Viconia DeVir

"Viconia reveals (quite proudly) that she is a dark elf from the Underdark city of Menzoberranzan. She says very little about her reasons for leaving that sunless realm, though separations of such nature are never gentle. She does claim to no longer worship the spider goddess Lolth: a change that even you know is often fatal. Her new faith is in the night goddess Shar, an appropriate choice for a drow, though this is not a firm indication that she has given up the brutal ways of her people. She finds the laws of the surface world quaint and more than a little strange, but this is simply because of her lack of experience. Likewise she seems a bit naive about how her race is viewed by surface dwellers. Many will not give her the chance she seems to expect, and even being seen with her may affect how people think of you. You know that as a drow, she has resistance to magic, both beneficial and harmful."

- Character description from the Baldur's Gate computer game.

History
Viconia left her house and trappings as a priestess of Lolth after she failed to slay a baby in Lolth's name. A rival killed the child in her stead and House DeVir fell out of favour with the Drow's fell deity. Sacrifices of wealth and servants were no use, it seemed Lolth only wanted one thing from them: Viconia herself. Matron DeVir was desperate for Viconia to prostrate herself in front of Lolth, especially after a lesser house failed to destroy them after learning of their newfound weakness, but Viconia refused, sick of Lolth's ways, somehow believing that she would still survive with her station intact. Her mother had her taken away to be sacrificed to the Spider Queen but her brother Valas, a powerful wizard, saved her and killed their enraged mother. For his actions, he was turned into a Drider by Lolth. Viconia was stripped of her clerical powers and fled to the surface while finding renewed faith in Shar. She was saved from a goblin attack by a Calishite caravan only to be used as a pleasure slave by its rotund owner. She quickly bent him to her will and bade the caravan go wherever she wished. However, one night, his heart gave out and the guards assumed Viconia had murdered him.

The Protagonist first found her on the run from a Flaming Fist mercenary and had to be saved. Later, she bought some land on the outskirts of Beregost, not with the intention of farming it, but simply as a place to stay. She remained hooded at all times, even when conversing with her neighbour and awkward friend Roran Midfallow. When she finally decided to remove her hood, it was too late, Roran had already worked out what she was and had concocted a plan. He and his sons tortured her before burying her alive. She escaped and killed Roran and his sons then burned down his farmhouse before fleeing south to Amn. She'd had a few nasty run-ins before getting to Athkatla where again, she was recognized, this time by followers of Beshaba. Luckily, she recognized the Protagonist again in the Government District of the city and was once again saved.

In The Game
In the first game, Viconia can be found in the Peldvale area, fleeing a member of the Flaming Fist. The Flaming Fist will give the player option of helping him kill her, or of siding with the drow. If the player character kills the mercenary, Viconia will join them. Because of her high dex and wisdom, she excels as a backrow sling-wielder and cleric, and becomes a decent fighter when given a strength enhancing item, such as the Gauntlets of Ogre Power.

In the second game, the player encounters her tied to a stake in the Athkatla's Government District, where followers of Beshaba are intending to burn her. Toward the end of their dialog, Viconia recognizes the player character and asked for aid. If the player unties Viconia from the stake, the Beshabans become hostile, and must be killed. After that, she offers to join the party.

It is possible for the player character to start a romance with Viconia, but it is considered to be the most difficult of the 3 possible romances for a male character.

In Throne of Bhaal, Viconia can join the party if she was either in the player's party before the transition or is summoned from the pocket plane. The romance continues in this game, if it lasted until the conclusion in Shadows of Amn. In addition, it becomes possible to change Viconia's alignment to True Neutral, if the player character makes the right decisions during the romance dialogs.

During the encounter with the Shade in the Forest of Mir, if the player has a romance with Viconia, one of the shades will take the form of her brother, Valas, and will accuse her of betraying him.

According to her ending storyline, after the Bhaalspawn saga, she created a cult to Shar in Waterdeep, but after being in troubles with her deity she wandered the Realms again. She protected Calimport when it was under the attack of the Knights of the Shield, and she even joined Drizzt Do'Urden to save the elven city of Suldanessellar, so it seems that she finally changed her alignment. Due to these acts she was accepted between the elves, an honour never before given to one of her kind, but she departed. It is unknown where she went.

Alternatively if the player chooses to stay mortal and is in a romance with Viconia then she and the player continue adventuring. With the player becoming an important political figure while, she was his counsel. Eventually she bore the player's child which at first strained their relationship. The birth however changed her, and she dedicated herself to raising the boy, teaching him both the ways of the drow and of the player's people. She marveled at the understanding in his eyes, but unfortunately didn't live to see him grow. Viconia was poisoned by a servant of Lolth, her last words whispered to her loving mate in private.

Appearances

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

Connections
Viconia DeVir