Bhaalspawn
Encyclopedia
In the fictional universe of Forgotten Realms
, Bhaalspawn is a name given to all children of the fictitious Bhaal
, Lord of Murder, who foresaw his own death during the Time of Troubles
and fathered children who could one day be sacrificed for his return.
During the storyline of the Baldur's Gate series
of computer games the player (who is him or herself a Bhaalspawn) will encounter a number of Bhaalspawn, some as friends and some as enemies.
Issue number #288 of Dragon Magazine
contains an article detailing Bhaalspawn for 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons, enabling a Gamesmaster to effectively reecreate the Baldur's Gate series
of games for their own campaign, or to play a "post-games" campaign where not all of the Bhaalspawn were slain and where they retained the fragment of Bhaal's essence.
Abdel Adrian is the protagonist of the novelization of the Baldur's Gate series. As such, he corresponds to the player character in the games.
Due to the lack of any official name, the protagonist in the games as opposed to the novels is often referred to as "Charname" by the Baldur's Gate gaming community in reference to the designation given to this character in the game's code, which when the game is played is replaced by the name chosen by the player.
after being "reborn" in BG2: Shadows of Amn so technically he is no longer a child of Bhaal because he no longer has Bhaal essence (after being reborn anyway).
away whenever he is afraid, causing his encounters with Bhaalspawn to be brief. After his encounter with Melissan in Saradush, he loses his power. It is possible for the player to scare Viekang into regaining his power.
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
, Bhaalspawn is a name given to all children of the fictitious Bhaal
Bhaal
Bhaal, Lord of Murder, is a deity of the fictional Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.-Publication history:Ed Greenwood created Bhaal for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, set in the Forgotten Realms....
, Lord of Murder, who foresaw his own death during the Time of Troubles
Time of Troubles (Forgotten Realms)
The Time of Troubles, also known as the Arrival, Godswar, and Avatar Crisis, is a fictional time period in the chronology of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game...
and fathered children who could one day be sacrificed for his return.
- The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny, chaos will be sown by their passage.
- From the writings of the seerProphetIn religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
Alaundo.
During the storyline of the Baldur's Gate series
Baldur's Gate series
Baldur's Gate is a franchise of action role-playing games released under the Dungeons & Dragons Video Game Licenses. It is set in the fictional campaign setting of Forgotten Realms and takes place in its fictional continent of Faerûn. It takes place mostly in the Western Heartlands, but has also...
of computer games the player (who is him or herself a Bhaalspawn) will encounter a number of Bhaalspawn, some as friends and some as enemies.
Issue number #288 of Dragon Magazine
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
contains an article detailing Bhaalspawn for 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons, enabling a Gamesmaster to effectively reecreate the Baldur's Gate series
Baldur's Gate series
Baldur's Gate is a franchise of action role-playing games released under the Dungeons & Dragons Video Game Licenses. It is set in the fictional campaign setting of Forgotten Realms and takes place in its fictional continent of Faerûn. It takes place mostly in the Western Heartlands, but has also...
of games for their own campaign, or to play a "post-games" campaign where not all of the Bhaalspawn were slain and where they retained the fragment of Bhaal's essence.
Notable Bhaalspawn
The Bhaalspawn came from a wide variety of races and backgrounds, from the humble to the powerful. Here are some of the known Bhaalspawn:Abazigal
A male half-dragon (blue). He had one son, the half-dragon Draconis. He joined the alliance of Bhaalspawn known as the Five, and raised an army primarily consisting of non-humans.Abdel Adrian
The Bhaalspawn raised by the sage, Gorion, at the great library of Candlekeep.Abdel Adrian is the protagonist of the novelization of the Baldur's Gate series. As such, he corresponds to the player character in the games.
Due to the lack of any official name, the protagonist in the games as opposed to the novels is often referred to as "Charname" by the Baldur's Gate gaming community in reference to the designation given to this character in the game's code, which when the game is played is replaced by the name chosen by the player.
Balthazar
A male human monk, and a member of the Five. The leader of a monastic order based in the town of Amkethran. Balthazar wanted to kill all of the other Bhaalspawn before committing ritual suicide, so that the evil essence of Bhaal would be "locked away" forever. He was eventually slain by Abdel Adrian.Gavid
A male human. Gavid was a seemingly normal man who was killed before he discovered his true heritage. His spirit challenged Charname to the prospect retribution in Charname's pocket plane.Gromnir Il-Khan
A male half-orc who briefly ruled Saradush while the city was under siege by Yaga-Shura.Illasera
A female human, and one of the Five. Known as "Illasera the Quick" for her superhuman speed in combat. She was the first of the Five sent by Melissan to hunt down Abdel Adrian. Abdel manages only to defeat her in the novelization by resorting to his Bhaal-essence rage.Imoen
Imoen is Abdel Adrian's half-sister, although her identity is unknown in the first game. She is extremely loyal to him and very cheerful despite the horrors she has seen. At the end of the series, she gives up her Bhaalspawn essence to kill Mellisan and possibly elevate Abdel to godhood.Sarevok Anchev
Sarevok is a powerful fighter that lost his essence of BhaalBhaal
Bhaal, Lord of Murder, is a deity of the fictional Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.-Publication history:Ed Greenwood created Bhaal for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, set in the Forgotten Realms....
after being "reborn" in BG2: Shadows of Amn so technically he is no longer a child of Bhaal because he no longer has Bhaal essence (after being reborn anyway).
Sendai
A female Drow and member of the Five. A powerful cleric and warrior, Sendai commanded an army of renegade Drow and other Underdark creatures before she was killed by Abdel Adrian.Viekang
Viekang is a male human, who is taken by fear whenever he encounters another Bhaalspawn. Through his tainted blood, fear causes him to teleportTeleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
away whenever he is afraid, causing his encounters with Bhaalspawn to be brief. After his encounter with Melissan in Saradush, he loses his power. It is possible for the player to scare Viekang into regaining his power.