Jon Irenicus Joneleth Irenicus , commonly referred to as Jon Irenicus or simply Irenicus , is the primary antagonist in " " , a role - playing game set in Amn . Personality . At first , Irenicus appears to be a simple , if surreal , villain with a keen interest in torturing the protagonist with unusual magic at the very beginning of " Shadows of Amn " . However , minutes into the game , he reveals that his apparent motive for said torture is to unlock his victim ' s latent ' power ' , thereby benefiting from them in the long run . His obsession with a woman he ' d previously maintained a relationship with reveals a much more human ( or elven ) side to him . It becomes apparent later in the game that Irenicus ' s embarking on his dark path came about partly from love . His possessive nature eventually became too much for his partner to bear , and unable to let go , Irenicus turned to pursuit of power and revenge , which in turn led to him becoming utterly twisted . However , not only love was responsible for his downfall . Physical Description . He is unusually well - muscled for a mage , and his body shows the ravages of time as a result of being disconnected from the life - force and immortality of the elven people . Irenicus ' face is deeply veined and invariably bears a cold , disdainful expression . There has been some contention among players as to whether that is Irenicus ' actual face , or some sort of enchanted mask . Jon ' s ears appear to have been surgically removed and replaced with a form - fitting skullcap that covers the rear half of his head . The exact purpose of this skullcap is unknown , though it ( possibly in conjunction with Irenicus ' armor ) presumably serves some sort of life - support function . This is especially likely in light of the self - imposed vampirism used by Bodhi ( Irenicus ' likewise - exiled " sister " , though whether this is in blood or merely name remains unclear ) to sustain her own existence . It is also possible that Irenicus ' bodily modifications allow him to augment or better focus his considerable magic power . Name . Joneleth is Jon ' s elven name , and Jon Irenicus is later revealed to mean " Jon the Shattered One . " The name " Irenicus " was born out of Joneleth ' s hatred , self - pity , and desire for revenge on Queen Ellesime , and the people of Suldanessellar , for his exile . Irenicus is an ultimately unsympathetic character who seeks to claim divine power to which he has no right . This hubris is in contrast to the motivations of Bhaalspawn individuals such as Sarevok and the Player Character , who can at least pursue Bhaal ' s power under the excuse of heredity . Lair . His lair seems to confirm that he is a strange character . Grossly deformed creatures kept in containers reveal a complex character ; while speaking with the surviving creatures , you learn that they were formerly in good standing with Irenicus , who were tormented by their wait for Jon to return to bring them back to life , or from the brink of death . History . Irenicus was already a powerful spellcaster , and the power he sought was the power of the gods themselves , trying to enter the elven pantheon . So he was punished for his lust for power by being stripped of what made him an elf . No longer being able to feel with the same intensity as before , he became bitter , obsessed about his downfall , and embarked on a mission where it was hard to tell if his objective was that of gaining power or satisfying his revenge . At the start of " Baldur ' s Gate II " , Irenicus appears to be a human , although later dialog reveals that both he and his sister , Bodhi , are exiled elves . The elves of Suldanessellar refer to him as ' the Exile ' , and it turns out his lost love is the elven Queen Ellesime . At some point following his exile Irenicus crossed paths with Centeol . Within the Baldur ' s Gate series he is first mentioned in " Baldur ' s Gate " by Centeol , a former sorceress who was in love with Irenicus . If charmed she will reveal that Irenicus ' s lover , Lady Tanova , was murdered by Centeol in order to gain Jon ' s love . However , Irenicus divined the location of his lovers murderer , and upon confronting Centeol he transformed her into the spider queen . He is a highly arrogant , and an incredibly powerful wizard . Capable of causing a huge explosion within the city of Athkatla that reduces part of Waukeen ' s Promenade to rubble , and eliminate several Cowled Wizards that were sent to arrest him thereafter , before eventually surrendering by choice rather than continue his violent actions . Powers . Irenicus ' magic is , like Irenicus himself , actually elven in origin . The extent of Irenicus ' magical ability at first shown to be unusually potent , then beyond spectacular . In terms of ability and power he ranks among the most powerful wizards in all of Faerûn , rivaling famed mages such as Elminster Aumar and Khelben " Blackstaff " Arunsun . In combat , Irenicus is swift , decisive and overwhelmingly potent , eradicating opponents with only a single choice spell at a time with horrific efficiency . Irenicus can cast spells of the ninth level or even beyond , and often disintegrates or detonates enemies in an instant — a fractional display of his terrific power is given in Waukeen ' s Promenade , where he dispatches several dozen experienced assailants with his powerful magics . Irenicus commands some spells that are not even available to any other character , a notable example being " Rapture of the Father " , a death spell that appears to be able to instantly kill six enemies with no regard to magic resistance or saving throws , and a cloning spell with which he clones the main character and his friends to keep them occupied while he makes his escape . Appearances . At the start of " Baldur ' s Gate II " , Irenicus serves as the main character ' s captor . He claims to use torturous experiments to eventually benefit the player character and his sister Imoen by " unlocking their power . " However this proves to be a foil for his real intentions : attaining for himself a great deal of power from them by confiscating their souls , to replace the ones he and his vampire sister Bodhi lost . Upon exiting his dungeon , Irenicus surrenders to the Cowled Wizards on one condition : that Imoen ( the protagonist ' s sister in the game ) accompanies him . The Cowled Wizards agree to this , as Imoen has used magic openly against Irenicus ; Athkatla law prohibits any open use of arcane magic by anyone that is not registered with , or a member of , the Cowled Wizards . The protagonist ' s party resolves to track down Irenicus and save Imoen from Irenicus ' clutches . Irenicus is teleported to a prison named Spellhold , but quickly proceeds to overrun the entire place , killing all of the wizards with ease and taking control of the premises . Irenicus ' true , evil intentions are revealed once the player reaches Spellhold . Irenicus finishes his torturing of the protagonist , and in doing so steals the main character ' s soul . Bodhi accomplishes the same feat , taking Imoen ' s soul . Effectively , Imoen and the protagonist have swapped fates with Irenicus and Bodhi . Trapped in the lower halls of Spellhold , the protagonist suffers delusions , until s / he is able to turn into the Slayer — an avatar of the dead god Bhaal . The party escape Spellhold , following Irenicus into the Underdark , and eventually to the Elven city of Suldanessellar . Irenicus ' scheme is finally revealed — he planned to seek revenge upon the Elves of Suldanesselar by inciting a war between the drow and the elves . During this , he would drain the energy from the Tree of Life , thereby effectively replacing Rillifane Rallathil in the Seldarine and becoming an elven god . The protagonist and his / her party must stop the assault on Suldanessellar , and face Irenicus atop the sprawling tree , and slay him . However , upon dying , the soul of the protagonist drags the entire party down into the depths of the Nine Hells . Only after participating in the Hell Trials ( all but one were managed by demons , whilst one other was managed by the recalled essence of Sarevok , the half - brother of the protagonist and primary antagonist from Baldur ' s Gate I ) would a final showdown between Irenicus and a horde of demons against the main character and his / her party commence . If the main character wins , s / he eventually reclaims his / her lost soul , and returns to the world of the living , whilst Irenicus suffers a fate worse than death at the hands of many chittering demons . Irenicus ' motives are left up in the air until the closing moments of the game . As the game progresses , Irenicus and his past are laid bare piece by piece . It is not until the final chapters when one can finally deduce and interpret his actions and goals . Irenicus ' s main goals are those commonly seen in villains : revenge and power .