Jon Irenicus

Joneleth Irenicus, commonly referred to as Jon Irenicus, is the primary antagonist in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, a role-playing game set in Amn. Irenicus is voiced by David Warner.

Character
Irenicus at first appears to be a simple villain with a keen interest in torture. He is seen torturing the protagonist with powerful magic at the very beginning of Shadows of Amn. However, minutes into the game he reveals that his apparent motive for said torture is to unlock his victim's latent power, thereby benefitting them in the long run. His lair seems to confirm the view of him being a strange character, on one hand, grossly harmed creatures that lie deformed in containers emphasize the evil in him. On the other, his obsession with a woman he'd previously maintained a relationship with reveals a much more human (or elven) side to him. It becomes apparent later in the game that Irenicus's embarking on his dark path came about partly from love. His overly possessive nature eventually became too much for his partner to bear, and unable to let go, Irenicus turned to pursuit of power and revenge, which in turn led to him becoming utterly evil. However, not only love was responsible for his downfall. Irenicus was already a powerful spellcaster, and the power he sought was the power of the gods themselves, trying to enter the elven pantheon. So he was punished for his lust for power by being stripped of what made him an elf. No longer being able to feel with the same intensity as before, he became bitter, obsessed about his downfall, and embarked on a mission where it was hard to tell if his objective was that of gaining power or satisfying his revenge.

At the start of the game, Irenicus appears to be a human, although later dialog reveals that both he and his sister, Bodhi, are exiled elves. The elves of Suldanessellar refer to him as 'the Exile', and it turns out his lost love is the elven Queen Ellesime. He is a highly arrogant, and an incredibly powerful wizard. Capable of causing a huge explosion within the city of Athkatla that reduces part of Waukeen's Promenade to rubble, and eliminate several Cowled Wizards that were sent to arrest him thereafter, before eventually surrendering by choice rather than continue his violent actions.

Appearance, name and powers
Irenicus is, at first, not readily identifiable as an elf, due mainly to his lack of that race's pointed ears and unblemished physical appearance. He is also unusually large for an elf, being as tall as a full-grown human. (While most Faerûnian elves are tall, the graphics of the game mostly show them as shorter as well as slimmer than humans.) Additionally, Irenicus is unusually well-muscled for a mage, and his body shows the ravages of time as a result of being disconnected from the life-force and immortality of the elven people. Irenicus' face is deeply veined and invariably bears a cold, disdainful expression. There has been some contention among players as to whether that is Irenicus' actual face, or some sort of enchanted mask.

Irenicus' elven ears appear to have been surgically removed and replaced with a form-fitting skullcap that covers the rear half of his head. The exact purpose of this skullcap is unknown, though it (possibly in conjunction with Irenicus' armor) presumably serves some sort of life-support function. This is especially likely in light of the self-imposed vampirism used by Bodhi (Irenicus' likewise-exiled "sister", though whether this is in blood or merely name remains unclear) to sustain her own existence. It is also possible that Irenicus' bodily modifications allow him to augment or better focus his considerable magic power.

Irenicus' magic is, like Irenicus himself, elven in origin. The extent of Irenicus' magical ability is so great that he ranks among the most powerful wizards in all of Faerûn, rivaling mages such as Elminster Aumar and Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun. In combat, Irenicus is decisive and overwhelmingly potent, usually eliminating opponents with only a single spell at a time. Irenicus is clearly able to cast spells of the ninth level or even beyond, and often disintegrates or detonates enemies in an instant—a display of his power is given in Waukeen's Promenade, where he dispatches several assailants with his powerful magics. Irenicus commands some spells that are not even available to the Player Character and his or her party, a notable example being Rapture of the Father, a death spell that appears to be able to instantly kill six enemies with no regard to magic resistance or saving throws, and a cloning spell with which he clones the main character and his friends to keep them occupied while he makes his escape.

Joneleth is Irenicus' elven name, and Jon Irenicus is later revealed to mean "Jon the Shattered One." The name "Irenicus" was born out of Joneleth's hatred, self-pity, and desire for revenge on Queen Ellesime, and the people of Suldanessellar, for his exile. Irenicus is an ultimately unsympathetic character who seeks to claim divine power to which he has no right. This hubris is in contrast to the motivations of Bhaalspawn individuals such as Sarevok and the Player Character, who can at least pursue Bhaal's power under the excuse of heredity.

Role in Baldur's Gate II
At the start of Baldur's Gate II, Irenicus serves as the main character's captor. He claims to use torturous experiments to eventually benefit the player character and his sister Imoen by "unlocking their power." However this proves to be a foil for his real intentions: attaining for himself a great deal of power from them by confiscating their souls, to replace the ones he and his vampire sister Bodhi lost. Upon exiting his dungeon, Irenicus surrenders to the Cowled Wizards on one condition: that Imoen (the protagonist's sister in the game) accompanies him. The Cowled Wizards agree to this, as Imoen has used magic openly against Irenicus; Athkatla law prohibits any open use of arcane magic by anyone that is not registered with, or a member of, the Cowled Wizards. The protagonist's party resolves to track down Irenicus and save Imoen from Irenicus' clutches. Irenicus is teleported to a prison named Spellhold, but quickly proceeds to overrun the entire place, killing all of the wizards with ease and taking control of the premises. Irenicus' true, evil intentions are revealed once the player reaches Spellhold. Irenicus finishes his torturing of the protagonist, and in doing so steals the main character's soul. Bodhi accomplishes the same feat, taking Imoen's soul. Effectively, Imoen and the protagonist have swapped fates with Irenicus and Bodhi.

Trapped in the lower halls of Spellhold, the protagonist suffers delusions, until s/he is able to turn into the Slayer—an avatar of the dead god Bhaal. The party escape Spellhold, following Irenicus into the Underdark, and eventually to the Elven city of Suldanessellar. Irenicus' scheme is finally revealed—he planned to seek revenge upon the Elves of Suldanesselar by inciting a war between the drow and the elves. During this, he would drain the energy from the Tree of Life, thereby effectively replacing Rillifane Rallathil in the Seldarine and becoming an elven god. The protagonist and his/her party must stop the assault on Suldanessellar, and face Irenicus atop the sprawling tree, and slay him.

However, upon dying, the soul of the protagonist drags the entire party down into the depths of the Nine Hells. Only after participating in the Hell Trials (all but one were managed by demons, whilst one other was managed by the recalled essence of Sarevok, the half-brother of the protagonist and primary antagonist from Baldur's Gate I) would a final showdown between Irenicus and a horde of demons against the main character and his/her party commence. If the main character wins, s/he eventually reclaims his/her lost soul, and returns to the world of the living, whilst Irenicus suffers a fate worse than death at the hands of many chittering demons.

Irenicus' motives are left up in the air until the closing moments of the game. As the game progresses, Irenicus and his past are laid bare piece by piece. It is not until the final chapters when one can finally deduce and interpret his actions and goals. Irenicus's main goals are those commonly seen in villains: revenge and power.