Sarevok Anchev

Sarevok Anchev was a powerful Deathbringer and one of the Bhaalspawn, the mortal offspring of dead god Bhaal. During the mid–14, he formulated and carried out a plan to replace his divine father as the Lord of Murder.

"If you have the arrogance of a god and can kill like a god, who's to say you are not a god?"

- Winski Perorate, about Sarevok

Description
Sarevok was enormous for a human male. His fearsome appearance was amplified by the unique suit of armor he wore. His eyes glowed with a solid yellow radiance.

Ambitions
Sarevok's life goal was to achieve apotheosis. Having researched his divine heritage, he believed that a great slaughter would spark his ascension. To this end he concocted a plan to use the Iron Throne as a pawn to orchestrate a war between the city-state of Baldur's Gate and the nation of Amn.

He also sought to eliminate competition from the other Bhaalspawn in Faerûn. This proved to be more challenging than his other plans.

Personality
Sarevok was an extremely capable individual, both highly intelligent and physically powerful. He was an expert strategist and was quite charismatic when he so chose.

He did however also have a very short temper and was not one for exercising caution.

Abilities
Having studied how to instill dread in his foes as well honed his skill in the most vicious styles of combat, Sarevok was a truly fearsome warrior. He was capable of inciting fear in his foes that left them completely paralyzed.

As a Deathbringer of Bhaal, Sarevok could slay some of his foes with a single cleaving slash of his greatsword.

He was highly resistant to arcane magic.

Relationships
Sarevok was romantically involved with the Kara-Turan warrior Tamoko. While the two truly loved one another, Sarevok lost sight of her as he became obsessed with his schemes and efforts related to his apotheosis. She in turn did not think such a thing was truly possible for a mortal to attain. Regardless, she simply did not want to lose him to godhood. Tamoko's disinclination to follow his plans led Sarevok to take another lover, Cythandria, who cared for little else beyond the power and wealth she could gain through Sarevok.

During his search for godhood, Sarevok gained quite a following among the faithful of Bhaal. They were wholly devoted to his cause; offering their livelihoods and even their lives to the man they saw as son of their god. Chief among these followers was the wizard Korlasz, one of the few individuals who could even say they were Sarevok's confidant.

Sarevok's inner circle was full of individuals who each had vested interests in his success: Winski Perorate, his mentor; Tazok, the leader of the Blacktalons mercenary company; Angelo Dosan, the power-hungry officer of the Flaming Fist; and the enigmatic conjurer Semaj.

Sarevok also had a number of other followers who were privy to his true plans, including: Zhalimar Cloudwulfe, Gardush, Naaman, Diyab, Aasim and Alai.

Possessions
Sarevok wore a unique set of plate armor adorned with blades along with a horned helmet crafted in the shape of a fiend's open maw.

He had an enchanted +2 greatsword made specifically for him, known as the Sword of Chaos.

Early life
Sarevok was saved from death at a very young age. A group of Bhaalist cult members gathered several Bhaalspawn children together at their temple in the Forest of Wyrms, and prepared to sacrifice them to the Lord of Murder. A group of Harpers assaulted the temple and saved the children from a grim death. While some of the Bhaalspawn were rescued or adopted, Sarevok was unfortunately left behind.

He grew up as an urchin in the streets until he was adopted as Sarevok Anchev by Richtar, the Arm of the Iron Throne. Richtar used the alias of Rieltar Anchev while acting as Sarevok's father and establishing the Baldurian branch of the organization. When Sarevok was just a child, Rieltar had his foster mother strangled with a garrote in front of him, as punishment for unfaithfulness. This event had a significant impact on the young Sarevok.

Revelation of Heritage


Like other Bhaalspawn, Sarevok had vivid dreams of destruction and mayhem that were accompanied by apparent messages from Bhaal himself. At some point he confronted a priest of Bhaal about his dreams but gleaned nothing useful. Consequently he slew the Bhaalist.

In the, Sarevok traveled from Ordulin to the Sword Coast alongside his adoptive father Rieltar, in order to expand the Iron Throne's operations in Baldur's Gate, and the Western Heartlands. Sarevok used this opportunity to begin researching the prophecy of Alaundo related to Bhaal, and his relevance therein. He came to understand that he was indeed one of the Bhaalspawn. After reading the line: "deaths they bring shall awaken the father, and through them he will rise", Sarevok believed he had to incite killing on a grand scale in order to assume Bhaal's portfolio.

While in Candlekeep he encountered the monk Gorion and his ward Abdel Adrian. He quickly came to realize that Abdel was indeed a Bhaalspawn like himself.

After he gained some sense about his divine heritage, Sarevok studied under Winski Perorate to learn more about the dark arts associated with Bhaal. With the aid of his new mentor he came to understand that a grand slaughter of massive scale was needed for his ascension.

Cultivating Influence
During that same year of 1365 DR, Sarevok assisted his foster father with his grand scheme that would to bring great wealth and influence to the Iron Throne. A group led by Rieltar's subordinate Mulahey would begin sabotaging the iron ore produced by the mines of Nashkel, while bandits and mercenary groups would raid iron shipments that traveled along the Coast Way road. Meanwhile, infiltrated several Baldurian mercantile interests such Seven Suns and the Merchant's League using doppelganger agents.

Growing tension in the region surrounding the iron trade would be blamed on the southern nation of Amn. They sought to compound this foreign hostility by spreading rumors that Amn was taking these actions to prepare for war against Baldur's Gate and their Flaming Fist army. The Iron Throne itself would arise as saviors, providing quality ore from their mine in the Cloak Wood, de-escalating the situation and making a fortune. While Rieltar only sought to bring the west on the precipice of war, Sarevok sought to fully carry out the events that would lead to death on the scale of a god.

Sarevok built a loyal following of devotees during this time. They saw him as a sort of divine teacher. With the aid of his most–committed servant Korlasz, he established a hidden sanctum within the ancestral crypts that belonged to her family.

At some point Sarevok traveled to an abandoned temple of Bhaal located near where the Coast Way crosses the Winding Water. After he routed the Cyricists within, he learned that the saga of the Bhaalspawn would culminate in the Tethyrian city of Saradush.

Seize of Power
By the month of Tarsakh in the, their plan was well on its way to success. At that time Sarevok saw an opportunity to rid himself of a fellow Bhaalspawn. In Mirtul, he returned to Candlekeep with Tamoko and a few allies and ambushed Gorion and his ward along the Way of the Lion. While Sarevok managed to slay the old sage of Candlekeep, the Bhaalspawn fled into the night.

In the weeks that followed, the Hero of Baldur's Gate started putting an end to Sarevok's lesser schemes while the leadership of the Iron Throne intervened against his more grandiose plot. Rieltar and Brunos Costak made for Candlekeep to negotiate a treaty with the Knights of the Shield, in an effort to prevent all out war. To stop them both, Sarevok framed the hero for the deaths of the Iron Throne and had them imprisoned within the dungeons of the great fortress library.



Sarevok then arranged for the assassination Entar Silvershield of the Baldurian Council of Four and Commander Scar of the Flaming Fist, blaming it on the Shadow Thieves guild in Amn. As Baldur's Gate was crippled with fear about a seemingly inevitable war, Sarevok was able to gain nomination as one of the new Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate. His interests in the Iron Throne would provide the city with the iron they needed and he would lead their army under the permission of its ranking officer, Angelo Dosan.

During his coronation, Sarevok was confronted by the Hero of Baldur's Gate. His plans were laid bare for all to see and the true nature of his plans were exposed to the city's leaders and the Baldurian nobility. After a brief battle, Sarevok fled to his inner sanctum, within the Bhaalist temple in the Undercity. The Hero of Baldur's Gate followed. They and their respective allies fought a great battle that ended with Sarevok's death. His body dissolved into golden dust as his essence dispersed and joined that of Bhaal.

Existence After Death
When the Hero of Baldur's Gate chased after Jon Irenicus to the Abyss the following year, they encountered a being that appeared as Sarevok. As with all the Bhaalspawn, an "echo" of Sarevok was transported to the realm after his death. This wraith Sarevok possessed one of the Tears of Bhaal and used it to provoke his half-sibling to transform into one of the avatars of Bhaal, the Slayer. Sarevok was defeated once again, yet a portion of his essence still remained.

This essence of Sarevok manifested in the pocket plane of Bhaal's Throne of Blood again some weeks later. When the Hero of Baldur's Gate appeared once again, he presented his divine sibling with a deal: If they gave up a part of their divine soul so that he may live again, he would offer information vital to resolving the Bhaalspawn crisis. In truth, Sarevok wished to travel alongside his killer. Despite his death he felt he still had some role to play in the fulfillment of Alaundo's prohpecy.

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * Baldur's Gate • Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal


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

Behind the Scenes

 * In the Baldur's Gate series of video games, Sarevok is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.