A Heretic's Point of View
I think sergeLeBlade and fable give reasonable justifications for side quests that have a high correlation with what BioWare was evidently thinking when they wrote the plot.
I have never really bought into the whole theology of the Forgotten Realms so, for what it is worth, here is my take on the recent events in Baldur's Gate and Athkatla and how the game can be played from a good perspective.
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First some background:
The entire problem centers around the myth that during the Time of Troubles, a person representing himself as a deity went around impregnating females of various races. Note however that the offspring are universally recognized as belonging to the race of the mother. But secondly, and more important, the whole logic that the God of Murder was afraid of dying is ludicrous. Who killed him, the God of Accidental Death? So I question, on purely logical grounds, the idea that I am the offspring of this or any other god.
Now, whether or not you wish to believe this crazy, indeed blasphemous, legend is your business. But the fact remains that the only evidence I have that it applies to me is the testimony of one Sarevok who was clearly mad. There may be some evidence that Gorion believed at least part of this story, but it is not conclusive. If even the wise Alaundo could fall for the crazy Bhaalspawn myth, I am willing to believe that Gorion may have been sincerely deluded as well. So the whole conflict that culminated in the events in Baldur's Gate may well have been brought on by the tortured delusions of a single megalomaniac.
Unfortunately, having defeated him in a very spectacular combat has only given fuel to the legend that I am indeed a child of Bhaal. Never mind that everyone I encounter remarks on the fact that I don't fit the profile. Even Sarevok's confidante and former lover, Tamoko, bears witness that we are very different spiritually, where we should be nearly identical if our souls indeed derive from the god in question.
Enter Jon Irenicus, another power-mad tyrant with an admittedly formdiable command of the magic arts. He has clearly been experimenting with some very powerful death magic, but the only concrete result early on is the serious psychological trauma he has induced in Imoen. Hardly evidence of his spiritual objectivity.
When he encounters the Cowled Wizards, he clearly has them outmatched but he consents to surrender if they will take Imoen as well. Is this rational? More evidence of his complete psychotic break with reality, I say.
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I have played the game at this point on the assumption that I have to make enough money to rescue Imoen, but things just keep getting in the way. In order to make money one needs to hire oneself out to the various side quests, but in order to complete those quests without getting killed the proper equipment must be purchased. This is similar to sergeLeBlade's take on the problem. If you keep spending money, you never have the required fee for Galen (or Bodhi) so you just have to go on one more quest, and then one more...
However, I prefer to get the money as soon as possible (and side with Bodhi so that both evil empires can be snuffed out) and proceed as noted below.
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However, the fact of Imoen's capture must be dealt with. Having gathered the required fee by helping Renal Bloodscalp with his guild problems, I make my way to Spellhold only to be captured by Irenicus. He performs another of his crazy experiments on me, claiming that he has stolen my soul, but this can be interpreted as just another of his theologically suspect delusions.
The only actual result that I can observe is that he has caused some sort of involuntary polymorphing to occur. Could it be that he has accidentally inflicted me with a particularly virulent form of lycanthropy? Like lycanthropy, I eventually gain control over it.
My scepticism is further supported by the fact that Imoen, who has undergone the same procedure, does not have the same symptoms. Irenicus is incapable of explaining this discrepancy and resorts to a very implausible notion that it is due to her cheerful innocence, or her lack of awareness of her true Bhaal-nature. Bah. I have never accepted that premise so I am no more "aware" of my Bhaal-nature than she.
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You will note that at this point I am theologicall and ethically free to ignore Bodhi and Irenicus and do any side-quests I care to. Since I reject the notion that either I or Imoen had a Bhaal-essence to begin with, I am under no compulsion to attempt to "restore" either of our souls. Having rescued Imoen, I have discharged my sole ethical responsibility. Every quest that was available in Ch 2 is still available in Ch 6 except the Renal Bloodscalp one mentioned above.
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After defeating Irenicus at the tree of life, he evidently casts a final spell that draws me into hell along with him. (Again note that Imoen did not have a similar problem with Bodhi and her stolen "soul".)
My experience in the nether plane adds some further confirmation of my claim. Although the demons all call me child of Bhaal -- and I should believe the testimony of demons? Clearly just another ploy to snare me into their hellish torment -- they are all forced to admit that my behavior is not what they would expect from one so tainted.
When I pass all of their tests, I face Irenicus and he turns into the very creature whose form he has inflicted on me. Now *his* explanation would be that he got the ability from my stolen essence, but isn't it equally plausible that I got it from his tampering? The only observable fact is that I was fine before he started his mumbo-jumbo and I really have no way of knowing what his true capabilities were. Clearly his magic use has always been suspiciously atypical of the classic mage and even sorcerors can't crank out the spells at the rate he did in the battle with the Cowled Wizards. My conclusion is that he has found a way of transferring his curse to me and that the whole Bhaal-spawn thing is utterly without foundation.
**End Roleplaying
I have not played through the Throne of Bhaal expansion so I imagine some creative way will have to be devised to account for the events there. However, madness and human evil go a long way toward explaining just about every interesting conflict, so I suspect it would not be too difficult for those so inclined.
This disourse was somewhat longer than I anticipated. I hope I haven't bored anyone.
