Not much in the way of scripting though. Did you know that she doesn't even have Insect Plague or Summon Insects memorized, while at the same time she will cast Flame Strike? This is even her own custom named script so its not like she is using just a generic priest script.
Yea I know I was just poking around in her file and noticed it (and figured I'd mention it). Its not that often that you see a custom class script for a character that has no quest attached to them. Its also kind of odd that she doesn't just have a standard druid casting script. To me anyways along with the dialogue she has regarding you acquiring Spider's Bane the fact that she also has a named script speaks to the fact that someone thought there should be more to her character (at least compared to what she ended up shipping as).
I really want to know the story behind the slavers in the temple district. Are they part of the shadow thieves? I mean the shadow thieves do not tolerate other guilds in Athkatla and they most definitely do sell slaves as a side business, so why would they allow a rival group to operate in their city, is it a simply payoff or what? Also the reason for the empty bottles in the slavers compound, what do I use them for????
@SmilingSword Apparently, the Guarded Compound and the mysterious potions were supposed to be linked to the Twisted Rune, but it never made it into the game.
This flail has been in the care of Lord de'Arnise for some time, a relic of his adventuring youth. It has been kept disassembled, the individual pieces stored in separate locations, and only used in the direst of emergencies. Lord de'Arnise was likely concerned about the powerful magic that the weapon radiated when compiled, and rightfully so. A trail of destruction has followed it through history, leading straight back to the original owners. The flail was a creation of the warlike rakshasa a race of vengeful spirits that crave human meat, and used as an adaptable weapon that could suit any battle.
During a particularly violent hunt, the flail was lost, only to be returned when they used their affinity for magic to locate its powerful aura. They discovered that the weapon had had found its way into the hands of a great human warrior, and the battle that followed was truly splendid. They have since used the item as bait countless times "losing" it again and again.
Powerful items gravitate towards powerful people, and powerful people yield the most glorious battles
Where's my glorious battle?! And Trademeet doesn't count! That's like a scouting party.
I really want to know the story behind the slavers in the temple district. Are they part of the shadow thieves? I mean the shadow thieves do not tolerate other guilds in Athkatla and they most definitely do sell slaves as a side business, so why would they allow a rival group to operate in their city, is it a simply payoff or what? Also the reason for the empty bottles in the slavers compound, what do I use them for????
The Shadow Thieves are a thieves guild, not necessarily human traffickers. They sell drugs, run extortion, and steal things. I'm guessing the slavers are tolerated because it doesn't affect the Shadow Thieves' endeavors.
@muswellbrook: I think the game implied it was a Mind Flayer, presumably with some link to the Hidden that appeared in the same area as Quallo. Since the plot with Jan's old lover and the Hidden also makes absolutely no sense, just like Quallo and "the one," I can only assume they are both the result of Mind Flayers. And there are also Mind Flayers in the temple sewers with some sort of big plan going on, whose door is unlocked by a key found on Tazok, as I believe somebody mentioned above. Also no idea what that's about.
As for the Shadow Thieves, I'm almost positive they are actively involved in the slave trade. There's money in it, the Shadow Thieves have no mentioned code of conduct limiting the scope of their activities, and Gaelan Bayle specifically refers you to Lehtinan, the head of the slaving operation in the Slums.
I'd like to know why there are Yuan-ti everywhere from the De'Arnise Hold to Mekrath's lair to the Slaver Compound in the Slums to the Spellhold Gauntlet to the place beneath the Temple Sewers.
Who is 'the one' Quallo mentions in the sewers? He says I've met him already. Is it Irenicus?
I think in plot 1.0 -- the plot where you kill Imoen -- "the one" was supposed to be blackrazor but the devs didn't have time to make blackrazor what it was meant to be: a sword that made you incredibly powerful but also controlled you. And it was supposed to be an NPC that would have banters and the like. Blackrazor was the voice in your head posing the riddle of the sewers.
Why do think so?
1. Before the game came out the bioware devs were telling fans that evil pcs would get a *very* powerful sword.
2. My second pnp character had blackrazor and if that pc didn't kill something once a week, the sword forced him to do so. ( In 1st ed mechanics, the 'ego' of the sword increased each day it went without killing). I think the 'slayer attacks party' script was supposed to apply to blackrazor.
3. Blackrazor was Gary Gygax's take on stormbringer -- a sword that could kill gods but it also led Elric to kill his friends and his lover.
4. Think about two of the clues -- the blood of friend and a wedding ring. I think evil pcs needed to give the sewer Khalid's ring and Minsc's blood. Which goes with the blackrazor / stormbringer theme -- if you want the power you need to kill your friends.
To know what the Viconia underdark subplot was about. Why were the house DeVir captives being held in the drow city? Why did the fortune teller tell Viconia that she would return home and be faced with a difficult choice? Could she have been matron mother of house DeVir?
The mage stronghold -- I always wanted Valygar to be able to talk lord Algorim (Algorith? Can't remember) out attacking charname. I always thought there was some story between these two mage haters.
Why did TorGal invade Nalia's keep? If I remember, it is hinted that he serves some power but I never learned any more. The fact they have Yuan-Ti and Umber Hulks suggests that this is part of some bigger plan.
I understand that the Roenalls were behind the attack on the De'Arnise Hold. The death of Nalia's father worked perfectly into Isaea Roenall's plans to take control of Nalia and the keep, and the Roenalls would be able to finance such an elaborate operation, with all of their smuggling and slave money.
But it doesn't make much sense. Why have dirty monsters sack the castle they want to get and kill all the people? Normally Roenall would wait until he's safely married to Nalia then have the father removed quietly with a clean simple assasination. Maybe he planned to come in as a liberator of the castle to improve his image, but that sounds pretty iffy.
Nalia's father didn't support the marriage. Isaea couldn't marry Nalia until her father was out of the way. So Isaea would have had to have killed the father before marrying the daughter.
I assume the Trolls were used because a normal assassin could get himself caught, and then would be interrogated. Trolls wouldn't be interrogated because they'd be assumed to just be conducting a random raid. Using wild monsters would make it seem very unlikely that it was a plot.
I was under the impression that Isaea subcontracted the job out to the yuanti.
You find a few yuanti on the top of the castle, and find a powerful yuanti mage within the keep.
The captain of the guard is dominated, something that the yuanti mage could do.
I could see the yuanti taking the job, and then deciding that they weren't being paid enough to die themselves. So they raise an army of expendable rubes. Get a handful of umber hulks to dig into the castle, and then have a tribe of trolls kill everything within. Sit back, make sure the work is done, then report back to Isaea for their payment.
Doesn't TorGal say something about his master's sorcery showing him the way, though? I suppose theoretically the Roenalls could have just hired a mage or something, but that line implies something more serious going on.
Doesn't TorGal say something about his master's sorcery showing him the way, though? I suppose theoretically the Roenalls could have just hired a mage or something, but that line implies something more serious going on.
That wasn't TorGal. It was the charmed captain of the guard. TorGal talks about the "stronger."
The Yuanti mage casts mind-messing spells at you, such as confusion and chaos, so to me that shows where the captain of the guard was charmed.
Because there isn't *any* evidence anywhere to show who the stronger is...
(1) It was a Yuanti. Perhaps TorGal was charmed too?
(2) A Rakasha! The flail was broken apart to try and keep them away, but the description shows that the Rakasha *want* it to fall into the hands of powerful adventurers. That way they can have fun killing said adventurer. Perhaps a Rakasha orchestrated the fall of the keep so that his race can keep enjoying their little games.
(3) It was Abdel Adrian, being his usual worthless waste of space. If I can blame him for anything, I will!
Ah, yes, of course. I dunno, though, I still think it implies something more substantial than "mind controlled by a random yuan-ti mage." It seems pretty likely that it was supposed to be the same person as the "stronger", but as you say, there's really no evidence as to who that is. My best theory is that this is another fragment of the whole Hidden plotline, which would certainly explain the mind control and the umber hulks.
You are probably right. When it comes down to it, the reason was likely cut for whatever reason. Which is too bad.
Now that I think about it though...why would Isaea use such allies? His only claim to the lands is via marriage...and the trolls would be just as likely to kill Nalia as anyone else. If he was behind it then that is a huge risk.
On the flip side, why would the hidden go to such lengths to attack an isolated, rural, castle?
No matter how you look at it the situation makes little sense.
I assume the Trolls were under the control of TorGal, who in turn answered to the Yuan-ti or the Roenalls. Trolls are violent but not mindless. If he was indeed behind the operation, he could simply have given the order not to kill Nalia. Though I think they assumed Nalia would hide somewhere in the keep, and come out of hiding when everyone was dead, rather than letting Nalia flee the area entirely and seek help.
Conceivably, if the Hidden was involved, they might be doing it to gain a powerful friend in Athkatla. Isaea Roenalls has lots of ties and much institutional power. He would be a useful ally to a secret group trying to establish a foothold in Amn. And an isolated rural castle would be an easier target, not a harder one, because it would be more distanced from any of its potential allies. Nalia was able to find help, but due to the remoteness of the keep, it meant the job was already done, and her father was dead, by the time she came back.
So, Isaea wants Nalia's land, he knows her father stands in the way, he thinks of a way to get rid of him, and the Hidden offer to assist him in order to win the friendship of a rising and prominent noble in the area they're trying to gain control of. They get the help of some Yuan-ti and Trolls because nobody would suspect the Roenalls were related to such alien critters. Far-fetched, with a lot of assumptions behind it, but it does make sense.
Why doesn't the Hiddden simply control Isaea? Or maybe he does, like he seems to control other nobles. I think the hidden was probably getting tired of the ''wedding'' plan to get the lands and decided to use a more direct method.
The castle is rural, but not that isolated; less than a day's travel from the city. A fortified place is always a valuable location to own. If you fill it up with monsters it could be a real threat to the city and the whole area.
Also, presumably the keep has some strategic importance. People don't usually go to the time and expense of building castles in the middle of nowhere unless it's a particularly important stretch of nowhere.
Comments
Are they part of the shadow thieves? I mean the shadow thieves do not tolerate other guilds in Athkatla and they most definitely do sell slaves as a side business, so why would they allow a rival group to operate in their city, is it a simply payoff or what?
Also the reason for the empty bottles in the slavers compound, what do I use them for????
And Trademeet doesn't count! That's like a scouting party.
As for the Shadow Thieves, I'm almost positive they are actively involved in the slave trade. There's money in it, the Shadow Thieves have no mentioned code of conduct limiting the scope of their activities, and Gaelan Bayle specifically refers you to Lehtinan, the head of the slaving operation in the Slums.
I'd like to know why there are Yuan-ti everywhere from the De'Arnise Hold to Mekrath's lair to the Slaver Compound in the Slums to the Spellhold Gauntlet to the place beneath the Temple Sewers.
Why do think so?
1. Before the game came out the bioware devs were telling fans that evil pcs would get a *very* powerful sword.
2. My second pnp character had blackrazor and if that pc didn't kill something once a week, the sword forced him to do so. ( In 1st ed mechanics, the 'ego' of the sword increased each day it went without killing). I think the 'slayer attacks party' script was supposed to apply to blackrazor.
3. Blackrazor was Gary Gygax's take on stormbringer -- a sword that could kill gods but it also led Elric to kill his friends and his lover.
4. Think about two of the clues -- the blood of friend and a wedding ring. I think evil pcs needed to give the sewer Khalid's ring and Minsc's blood. Which goes with the blackrazor / stormbringer theme -- if you want the power you need to kill your friends.
That is amazing. I doubt that I'd ever bring myself to be able to get that sword, but it would truly be something worthy of an evil playthrough.
To know what the Viconia underdark subplot was about. Why were the house DeVir captives being held in the drow city? Why did the fortune teller tell Viconia that she would return home and be faced with a difficult choice? Could she have been matron mother of house DeVir?
The mage stronghold -- I always wanted Valygar to be able to talk lord Algorim (Algorith? Can't remember) out attacking charname. I always thought there was some story between these two mage haters.
I assume the Trolls were used because a normal assassin could get himself caught, and then would be interrogated. Trolls wouldn't be interrogated because they'd be assumed to just be conducting a random raid. Using wild monsters would make it seem very unlikely that it was a plot.
You find a few yuanti on the top of the castle, and find a powerful yuanti mage within the keep.
The captain of the guard is dominated, something that the yuanti mage could do.
I could see the yuanti taking the job, and then deciding that they weren't being paid enough to die themselves. So they raise an army of expendable rubes. Get a handful of umber hulks to dig into the castle, and then have a tribe of trolls kill everything within. Sit back, make sure the work is done, then report back to Isaea for their payment.
The Yuanti mage casts mind-messing spells at you, such as confusion and chaos, so to me that shows where the captain of the guard was charmed.
Because there isn't *any* evidence anywhere to show who the stronger is...
(1) It was a Yuanti. Perhaps TorGal was charmed too?
(2) A Rakasha! The flail was broken apart to try and keep them away, but the description shows that the Rakasha *want* it to fall into the hands of powerful adventurers. That way they can have fun killing said adventurer. Perhaps a Rakasha orchestrated the fall of the keep so that his race can keep enjoying their little games.
(3) It was Abdel Adrian, being his usual worthless waste of space. If I can blame him for anything, I will!
Now that I think about it though...why would Isaea use such allies? His only claim to the lands is via marriage...and the trolls would be just as likely to kill Nalia as anyone else. If he was behind it then that is a huge risk.
On the flip side, why would the hidden go to such lengths to attack an isolated, rural, castle?
No matter how you look at it the situation makes little sense.
Conceivably, if the Hidden was involved, they might be doing it to gain a powerful friend in Athkatla. Isaea Roenalls has lots of ties and much institutional power. He would be a useful ally to a secret group trying to establish a foothold in Amn. And an isolated rural castle would be an easier target, not a harder one, because it would be more distanced from any of its potential allies. Nalia was able to find help, but due to the remoteness of the keep, it meant the job was already done, and her father was dead, by the time she came back.
So, Isaea wants Nalia's land, he knows her father stands in the way, he thinks of a way to get rid of him, and the Hidden offer to assist him in order to win the friendship of a rising and prominent noble in the area they're trying to gain control of. They get the help of some Yuan-ti and Trolls because nobody would suspect the Roenalls were related to such alien critters. Far-fetched, with a lot of assumptions behind it, but it does make sense.
The castle is rural, but not that isolated; less than a day's travel from the city. A fortified place is always a valuable location to own. If you fill it up with monsters it could be a real threat to the city and the whole area.