"I cannot be caged."

Irenicus. Ye gods, talk about a villain. This is what happens when you break an Elf. Completely driven, completely unrepentant. Time and again throughout BGII, he compels you to pay attention to him, like Dr. Doom with slightly less restraint. Every mage-type villain I've run since owes more to him that Saruman. Every so often I hear his voice in something else, and it still gives me chills. He may have had stereotypical motives, but nobody tells you that - hell, for half the game he actually seems to want to help you, in his own twisted way. He will rant at you because he's arrogant and likes the sound of his own voice, but he doesn't actually care what you think.

"I cannot be controlled."

He's not an old man with a long stick, here. He's physically imposing, and could probably wrestle you into submission if it wasn't just as easy for him to turn you to ash. He has brutally powerful magic at his disposal, and isn't playing a long game anymore. It's go time. He uses his magic like a sledgehammer, overpowering you and the world through sheer force. He wades through Cowled Wizards - who specialize in dealing with rogue mages - like they are children. He is also calculating and methodical and much, much smarter than you. He has no real weaknesses aside from Hubris and Obsession, which aren't even really weaknesses - they drive the story.

"Understand this as you Die, ever Pathetic, ever Fools."

There's something about the way he talks - there's gravitas even in his disdain. It would come off as hammy if he didn't also back it up with victory after victory. We spend whole days worth of time just trying to keep up with him, only to see him succeed and move on to the next thing. The Empire Strikes Back is widely regarded as the best of the Star Wars films, and it plays a similar game of letting the villain win. We start to hate him in the best possible way, because he gave us failure and spat in our eye.

"I grow tired of shouting battlecries when fighting this mage."

All this was to preface my favorite memory - even Minsc has had enough of Irenicus by the end, because seriously fuck this guy, and he put into words that only Minsc could choose exactly the way I felt about it. That moment, there, before you finally get a chance to take on Irenicus is just brimming with well-deserved anticipation. I've often been excited to play a game, but I am rarely excited to finish one. This is one of those golden exceptions.