Bhaalspawn

A Bhaalspawn, sometimes called a child of Bhaal, was a mortal offspring of the dead god Bhaal.

History
It was said that Bhaal foresaw his death during the Time of Troubles of 1358 DR and came to Toril before the climactic event, mating with females of almost any species, not all of them humanoid. Like Bane, he attempted to use these offspring to bring himself back to life. Alaundo made a prophecy about the Bhaalspawn that foretold the great destruction they would bring.

Nature
Bhaalspawn mostly seemed like normal members of their race at first. Part of their souls were divine, however, and this would eventually reveal them, sometimes granting supernatural powers of different kinds but usually also tempting them to evil and murder. Individual reactions were very different, however. The personalities of individual Bhaalspawn were just as varied as those of other people, but they all had to deal with similar issues when their other side manifested itself. Some, such as Sarevok and most of the Five, fell to the temptation of power and embraced their darker sides in a quest for divinity.

Not all Bhaalspawn were evil. Some had other ideas than gaining power, had no such ambitious goals and might have even tried to do what was right, but reveled in bloodshed nevertheless. Yet other Bhaalspawn, such as Balthazar and Gorion's Ward, conquered their darker nature and acted selflessly, turning their divine power into something unlike its original nature. Finally, some Bhaalspawn hadn't even had to deal with their inner taint before being found out and being persecuted or taken advantage of because of it, like Imoen and some of the Bhaalspawn in Saradush. Some of the latter were simply ordinary people who wished no part in the prophecy. And yet, it was that very prophecy that predicted that Bhaal's children should be not only of all races but also of all alignments.

If Bhaal's plans had gone as they were meant to, the Bhaalspawn would have destroyed each other until none remained, at which point the essence of Bhaal scattered among them would have accumulated, and his chosen follower, Amelyssan, would have performed rituals that would have brought him back. Neither Amelyssan nor the last Bhaalspawn complied with these plans, however.

As a side effect unintended by Bhaal, the Bhaalspawn's share of the essence meant that each of them had the potential to become a god in their own right. However, they had to acquire the rest of the essence. If successful, Sarevok, who tried to fulfill the prophecy, would have simply turned into a resurrected Bhaal. Another side effect was that it was theoretically possible, if rare, for a Bhaalspawn to turn into an avatar of Bhaal, either the Slayer or in more extreme cases the Ravager (both of which appeared as creatures far more bestial than the original avatars).

List of Bhaalspawn

 * The last Bhaalspawn, known as Gorion's Ward or Abdel Adrian.
 * Imoen, a follower of the last Bhaalspawn.
 * Sarevok, once an evil Bhaalspawn, but later wished to accompany the last Bhaalspawn.

The Five
The Five were a group of supposedly allied Bhaalspawn that caused much havoc in Tethyr around the time of the fulfillment of the prophecy in 1369 DR. They were all among the most powerful of their kind, and each plotted the destruction of the others, as well as of all their lesser siblings. Their group was brought together by Amelyssan, a former servant of Bhaal, who promised them demigod status once the Lord of Murder was resurrected, but also planned to destroy all of them and gain the powers of a god for herself. The Five included:
 * [[File:Abazigal_dragon_small.jpg]] Abazigal, a blue half-dragon.
 * [[File:Balthazar_small.jpg]] Balthazar, a monk who led the monastery in the town of Amkethran.
 * [[File:Illasera_small.jpg]] Illasera, an elven warrior with magical abilities.
 * [[File:Sendai_small.jpg]] Sendai, a drow who organized an army of rebel Underdark creatures to attack Tethyr and the rest of the Sword Coast region.
 * Yaga-Shura portrait.png Yaga-Shura, a fire giant who led the army that destroyed Saradush.

Lesser Bhaalspawn

 * Gavid, a serial killer whose shade was encountered in the first test in the Pocket Plane by Gorion's Ward. He told of how he grew up not knowing his true nature but felt the call of murder and gave into it. He only found out he was a Bhaalspawn when he was caught by someone who knew, and was killed.
 * Gromnir Il-Khan, a half-orc and the ruler of Saradush at the time of its fall.
 * Viekang, a thief whose Bhaalspawn essence manifested itself in a peculiar way: he would randomly teleport into a new part of the world with a flash of lightning whenever he got afraid. He appeared in (and disappeared from) Trademeet without explanation, and again showed up in Saradush, where he readily explained his condition. He had been hunted by other Bhaalspawn, including Yaga-Shura, but had always teleported away when they found him, making his life rather unstable. He was unable to leave the besieged city, because Melissan "cured" him, by making him unable to feel fear.
 * Oris Nimblefinger, a halfling Bhaalspawn present in Saradush during the siege by Yaga-Shura; presumed dead after the fall of the city.
 * Alexander Ralisar, a human Bhaalspawn present in Saradush during the siege by Yaga-Shura; presumed dead after the fall of the city.
 * Berena Elkan, servant of Gromnir, killed when the last Bhaalspawn fought Gromnir.
 * Karun the Black, servant of Gromnir, killed when the last Bhaalspawn fought Gromnir.
 * Eler Had, servant of Gromnir, killed when the last Bhaalspawn fought Gromnir.
 * Asmay Jahag, former servant of Gromnir, presumed dead when the city fell.
 * Toop the Brave, found outside of Yaga-Shura's home in the Marching Mountains.
 * Tibbit, found outside of Yaga-Shura's home in the Marching Mountains.
 * Merlinious, found outside of Yaga-Shura's home in the Marching Mountains.
 * Chinchilla, found outside of Yaga-Shura's home in the Marching Mountains.
 * Sythillis, the ogre mage that led the Sythillisian revolution was also a Bhaalspawn, and was killed by another who was a fire giant.

Second-generation Bhaalspawn
Second-generation Bhaalspawn were the offspring of a Bhaalspawn and an ordinary mortal. It was unclear how much such individuals in general would resemble ordinary mortals or conversely Bhaalspawn.
 * Draconis was the son of Abazigal and perhaps a brown dragon. He had a human form, but as a mage may simply have polymorphed into it.
 * Gorion's Ward and Aerie might have had a child, who according to her would be "tied to his fate" somehow.

Yaga-Shura intended to produce offspring with a captured human woman, apparently at the lack of anyone more suitable. This suggests that Bhaalspawn were able to interbreed with others of different races with unusual versatility.

Others with Bhaalspawn Powers
The divine essence of a Bhaalspawn was part of their soul, but with processes that separated soul from body, others could also gain some of the essence for themselves.
 * Amelyssan, the priestess of Bhaal who was supposed to be responsible for helping him return but who instead sought his powers for herself, gathered a great portion of the essences of dead Bhaalspawn. She had gained so much power this way that she was nearly equal to a demigod.
 * Bodhi and Jon Irenicus each used a soul (or most of a soul) stolen from Imoen and the last Bhaalspawn, respectively, to overcome their curse. Irenicus ended up in the Pocket Plane after his death on the Material Plane, and learnt to know his portion of the other's soul so well that he gained the ability to turn into the Slayer, far more controlled than the soul's real owner was.

Appearances

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


 * Video games
 * Baldur's Gate
 * Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
 * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal