Jon Irenicus

Jon Irenicus was at one time the most powerful elven wizard of Suldanessellar. He was famously outcast from the city by Queen Ellesime after attempting to use Tree of Life, the source of the elves' life essence, to attain powers that rivaled those of the Seldarine.

He was given the elven name of Joneleth, but was later referred to as The Exile or Irenicus, meaning "the Shattered One".

""I have tried to recreate it, tried to spark it anew in my memory, but it is gone...a hollow, dead thing. For years I clung to the memory of it. The the memory of the memory. And then nothing–the Seldarine took that from me too.""

- Irenicus "the Exile"

Description
Irenicus appeared as a well-muscled, but rather abnormal looking man in the years after being disconnected from the immortal life-force of the elven people. He appeared to be missing the distinctive pointed ears of the elven people.

Personality
When he was a young mage of Suldanessellar, Joneleth had great confidence in himself and was beloved by the people of his city. Over time his confidence grew to hubris, and self-destructive hunger for power. He was wholly entitled, believing the power of the gods to be rightfully his for the taking.

Following his exile, Irenicus became a cold and embittered man. He became overcome with obsession, resentment, and ultimately could focus on nothing but revenge. Irenicus was incapable of experiencing empathy and in fact, became entirely emotionless.

Abilities
Throughout his entire life, Irenicus was a supremely skilled spellcaster. He was considered to be the most powerful of kind within the community of Suldanessellar.

Activities
Irenicus spent much of his time researched dark magic and engaging in horrific experimentation. Within his subterranean lair beneath Athkatla, he tortured and studied mortal captives by means of twisted magic. He developed some form of cloning and used this technology to create malformed servants who sought an end to their tortured existence.

Included among these unfortunates was an copy of Queen Ellesime that had been stricken with some form of madness.

Relationships
As Joneleth, he was favored by his beloved queen, Ellesime. The two were lovers in life, and each of them cared deeply for the other.

Over time developed an unhealthy and ultimately destructive relationship with his "sibling" Bodhi. It was her insatiate nature that contributed to the development of his predatory hunger for more power.

Powers
Irenicus' magic was, like Irenicus himself, actually elven in origin. The extent of Irenicus' magical ability was first seen to be unusually potent, then beyond spectacular. In terms of ability and power he ranked among the most powerful wizards in all of Faerûn, rivaling famed mages such as Elminster Aumar and Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun. In combat, Irenicus was swift, decisive and overwhelmingly potent, eradicating opponents with only a single choice spell at a time with horrific efficiency. Irenicus could cast spells of the ninth level or even beyond, and often disintegrated or detonated enemies in an instant. A fractional display of his terrific power was shown in Waukeen's Promenade, where he dispatches several dozen experienced assailants with his powerful magics. Irenicus commanded some spells that are not even available to any other, a notable example being Rapture of the Father, a death spell that appeared to be able to instantly kill six enemies with no regard to magic resistance. He also had a unique cloning spell with which he cloned Gorion's Ward and friends to keep them occupied while he made his escape.

Lair
His lair seemed to confirm that he was a strange character. Grossly deformed creatures kept in containers revealed a complex character; while speaking with the surviving creatures, the ward learned that they were formerly in good standing with Irenicus. The creatures were tormented by their wait for Jon to return to bring them back to life, or from the brink of death.

Early history
Irenicus was already a powerful spellcaster, and the power he sought was the power of the gods themselves, trying to enter the elven pantheon. Thus, he was punished for his lust for power by being stripped of what made him elven. 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. The elves of Suldanessellar referred to him as 'the Exile', and it turned out his lost love was for the elven Queen Ellesime.

At some point following his exile Irenicus, crossed paths with Centeol, a former sorceress who was in love with Irenicus. She revealed that Irenicus's lover, Lady Tanova, was murdered by her, in order to gain Jon's love. However, Irenicus divined the location of his lover's murderer, and upon confronting Centeol, transformed her into a huge, grotesque guardian of spiders.

Spellhold and the Ward
After capturing and torturing Gorion's Ward, who escaped, he caused a huge explosion within the city of Athkatla that reduced part of Waukeen's Promenade to rubble. Furthermore, he eliminated several Cowled Wizards that were sent to arrest him thereafter, before eventually surrendering by choice, rather than continue his violent actions. He was sent to Spellhold, an asylum based on the island of Brynnlaw.

The party of Gorion's Ward resolved to track down Irenicus and save Imoen from his clutches. Irenicus quickly proceeded to overrun the entire aslylum, killing all of the wizards with ease and taking control of the premises. Irenicus' true, evil intentions were revealed once the ward reached Spellhold. Irenicus finished his torturing of the ward, and in doing so stole the main character's soul. Bodhi accomplished the same feat, taking Imoen's soul. Effectively, Imoen and the ward swapped fates with Bodhi and Irenicus. Trapped in the lower halls of Spellhold, the ward suffered delusions, until they were able to turn into the Slayer, an avatar of the dead god Bhaal. The party escaped Spellhold, following Irenicus into the Underdark, and eventually to the elven city of Suldanessellar.

Death
Irenicus' scheme was 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 ward and their party stopped the assault on Suldanessellar, and faced Irenicus atop the sprawling tree, and slew him.

Upon dying, the soul of the ward dragged the entire party down into the depths of the Nine Hells. Only after participating in the Hell Trials, would a final showdown between Irenicus and a horde of demons against the ward and their party commence. The ward was victorious and they eventually reclaimed their lost soul, and returned to the world of the living. Irenicus suffered a fate worse than death at the hands of many demons.

Behind the Scenes

 * In the Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn game, Irenicus is voiced by David Warner.

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn


 * Video games:
 * Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear &bull; Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn