Roleplaying reasons for turning Neera away
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Yes she is being hunted by Red Wizards, but at this point of the game, you know that you are also being hunted by bounty hunters and have narrowly escaped two (even three) encounters.
Having another set of bounty hunters after your party maybe just too much, and you recommend to her to travel to the friendly arm inn, where protection, and a chance of finding a noble paladin to help her defeat her threat are waiting.
Why do you always play with the canon group?
Doesn't that get a bit restricting and reduce the game a hell of a lot?
Think about it, Dorn's at the FAI. Chaotic neutral, chaotic evil, not much difference there. Neera could use a little (ahem) discipline in her life and Dorn could stand to lighten up a bit. He could be her meat shield when the RW's show up, she can back him up on his mission of vengeance. It's the perfect ship solution.
It goes something like this in my imagination:
Neera: Thank you so much for saving me from the Red Wizards! Here's a nice velvet gem bag as a reward. Say, I'm a powerful wild mage. I'd like to join your company and use my wild magic to help you on your quest! I only make mistakes and fireball the commoners and summon demons into towns and stuff every once in a while.
Belgarath: (waving hand in air) You don't want to sell me wild magic. You want to go to the Friendly Arms Inn and contemplate your life.
Neera: (in dull monotone voice) I don't want to sell you wild magic. I want to go to the Friendly Arms Inn and contemplate my life.
Neera wanders off dazedly to the north
But you want a Role play reason , mmm lets see , you just Lost your Foster daddy and are Hunted yourself , ofc you will take someone in and take the ill will of another Power at you for...ohh yeah the chance of getting blown up by a Mage who cant light a Candle without freezing your toes off...
For Neera in particular, her selfish nature comes out pretty early, though, and a perceptive character might see that she's only out for herself. She's fairly dishonest right from the get go, asking for help against "bandits" as if she doesn't know who they are and what they're after. That puts your party in pretty direct danger and even a good-hearted PC might understandably choose to put the lives of his or her companions over that of a demanding and dishonest stranger.
You wander into the FAI some time later, days/weeks possibly, tired and feeling in need of a rest having been busy sorting out many local problems. And Neera arrogantly assumes you are there to take her back into your party.
I do sometimes wonder if the writers of the new NPC's ever played the game at all.
Anomen is a good example (and an original NPC while we're at it): he's in no way badly written, but his personality has granted him the nickname "Annoymen" among a lot of players.
I don't think there's anything wrong with the way the new NPCs were written. Sure I've got plenty of problems with the way they were implemented and sometimes with the concept (Dorn is BG's Poochie IMHO), but I wouldn't question the talent of the writers.
But yeah, Neera's an annoying self-centered brat as far as I'm concerned.
The mistake with the writing is that the new NPC's "use" the Charname, the original NPC either "need" the Charname or are simply along for the ride.
It's a subtle difference but for a RPG, it is immersion breaking.
So when doing the new quests, you find yourself wondering "who the hell are these self important nobodies
dragging me all over the place".
And worse, making you do quests that make no sense in the overall concept.
Dorn, evil or not, why on earth would you attack a wedding at the Radient Heart?
You're a bhaalspawn not a moron.
Hexaat, why on earth would you allow Clara to be killed?
If evil, you would never have agreed to help her in the first place or if you did, you would be killing her for any treasure not some randomer in a coffin.
Rasaad, all that nonsense about the moon Goddess, exactly how much interest would a bhaalspawn take in the petty religious arguments of a few cults?
Hey Rasaad, ever thought about worshipping the soon to be God of Murder?
Neera, sorry love, Red Wizards happen to provide the best mage in the game and one who also has entertaining dialog, unlike yourself.
There's already a backstory for Edwin, why introduce a character in conflict with a major original NPC?
Last time I had a good party roleplay game with Neera my character chaotic good archer became a fallen one. Neera cost the lives of Jaheira and Khalid by summoning a demon. A later fight a fireball centered on the party because of a wild surge killed Imoen and also argo'd baldurs gate npcs. The loss of alignment here was severe. My charname snapped and murdered Neera. Added Edwin which stayed in party through series while charname took on more and more of the nature of Bhal.
Was different though, for my playthrough. She said something about being mistaken about 'our friendship' and made it seem like my PC was so much "in the wrong" for disbanding her. So I just oneshotted her with a Magic Missile spell and she fell instantly. Well Level 1 =4 HP? Even my PC has more HP as a Dragon Disciple
PS: I also punched (with bare fists) a very rude kid who "called us" bandits and left her lying unconscious in a heap before leaving the area. Annoying NPCs.... -_-