Viconia DeVir

	Mother Superior of Shar
Viconia DeVir
	Stats
	Level 11
Race	[[Lolth-Sworn Drow\|Lolth-Sworn Drow]]
Type	Humanoid
HP	124
AC	20
Movement Speed	9m / 30ft
Size	Medium
Weight	150 lbs
Initiative	4
	Passive features
	Born into Darkness Darkvision Fey Ancestry Magic Resistance Opportunity Attack Shadow Ambush Sunlight Sensitivity
Character information
Location	Cloister of Sombre Embrace
In-game model

Viconia DeVir is a drow cleric of Shar. She is a returning character from Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn where she was a companion.

“	L'il Alurl! For Shar!	„
	— Viconia's Battle Cry

Background

Viconia was born to House DeVir in the drow capital city of Menzoberranzan in Underdark. She was a priestess of Lolth for many years. To prove her faith she was tasked with killing an infant in a ritual sacrifice to the Spider Queen. Viconia refused and her house fell out of Lolth's favour. It seemed that the only way for House DeVir to regain their goddess' favour was for Viconia to prostrate herself before the Spider Queen. Viconia was fed up with Lolth's ways and believed she could survive without her.

House DeVir was left vulrenable to other Houses' attacks and in desperation Matron DeVir tried to sacrifice Viconia, but her wizard brother intervened and killed their mother. For this action Lolth turned him into a drider. Viconia lost her clerical powers and fled to the surface. Some time later she found herself a new goddess - Shar.

Being a possible companion in previous games, specifically Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, she canonically, if not traveled with, at the very least met Gorion's Ward (the protagonist of previous games) and their group as Jaheira and Minsc remember meeting her. Depending on player's actions and if Viconia was their companion, she could've also met Sarevok.

Present days

In the century that passed since Baldur's Gate II Viconia DeVir became the Mother Superior of the Shar enclave in Baldur's Gate. She previously had a grander enclave in Waterdeep, but Lady Shar commanded her to raze it and kill all her loyal followers. Viconia's new mission was to take a child of Selûne and turn them over to Lady Shar.

She and her group ambushed a Selûnite family that was in the process of a coming-of-age ritual of their half-elven girl Jenevelle Hallowleaf. Her parents were captured and imprisoned while the girl was raised a cleric of Shar under a new name - Shadowheart.

Shadowheart always dreamed of becoming a Dark Justiciar, but Viconia thwarted any attempts at doing so.

Recently she tasked Shadowheart with retrieving the Mysterious Artefact that will help them against the Absolute.

The House of Grief

Viconia DeVir resides in the Cloister of Sombre Embrace which is located in Sharran Ruins under the House of Grief. She provides the Mapping of the Heart for those in need of Sharran guidance.

If the player or Shadowheart undergoes the Mapping, Viconia will remove her hood revealing her identity and invite the party to the Cloister. She explains that she knows the party has the artefact in their possession and that she needs it to destroy the Absolute. If the Intimidation or Persuasion checks are passed, then Viconia will relent. However, she demands to hand over Shadowheart to her. The party can either agree, starting Surrender Shadowheart to Viconia quest, or refuse, which starts a fight. If Shadowheart is a Dark Justiciar, then she can convince some of the cultists to fight along with the party, taking over the cloister after Viconia's defeat.

If the meeting results in combat, Viconia will manifest the fears she learned from the players (she will turn into a wolf to scare shadowheart, or she will temporarily turn the player into a mind flayer if the player told her their fear of becoming one).

If Shadowheart was handed over Viconia, Viconia can become an ally in the final battle providing Nightbringer's Shadow Adepts support, alternatively, if Shadowheart replaced her as the Mother Superior the same support will be provided by her instead.

Notable Loot

Notes

Her actual Strength is 14 but because of her Handmaiden's Mace it is set to 18 until she is disarmed.
She gains unique spells depending on your answers during the Mapping of the Heart and the "Heartform" (False Heart, Craven Heart, etc) she determines you have, e.g. saying you're afraid of turning into a mindflayer gives her the spell Mapped Terror: Ceremorphosis to make that character believe he/she has undergone ceremorphosis which prevents the character from moving or taking actions for a turn. Viconia also gains the spell Castigate Heartform which allows her to put the relevant Heartform debuff on you, e.g. False Heart which lasts until the next long rest or until you get silenced and which makes you have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws and makes Viconia's attacks against you automatically crit.
- As the beastly Heartform Terrors are illusions, Dominate Beast doesn't work on them.
She is voiced by Jess Nesling, replacing Grey DeLisle/Griffin from the previous games.
Her final line before combat (L'il Alurl! For Shar!) is a direct reference to her battle cry from the previous games.
According to Larian, this version of Viconia is not the original one from past Baldur's Gate games, but a WotC replacement. Her default ending and character motives were retconned in order to fit the new narrative. Her new divergent personality has raised many controversies in the community.

Gallery

Character portrait by Edward Vanderghote
Preparing for Battle