Valygar Corthala

"Valygar is silent for a long time and his face becomes grim when you ask of him. He explains briefly that he is the last of the Corthala noble line, a family that was once one of the wealthiest in Amn. The Corthalas have always been cursed with magical ability, however, and Valygar spits the words with great derision. Every Corthala who has used their magical talents has become obsessed with them and ultimately come to a grievous end. His mother was the most recent victim, although the ranger does not elaborate on the point. Valygar intends to fulfill his family's oath to find and destroy their ancestor, Lavok, and then he intends to let his cursed bloodline die out once and for all. "

- Character description from the Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn computer game.

Valygar Corthala was a specialised ranger (stalker) living in Amn with a particular dislike for magic. His parents had come to a tragic end after being corrupted by the power of magic, and his whole line family was cursed because of his infamous ancestor Lavok. Determined to leave no heir and to have nothing to do with arcane magic, Valygar was nevertheless forced to face both in 1369 DR when Lavok returned from the Planes to Toril in search of his last descendant.

Lavok's Planar Sphere was of great interest to the Cowled Wizards of Amn and, once they learned of Valygar's connection to it, put a significant bounty on the recovery of his body as Valygar's blood was the only thing that would open the sphere's doors. Valygar was accosted by Cowled Wizards at his family estate, but escaped when they became violent. The cowled wizards approached the protagonist's party who then sought him out at his cabin in the Umar Hills. They persuaded him to come back to Athkatla and enter the sphere.

Once inside though, the sphere plane-shifted and needed to be refuelled with demon hearts. Valygar faced Lavok and discovered that he had been possessed by a malign being all along and eventually forgave his anscestor, carrying him out into the air of Toril for one last time before Lavok died.

At the end of Throne of Bhaal, Valygar continued to adventure after leaving the Protagonist's side, working near Waterdeep mostly. He eventually retired to Athkatla where he (after some reluctance) was made Chief Inspector and put an end to much of the corruption in the city. He married and had a son who grew up to be a wizard and the leader of the Cowled Wizards, instituting a lot of reforms within the organization.

Games

 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
 * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal

Valygar Corthala