Major characters with little back story *HEAVY SPOILERS*

Xavioria

Okay so I was looking up a backstory for Semaj, the mage you fight in the end fight with Sarevok, Angelo, and Tazok. The only think I could find was that the character in question is just "James" spelled backwords, and is only meant to be the mage addition in that fight and was named after a member of the staff of Bioware at the time.

Does anyone know what his purpose was, or how he was important to Sarevok, or was he just there as mage support?

Madhax

I'm pretty sure he was just there as a random named caster. I'm looking at Sarevok's wiki entry here: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Sarevok_Anchev

You'll notice Semaj is briefly mentioned, but doesn't have a page linked to his name unlike Angelo or Tazok. That would seem to indicate that he's simply filler.

Coriander

He's just mage support AFAIK.

[Deleted User]

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Xavioria

Well that sucks... although if he has no backstory. Where would you think he's from, just based off his name (which is only James backwards)

[Deleted User]

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Jalily

In the original credits, there is only one James: James Ohlen, writer and lead designer for the game. It's probably him.

Xavioria

Another name comes to mind as well: Ender Sai. What exactly did he do to the Iron Throne, and what was his involvement there? Since Semaj is an input to give credit to a designer, that means that the back story on him doesn't quite matter so much. But what about Ender Sai, is there any other backstory on him?

Edit: Also, is Alora from Gullykin or somewhere else? If anyone has any backstory info, I would be amazed because it would be helpful from a certain perspective...

Jalily

Alora is from Iriaebor. Here's her biography:

When asked about her past, ALORA reveals that she was originally from Iriaebor. As a child she was cute, outgoing, and dangerously curious, causing no end of trouble for her parents. They tried to curb her lunatic behavior, and encouraged her to be content with home and hearth like other halflings. Alora found this unbearably stifling, and left to explore the world. She quickly found herself falling into all sorts of trouble, going to the wrong places and angering the wrong sorts of people. Eventually she found herself in the city of Baldur's Gate, and it was there that she discovered her future profession: thievery. Wealth was never her chief concern; it's just that too many interesting things are behind locked doors. Her unassuming temperament makes it easy for her to hoodwink the authorities, and her sweet nature has saved her from a jail cell numerous times.

P.S. Good luck on...that thing.

Xavioria

Thanks @Jalily, I suppose I was being silly because I'm sure that info wasn't too difficult to find. As for Ender Sai and Semaj, I think them not having much backstory might work to my advantage as long as I keep things vague. Things might get a bit convoluted along the way... but we all like to indulge in some drama now and then.

I wonder if there are any other characters that are put in places of major importance, yet lack a backstory......

TJ_Hooker

Xavioria said:

Another name comes to mind as well: Ender Sai. What exactly did he do to the Iron Throne, and what was his involvement there?

Chief financial officer, Sword Coast branch.

Xavioria

@TJ_Hooker really? Or was that a joke?

TJ_Hooker

Xavioria said:

@TJ_Hooker really? Or was that a joke?

Nah, it was a joke. One that sounded a lot funnier in my head.

[Deleted User]

So far as I know, the only things you learn about Ender Sai are what he tells you in the Bandit Camp. He's a thief from Baldur's Gate who stepped on the Iron Throne's toes and ended up a prisoner of Tazok. He isn't specific about what he did to mess with them, only that he's certain that it was them he messed with, and not the Zhentarim.

Given that he's figured out that the Iron Throne's trying to drive up demand for iron by pushing Baldur's Gate and Amn towards war, I suppose he could be working with Husam, but it's also possible that he just tried to rob an Iron Throne shipment and got carted off by Tazok.

Jalily

Ender Sai specifically mentions that Tazok wasn't the one who captured him (insinuating that Tazok is too dumb—which may be true, see below). As for how he crossed the Iron Throne: He spied on them. A lot. He could've done other things, but at the minimum, he was a spy. Not only does he know about their war plans, but how Mulahey was poisoning the ore, how Tazok regularly goes to Cloakwood to receive new orders, and where he keeps important documents. That's way more information than a thief needs. Ender's alignment is chaotic good, so most likely his goal was to disrupt their operations.

He was probably caught spying; otherwise, there's no reason why they wouldn't just kill him. If you try to get Teven to take you to the bandit camp by saying you know "which way the wind is blowing," you'll see that Tazok's bandits usually don't take prisoners (except in this case, to find out how much you know).

Ender was probably not working with Husam, at least not knowingly. Husam says that he and his associates belong to the Shadow Thieves and that he came to the city because of the lies being spread about them. If Ender is telling the truth, he's from Baldur's Gate and doesn't have the same connections or motivations—and as a good-aligned person, he would probably find working with them distasteful (Husam is neutral evil).

As for who caught him, my guess is Davaeorn found him when he followed Tazok into the mine. In the aforementioned scenario with Teven, when you reach the camp and Tazok is informed about your knowledge, he yells, "He'll have my skull for this!" and attacks despite Teven's insistence that it would be a good idea to question you first. If Davaeorn was the one who caught Ender and instructed Tazok to interrogate him, it explains that line (Davaeorn already knows about a prior security breach that was Tazok's fault) and why Ender is still alive.

Xavioria

@Jalily that actually makes alot sense. Also very insightful of you, considering he recieves his new orders from Davaeron, I suppose would also mean that he answers, at least indirectly, to Davaeron. The only issue I have with you exposition is where Tazok ends up at the very end game. Tazok is one of Sarevok's lackies, which means that he's favored to the point where he isn't necessarily following the orders of Davaeron, but following the rellayed orders of Sarevok himself.

Now that raises the question, who does Ender Sai work for. Is he a harper, or does he belong to some other type of organization?

[Deleted User]

Well, considering how many Harpers you run into who are willing to out themselves to you if you've got Khalid/Jaheira in the party, that seems less likely to me. He might not belong to any organization at all; he could be an "independent contractor," spying on the Iron Throne with the aim of selling (or giving) the information to certain interested parties. In tense times you get plenty of spies who are not nominally associated with any political or national group, though given his alignment it's unlikely that his only motive is profit.

Drugar

Rather likely; he works for the City of Baldur's Gate and the Grand Dukes. They're remarkably passive about this whole crippling trade thing, so they probably have a few spies running about. Nothing they'd admit to of course.
Since Sarevok is not yet in the picture as far as Endar Sai is concerned (he still sees Davaeron as the Big Boss, if I recall), the Grand Dukes remain unaware of the true problem.

DJKajuru

He wears red clothes... he could be a red wizard!

scriver

My theory - he was investigating the bandits on behalf of the Merchant League or the Seven Suns.

[Deleted User]

Drugar said:

Rather likely; he works for the City of Baldur's Gate and the Grand Dukes. They're remarkably passive about this whole crippling trade thing, so they probably have a few spies running about. Nothing they'd admit to of course.
Since Sarevok is not yet in the picture as far as Endar Sai is concerned (he still sees Davaeron as the Big Boss, if I recall), the Grand Dukes remain unaware of the true problem.

I like that idea, if only because it makes the Grand Dukes looks less mindbogglingly incompetent. Though if that's the case, then it implies that Ender Sai never makes a report to them after you set him loose, since otherwise they'd be a little bit more suspicious of the Iron Throne throwing their weight behind the "impending war." Even if he doesn't have the evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the Iron Throne is behind it all, he has enough information to put them on guard (assuming they listen to him).

Jalily

Xavioria said:

The only issue I have with you exposition is where Tazok ends up at the very end game. Tazok is one of Sarevok's lackies, which means that he's favored to the point where he isn't necessarily following the orders of Davaeron, but following the rellayed orders of Sarevok himself.

It's both. Take a look at the second letter in Tazok's chest—they were both working for Sarevok, but Davaeorn was higher up the chain and gave Tazok orders as well. If Davaeorn had lived, he might have been at the showdown instead of (or along with) Semaj.

Xavioria said:

Now that raises the question, who does Ender Sai work for. Is he a harper, or does he belong to some other type of organization?

His dialogue suggests he's a free agent:

"A desire for silence isn't the only reason I wear soft-soled boots. I wear 'em so I can tell whose toes I'm treading on. I didn't mess with no Zhentarim. I picked my enemies and I messed with one group and one group only—the Iron Throne."

Xavioria

@Jalily okay I see what you've read between the lines, and I'm inclined to agree with you. That kinda just tacks on more questions. He is a thief and a spy, who is a free agent, and seemingly has his own reasons for messing with the iron throne. But why would someone of good alignment antagonize them knowing full well what he's doing?

[Deleted User]

Well, there are any number of indicators that point to something fishy going on with the Iron Throne if you're paying attention. After all, by the time you reach Baldur's Gate, the Harpers, the Shadow Thieves, the Zhentarim, even the Flaming Fist all have their suspicions. So it's not unreasonable to think that a free agent with his ear to the ground would get an inkling that there's something to uncover behind the Throne that people would pay good money for. The fact that he has a good alignment just means he's more likely to sell it at a reasonable rate to someone who can do some good with the information (after all, he tells you for free!), rather than auctioning it off to the highest bidder.

Schneidend

I'm thinking Semaj is just meant to be the Edwin of Sarevok's inner circle of elite jerkbags. Magical artillery with a smug attitude.

Xavioria

@Kaigen well that's not technically proven. The Harpers have some feelers in there (they have them in everywhere it seems) and the Zhents were being wrongfully accused for the Iron Shortage, so it would stand to reason that they'd be digging around for information. The same pretty much goes for the Shadow thieves, because they're being wrongfully accused of the banditry, and later, for the murder of Scar.

All those groups (save the Harpers) have personal reasons for gaining the knowledge on the Iron Throne. I figure that following this knowledge, perhaps Ender was personally involved for more than just selling information.

Loremaster

@Jalily @Kaigen @Xavioria - Sounds you have the backdrop for a mod going on. I'd be happy to play it.

Xavioria

...I guess I kinda gave it away... It's a mod I'm developing... It's my first, BUT I'm initially a writer. The hardest part for me is the coding and stuff, but the tutorials I've found have been very helpful

Loremaster

Good luck!!!

Xavioria

@Loremaster thank you very much. The few people I have told the story to have said that it's a very interesting story plot I'm actually quite happy with it

[Deleted User]

Xavioria said:

@Kaigen well that's not technically proven. The Harpers have some feelers in there (they have them in everywhere it seems) and the Zhents were being wrongfully accused for the Iron Shortage, so it would stand to reason that they'd be digging around for information. The same pretty much goes for the Shadow thieves, because they're being wrongfully accused of the banditry, and later, for the murder of Scar.

All those groups (save the Harpers) have personal reasons for gaining the knowledge on the Iron Throne. I figure that following this knowledge, perhaps Ender was personally involved for more than just selling information.

True, although the Flaming Fist has its suspicions before Scar is murdered. I'm just pointing out that Ender doesn't necessarily need a personal motivation (though that might make for a better story). All someone has to do is look around and realize that every source of iron which is not the Iron Throne is running into problems and, provided they're suspicious by nature or skeptical enough of coincidence, they'll have to start wondering why that might be. The Iron Throne's (and by extension, Sarevok's) plan isn't necessarily as subtle as it first appears (and not just because they have an appalling tendency to leave their memos lying around).