Saemon Havarian

Saemon Havarian appears in both the novel and the game versions of the Baldur's Gate II story. He's the character responsible for taking the protagonist to Spellhold.

The novel
In the novel Saemon Havarian is a drunk with a boat. He rows Abdel Adrian to Spellhold on Bodhi's command.

The games
In the game and its expansion, Saemon Havarian is a flamboyant and opportunistic sea-captain and corsair with a knack for getting out of trouble, often by putting others in it in his stead. He will take the protagonist's party to Brynnlaw near Spellhold, regardless of whether his aid is acquired through the Shadow Thieves or Bodhi. It will shortly turn out that Havarian has betrayed the party when he leads them into a vampire ambush. He's actually working for Irenicus more or less against his will. After the player's party escapes from the maze under Spellhold, he appears again with a plan to defeat Irenicus, ultimately forcing the mage to flee.

Havarian offers to take the party to where Irenicus is going, but if they choose to take up on his offer it turns out he no longer has a ship and they have to steal one for him from the Pirate King, as well as do his fighting for him when the pirates catch up with them. As they set out Havarian "gifts" the party with a blade of an unknown magical weapon he was given by Irenicus. It actually belongs to a Silver Sword, a holy item of the githyanki, who soon catch up with the ship in a levitating craft of their own. Havarian tried to implicate the player character's party for the theft, but the githyanki decide everyone onboard is guilty by association and attack. The battle is interrupted by an attack of the sahuagin. The githyanki evacuate and Havarian teleports away while his ship sinks and everyone else goes under, the player's party being captured alive by the sahuagin.

Later on, the player character may have the chance to ask Aran Linvail to hunt down Havarian for revenge, but to no avail.

In Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Havarian is encountered again in Amkethran, where he's in trouble with a couple of dim-witted thugs who demand back their possessions. Upon seeing the player character, he immediately lies that they have the missing items and vanishes with his usual "better you than me" apology while the thugs attack them. His aid needs to be enlisted later on, however. Havarian has managed to make himself quite the reputation as a local fake Robin Hood, operating from a secret base in the city, and only he can help the player character inside the palace to confront Balthazar.

Appearances
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (novel) Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (game) Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (game)