawn of Bhaal - that's why he captures him in the first place. In the opening scene of SOA, Irenicus is throwing fireballs and whatever at the PC who is locked in a cage (lovely sense of fair fighting that guy) and he says something along the lines of: "Do you even realise the power you possess?" The whole reason he captured the PC was to unlock that power and use it to get his soul back.

Shandalar is the mage standing in the middle of Urgoth's Beard. I'm pretty sure I got his name right. He orders you to go and fetch his cloak then teleports you to an island in the middle of nowhere.

 

"Do you even realize your true potential?"

Your potential to what? Draw upon holy might? slow poision? become a supposedly all powerful avatar of Bhaal that a level 19 fighter could kill? on a side note I'd like to see a bit more about your so-called "potential" not neccesarily as uber powerful as you were in the dreams but I think it should improve a bit with level.

 

Well, Irencus' very first line is, "Ah, the Child of Bhaal has awakened. It is time for more experiments." So he definitely knows who and what you are.

 

"Do you even realize your true potential?"

To become a God?

 

@ 8people

Shandalar isnt in BG2, you come across a lich at the twisted rune called Shangalar.

 

that was it, thanks.

(I didn't get to finish my above post. My mother kicked me off.)

Also in the intro it says about you killing Sarevok and then others suspecting you shared the same lineage. He may have been in Baldurs Gate and listened and researched rumours - but before then would he know?

 

Irenicus is one of the most powerful archmages in the world. If he was actively seeking a Bhaalspawn for his experiments I'm pretty sure he'd have the means the track one down.

Which is the whole reason I started this thread. There is no mention of Irenicus in BG1 (aside from the brief Icarus comment from the spider-thing) but he must have been hunting for Bhaalspawn all this time. So it only stands to reason that he might have had his cronies in Baldur's Gate around the time you were there.

 

Unless he wasn't an exile then. Is there any hint in the game how long he has been exiled for? At least 2 or 3 years I'd reckon - but I'm not sure how long. Yoshimo says that he expects the PC to last no longer than a tenday - so would Irenicus and Bhodi have lasted that long? Hmm.

 

You must remember though, that irenicus wasn't a child of Bhaal. His exile from the elven way was a different form of curse. One designed to rob him of his elven spirit, but keep him alive. The way he talked about the memory, then the memory OF the memory, etc gave me the impression he was exiled for decades, not just years.

 

I get the impression Irenicus' exile took place at least several decades before the start of SOA. After all, he's built up a whole base under the city that is completely unknown to the Cowled Enforcers. He certainly didn't do that overnight.

Then there's the final dialogue with Irenicus at the Tree of Life in Suldanesselar where it's revealed he and the elven queen whose name escapes me right now were once lovers. Irenicus says that for a long time he tried to retain his memories of her love but that they just faded away until all he had left was his desire for revenge. That tends to imply he was exiled from the elven kingdom long before the PC was born.

And then there's Bodhi to consider. She wasn't a vampire before her exile, so she must have spent a while gaining her powers and recruiting followers after being exiled.

I imagine Irenicus has been looking for Bhaalspawn for a long time - decades perhaps - and maybe the Sarevok troubles are what drew his attention to Baldur's Gate in the first place.

 

heh, and in all this babble you have forgotten the shadow thiefs.........*cough**hint**hint**cough*

 

David W: This topic escaped me for a while so it's a late reply.

I was refering to the fact that you had such weak powers, and you are actually half a god basically, and Irenicus has uber abilites that no one else can use and is more powerful than your Bhaal powers, even though your a god. Why? The same goes for all the other Spawn in the five, they all had more powerul abilities than PC even though you're supposedly the strongest of them all, and in BGI Sarevok was probably the weakest in the Bhaalblood after Imoen, yet his armour and two-handed sword were awesomely powerful simply because he was channeling his powers through them.

You might argue that if you were too powerful it would make the game too easy, but if it's only through a mod you can get it then you can also get mods like Solaufein and Tactics. What I had in mind is that you started off with some innate abilities in SoA similar to the ones you can get in Ascension, such as Mass healing, Regeneration and resistance to physical damage, (only about 5% or so to start with) of course you would have to lose them when Irenicus takes your soul, but it would make things seem a bit more belivable at least, if you are going to be the son of a god who happens to have the most essence in them than the rest.