Gorion's Ward

Gorion's Ward was the last Bhaalspawn left alive at the end of the Throne of Bhaal conflict. It is known that the ward was raised as the foster child of the sage Gorion and thus received this nickname.

Early History
Gorion's Ward was raised in Candlekeep, a library fortress on the Sword Coast. The ward, along with Imoen and Sarevok, was found as a baby by the sage. Gorion took the ward and Imoen but left Sarevok behind. All three children were known by Gorion to be Bhaalspawn, the mortal half-god progeny of the dead god Bhaal, who had created an intricate plan to be raised from his unavoidable death by using the souls of his children to resurrect himself. All Bhaalspawn felt the need for conflict to some degree, save for Imoen, whose nature was drowned by a carefree spirit.

The cold war between Amn and Baldur's Gate
Gorion believed Candlekeep to be a safe place to hide the children from their bloodthirsty siblings. To Gorion's fear, in 1368 DR, Bounty Hunters under the pay of Sarevok infiltrated the keep and made an attempt on the ward's life. The sage sent word to his old contacts, including Elminster, along with the Harpers Khalid and Jaheira, and made plans for an escape. He planned to group with the Harpers and help protect the ward from Sarevok. Gorion and the ward left hurriedly from Candlekeep but were waylaid by Sarevok. Seeing no way out, Gorion sacrificed himself to allow the ward enough time to flee. Sarevok, having lost his prey, put out a public bounty on Gorion's Ward. The next morning the ward was greeted by Imoen, who had earlier snuck into Gorion's chambers and read a private note. Suspecting trouble, she left Candlekeep to aid them. The ward had been told to find Khalid and Jaheira at the Friendly Arm Inn if something were to happen to Gorion. It is not known if the ward met with the Harpers (it is known he traveled with the pair later), as on the way to the inn he met a pair of dubious individuals: Xzar, a mad Necromancer; and Montaron, an evil halfling, both of which were Zhentarim agents. They wanted traveling companions for a trip to Nashkel—in the opposite direction of the inn—to investigate trouble at the local iron mines. History is unsure whether the ward accepted their company or found the Harpers. Perhaps they did both, as the Harper's were also traveling to Nashkel for the same reason. Either way, it is known that the ward and his companions found that the iron mines were being tainted by Kobolds led by a Half-orc Cleric of Cyric named Mulahey. After dispatching Mulahey, the ward learned that Sarevok might have been behind the cold war brewing between Amn and Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate believed Amn was poisoning the iron and stealing the weapons so that when it attacked, the sword coast would be defenseless. The Ward followed a lead to Beregost, where an agent of Sarevok named Tranzig was staying. It is unknown whether or not the ward interrogated Tranzig as it is rumored the Elminster gave him the information needed to move on to the next goal. Either way, the ward's next lead took him to a bandit camp in Wood of Sharp Teeth, where one of Sarevok's highest ranking agents, the half-ogre Tazok, was leading the bandits stealing the small amounts of good iron being brought in from the Sword Coast's mines and fueling the aggregations between Amn and Baldur's Gate.The companions arrived and routed the camp but Tazok was not found. However, a new lead sent them to the Cloakwood Forest. There they found a secret mine where Sarevok was creating the small amount of good iron to be found on the sword coast. He was selling the iron to Baldur's Gate through his position as leader of the Iron Throne Merchants and gaining renown within the city. The ward and their companions flooded out the secret mine, ending Sarevok's operation there.

Now knowing about the Iron Throne's affiliation with Sarevok and with the help of a Flaming Fist mercenary named Scar, the ward destroyed their leaders at their headquarters in Baldur's Gate, but Sarevok eluded them. It is at the point that the ward returned home to Candlekeep. It was here that the ward learned of their true nature as Bhaalspawn, after reading a letter left to them by Gorion. He also met a man named Koveras who was actually Sarevok in disguise. Koveras had The Ward kill some nobles who had been replaced by Doppelgangers. After doing so Sarevok placed the bodies of the real nobles in the place of the fake bodies and accused The Ward of murder.The Ward and his companions were branded as outlaws and imprisoned below Candlekeep, in a set of monster infested catacombs. They escaped with their lives, but were considered criminals. They returned to Baldur's Gate to find proof of Sarevok's plans. Ironically, Tamoko one of Sarevok's chief agents as well as his lover betrayed the location of the evidence. Sarevok was just about to be crowned a Duke of Baldur's Gate when The Ward announced that Sarevok wanted to use Baldur's Gate for a bloodwar against Amn, which he believed would grant him his father's divinity as the lord of murder. Sarevok fled to the catacombs beneath Baldur's Gate, and the Ward was pardoned and charged with Sarevok's destruction. Deep below Baldur's Gate in a buried Temple of Bhaal, The Ward and his companions faced off against Sarevok and his chief agents. The Ward emerged victorious and was hailed a hero.

The Shadows of Amn
Gorion's Ward reputation as a hero lasted for many month in Baldur's Gate, soon however the people began to realize that the ward and Sarevok shared a common sire. The ward left the city along with Imoen, Jaheira, Khalid, Minsc, and Dynaheir (see possible companions section below) Their reputation in Baldur's Gate, however, had garnered the attention of a new individual; a mage named Jon Irenicus, who sought the power locked away inside the Ward and his companion, Imoen. The travellers were captured in the night by Irenicus's Vampire agents and brought to a dungeon below Athkatla in the nation of Amn. Irenicus performed tortuous experiments of the Ward and Imoen, before a battle between Irenicus's vampires and The Shadow Thieves exploded in the secret dungeon. Imoen managed to break free during the chaos and help the Ward escape his own cell. The pair found Jaheira and Minsc in nearby cells, and (to Minsc's dismay) the remains of Dynaheir rotting in another nearby cell.

The companions managed to fight their way through the many guardians left behind during the battle and made their way to the second level of the dungeon via a portal. Here they found another captive named Yoshimo, a Bounty Hunter from Kara-Tur. In the room beyond that, Jaheira recognized the dissected body of her husband Khalid. Imoen stated that she had been forced to watch what was done to him. The party then made their way out of the dungeon but were met by Irenicus dispatching the last Shadow Thieves, at the exit. Irenicus and Imoen (who had dual classed to a mage) exchanged spells but were stopped when a regiment of Cowled Wizards, a wizard sect within the city who enforced the anti-magic laws, teleported to their location and demanded that Imoen and Irenicus stand down to be taken under arrest. After a short scuffle between Irenicus and the Wizards, Irenicus surrendered. He and Imeon were taken to Spellhold and locked away as magical deviants. The ward set out to find Irenicus, whether or not he was concerned with Imoen's safety or just wanted to learn how Irenicus planned to unlock his power is unknown.

The ward quickly learned of a Guild War between the Shadow Thieves and a New Guild. Both parties desired to use the Ward to help with their war. The Shadow Thieves offered the Ward help in finding Irenicus for a sum of 20000 gold. The ward set out to find work and went about eliminating several threats to Amn and Athkatla. It was during this time that the ward was contacted by Bodhi, the leader of the second guild warring for control of the Anmish underworld, a guild of Vampires. It is unknown which side the ward helped, but it is known that the Vampires and Bohi were the same Vampires working for Irenicus. With the help of their chosen guild the Ward tracked Irenicus and Imoen to the Spellhold Asylum. Irenicus had taken control of the facility away from the Cowled Wizards and had built a machine to unlock and extract the Bhaal essence from Imoen and the Ward. Apparently Bodhi and Irenicus desired the essence to fuel their goal for immortality. The Ward was captured when he learned that Yoshimo betrayed him to Irenicus, who had the bounty hunter under a geas since the beginning. Imoen's essence was extracted and given to Bodhi while the Ward's was extracted for Irenicus. The companions were then tossed into the lower levels of the Asylum to be destroyed by the madmen, creatures, and traps within. They escaped however and fought off Irenicus and Bodhi, who fled by portal to the Underdark. Yoshimo was killed in the conflict and told the Ward that he had no choice but to betray him due to the geas, and begged him to bring his heart to a temple of Ilmater to be cleansed. It is unknown whether the Ward felt mercy enough to grant this favor however.

The ward had two options in tracking Irenicus, one was to chase him through the portal to Underdark, and the other was to take a more careful measure and travel by boat. Though there are accounts that favor both sides, it is unknown which path was chosen. An interesting side note though, is that those who say he took the boat claim he was betrayed and tossed overboard, where he helped a city of Sahuagin before taking a hidden passage to the Underdark.Irenicus had been consorting with the local drow matron, in the city of Ust Natha. He was seeking passage to the elven city of Suldanessellar, where he and his sister Bodhi had once been elves before being cursed with mortality. He had stolen the eggs of a silver dragon to be used by the Matron mother in a demonic summoning ritual. The silver dragon tasked the ward in retrieving the eggs. It placed an illusion on the party that made them appear to be drow. The Ward infiltrated the drow society and successfully saved the dragon's eggs. The silver dragon showed the Ward where Irenicus had exited the Underdark. The Ward exited to Underdark to be captured by surface elves. Captain Elhan questioned the Ward, and then gave them the task of getting a Lanthorn stolen by Bodhi, so they could reenter their city. The Ward proceeded to gather allies in Amn for the assault on Bodhi's lair. While it is unknown exactly who they got to help them, most likely it was either Drizzt Do'Urden and his companions, the Shadow Thieves, or the Paladins of the Order of the Radiant Heart. Either way, the Ward's assault was successful the companions found all of Bodhi's vampires and staked them, then staked Bodhi herself, granting Imoen the return of her soul.

After returning the Lanthorn, the companions and Elhan returned to Suldanessellar. They found the city to be under attack. The ward found Queen Ellesime at a place called the Tree of Life, which Irenicus was draining for his goal of Immortality. The Ward destroyed Irenicus's Parasites which he was using to drain the tree then fought and killed Irenicus, however before dying, he sucked the companions into Hell with him, where they fought in a final show down. Irenicus fell and the Ward's soul was returned. Irenicus was left to rot in the Nine Hells while the ward and his group were pulled back to the Prime Material Plane. The Ward was honored by Suldanessellar and once again hailed a hero.

Appearances

 * Video games
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadow of Amn
 * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal