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Alright I admit, I'm not sure. But I have a couple of hints.
*SPOILERS!!!*

[url="http://www.cdmag.com/Home/home.html?article=/articles/032/010/baldursgat-02a.html"]http://www.cdmag.com/Home/home.html?article=/articles/032/010/baldursgat-02a.html[/url]
An interview with the developers. An interesting sentence:

<<There's a new NPC, a really cool one that we're not mentioning right now. But, they he isn't necessarily a new face; you may have seen him in past BG games.>>

Obviously, if you read a bit further, the developers see ToB as a totally new and different game then BG2. So BG2 could be one of the past BG games.

Secondly: [url="http://www.cdmag.com/Home/home.html?article=/articles/032/010/baldursgat-02a.html"]http://www.cdmag.com/Home/home.html?article=/articles/032/010/baldursgat-02a.html[/url]
A preview with some screenshots.

Check out the last screenshot by clicking on it. On the portrait bar, you see a totally new portrait. It's very unlike BioWare to put portraits in screenshots they don't have in their games. This MUST be the new NPC.
The white stuff behind his head ain't no hair. He's bald. My first guess was a monk. But he has the Haste icon on his portrait; and we all know monks can't be hasted.

So I've been thinking of all sorts of BG1/2 characters that would fit the slot. It's supposed to be a really cool one. Hmmm...

More thinking:
Irenicus' only role in BG2's storyline was to let you know Imoen is your sister and to make you aware of your powers. Otherwise, he has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Child of Bhaal plot.

The preview mentions a personal stronghold in the Abyss. Irenicus "died" in the Abyss.

It's just my thought. I think it's an interesting topic, so let me know what you guys think about it!

[This message has been edited by The_Pope (edited 03-03-2001).]

If Bioware do that, well they manage to scew up a great game, I hope that is either a stupid internal joke or they are very drunk from all those awards.
If they do that, I will most likely not buy the Ad on ever.
That is the worst thing that they could have done, making BG II a Diablo game.
Maybe lossing the AD&D license would not be a bad thing after all......

Originally posted by Drakron Du´Dark:
If Bioware do that, well they manage to scew up a great game, I hope that is either a stupid internal joke or they are very drunk from all those awards.
If they do that, I will most likely not buy the Ad on ever.
That is the worst thing that they could have done, making BG II a Diablo game.
Maybe lossing the AD&D license would not be a bad thing after all......

What's that got to do with Diablo? And why would this be a bad thing? Think about it. It could provide some great plot. You have to forge an alliance with your nemesis because you need his help.
Agin, it's just a suspicion, I'm not sure of it at all.

I have read this interview and checked the screenshots.So,here are some thoughts:

I believe the key word in the sentence about the new NPC,is "new face".This doesn't mean that he was a NPC in BG1/2.He/She could be even a character related to the plot,but not a NPC.

In the preview it states that "The first power you get is the ability to summon any character from Baldur's Gate II.To them, it seems as though you never left, and they will join your party immediately".Again,this leaves the room to summon NPCs or characters of the plot,but NPCs seems more logical.So,from now on,we can only make assumptions.

If you can summon NPCs from BG2,then the "new" NPC should be from BG1.And if the screenshot is correct,then we are talking about a male human/elf/half-elf.Class ?.I can't tell by the screenshot if he wears armor or robe.So let's say any class.

So here are the possible characters from BG1:Xzar,Kivan,Xan,Coran,Khalid,Ajantis.Only Kivan and Xan are considered alive after the "end" of BG2.Is it likely the "new" NPC is someone of the above? I can't tell.

But i would like to hear some opinions.I will just put my preference:since his eyes have this "empty" look,like undead,I would like this NPC to be Gorion.

Gorion would be cool, though a bit weird. He never really played an important role, and I doubt a lot of players would "love" to have him as an NPC. I think they would be happier with someone like Irenicus.

Yes, it wrong.
What is the point if all we need is get level up to beat the game, I remember that getting a Long Sword +1 in BG I was a great thing, now he get a stronghold in the Abyss????
How is that possible, we were not even there fisical, only the soul have travel there (that is why all your party was alive, the elven prists casted resurection spells), BioWare is even rewrighting the year, that year is closed, no wars in Thentyr in that year (I know, I have the box), the only good thing about that news on a site that is seeling Privateer III.
If they do that crap, I am NOT buying that "thing", I hope that BioWare take all the critics that they get from HoW, most hated getting 30 lv and only got a very few areas to play.
Its even worst, it closes the story in a rush. shame on then.
To end, after I found out that WC games are over, I am not going to buy anything from EA, I will do the same to BioWare games if they make that mistake.

in one of the screen shots, it looks like elminster is there fighting

My guess is the "new" NPC is Elminster. Still, who's the guy in the screenshot? He doesn't look much like Irenicus. Or Elminster, for that matter.

[This message has been edited by TheHellion (edited 03-03-2001).]

Look at it like this: Throne of Baahl is an addition to BG2; it is not BG3. In BG2, the main point of the game is to beat Irenicus to get your soul back...Why would the Black Isle people completely change the course of the game just to have Irenicus as an NPC? Now then, if ToB was actually BG3, I'd say that it would be a slight possibility that he could be an NPC (but then why was Sarevok not available to us in BG2?). This topic has probably had enough said about it already, but there is no way that Black Isle would change over the whole plot of BG2...it's just not rational thinking.

~Alexia

i havn't checked out the screens yet, but my bet would be that Irenicus is not an NPC. To put him in would be extremely confusing and to me would be just wrong, the whole point of the game is to get your soul/end irenicus' existence. I would find it hard to believe that elminster is an NPC, simply because elminster is one of THE main persons of ADnD and the Forgotten Realms. i think that Wizards of the Coast would rabidly protect the rights to use Elminster in major roles. thats just my take on the matte though.

did the bald guy in the shots have tatoos? cause kivan had several blue ones on his face/forhead.

Originally posted by Alexia:
Look at it like this: Throne of Baahl is an addition to BG2; it is not BG3. In BG2, the main point of the game is to beat Irenicus to get your soul back...Why would the Black Isle people completely change the course of the game just to have Irenicus as an NPC? Now then, if ToB was actually BG3, I'd say that it would be a slight possibility that he could be an NPC (but then why was Sarevok not available to us in BG2?). This topic has probably had enough said about it already, but there is no way that Black Isle would change over the whole plot of BG2...it's just not rational thinking.

~Alexia

This is taken from the intewiev-link at the top:
"The expansion comes in two parts—an add-on and an "add-in." The add-on picks up where the last game ended and concludes the child of Bhaal storyline once and for all. The "add-in" injects new content into Baldur's Gate II, much in the same way that Tales of the Sword Coast did."

So it seems that the extend the game after Irenicus' dead, and it could therefor be him.
I'm not sure - but I can't see how any party would want Irenicus as a NPC - now Elminister, theres a NPC I would like to have

ok so i read the artical and this is what I noticed

from the artical:
Storm of Vengeance, for instance, creates a mass of purple clouds that have a chance to slay your enemies outright. After that, the clouds turn poisonous. Then they rain down fire and acid. Then they shoot out a bit of lighting here and there, just to mop up anyone that might still be standing.

this sound's very usefull

Storm of Vengeance? After i read the description,i thought this spell is like a small atomic bomb.

Yup, the spell just sounds cool!

I don't think it could be Elminster, just because he's involved in the storyline. You'd have to only be able pick him up if you've reached a certain point in the Jaheira romance, or if you're not romancing her at all. Since he makes an appearance in BG2, it doesn't seem logical they would allow you to have him as an NPC and then meet Terminsel. Wouldn't make sense. Maybe they'll replace Terminsel with someone else.

Originally posted by Bill:
Storm of Vengeance? After i read the description,i thought this spell is like a small atomic bomb.

hehehe i think you're
wright

The new NPC could also be Khalid, or any other. They could just have changed his portrait, as with Imoen. in BG2 you'll meet Xzar, but he should be dead... So why not Khalid or someone else?