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keldorns views/personality imo

Keldorn is an old paladin. He has seen lies and the gray areas of morality.

He will not step down from his calling and what is right no matter the cost.

He will abandon his own family to serve the order and his ideals.

Keldorn would kill a thousand men and wade trough their blood for justice. He cares not that wars kill the innocent. One must still act. By doing nothing evil prevails and that cannot be allowed. The order will wage endless war no matter if his family suffers or others. Only by truly sacrificing all is one truly at war with evil.

But the world is complex and today he must use the shadow thieves to kill vampires. Tomorrow he shall return and kill his former allies to the last.

Keldorn will without flinching throw the love of his life in prison for life or have her executed for being unfaithful. The fact that he is not around is a weak excuse for betrayal and sins. His daughters will live without parents present but such is the cost of war against evil.

Keldorn is a hero and his ending is one of my favorites.

When i read about lawful stupid as lawful good on this forum i think about keldorn and how awesome he is written. He is as far from stupid as can be. He is harder than the mountains and braver than a wolverine. It is others weakness that calls it stupidity.

Have you a need then for an old paladin?

Comments

  • tennisgolfbolltennisgolfboll Member Posts: 457
    I pledge my service and life if need be.
  • karnagekarnage Member Posts: 92
    Awesome.

    Makes you think about that old adage; Becoming that very thing you set out to destroy.
  • certuscertus Member Posts: 52
    Dont like LG characters as a rule in BG, because i find them hard to roleplay. Miss out on a lot of content as a consequence.

    After reading this though I am tempted to try him out in my next party. When I first played this game I was also a bit put off by his portrait.
  • tennisgolfbolltennisgolfboll Member Posts: 457
    He is fantastic. You should really try him.
  • AntagonistAntagonist Member Posts: 139
    edited January 2014
    This is.. interesting. Now I might understand the basis of your ( @tennisgolfboll ) previous opinion about Keldorn not seeing Drizzt as an evil little Drow. From this review I understand you perceive Keldorn as a conservative and, well, narrow-minded old geezer who won't let anyone talk himself into all the bullshit about redemption or good intentions. That from his point of view there is no such thing as exceptions to a rule, and that everyone is born true to their nature, you're either good or dead.

    I really enjoyed reading this and, frankly, it is tempting to take Keldorn for my next party as I had never truly given him a chance to show me the depths of his personality. I really enjoyed Anomen, though I'm looking forward to see how the whole experience feels with the english version of the game (I always played my native language version and now, as I decided to stick with the original language and voice acting, I see significant differences in the way the whole game's mood was maintained).
  • PawnSlayerPawnSlayer Member Posts: 295
    Actually, I'd say that Anomen's view is more Black and White. Keldorn seems to strive towards a positive outcome and will give people the opportunity to redeem if they seek it. He likes when you take a chance on someone and spare them, even if they appear to be evil. For example, when you go to kill Embarl as part of Mae'Var's quest, you can take his dagger and tell him to flee. Anomen gets annoyed at this, insisting that as a scoundrel, he deserves death, but Keldorn chastises him, appreciating that Charname is taking a chance on the man's life and future.

    A similar thing happens with Valygar, though that's more extreme in that Keldorn will leave you if you try and kill him, whereas Anomen will enthusiastically join in the execution.
  • AntagonistAntagonist Member Posts: 139
    Like I said, I don't know if it's true or not, I just understand OPs point of view if he perceives Keldorn's personality like this.
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    hey tennisgolfboll, I hope all is well and you had a good new year

    I disagree strongly with

    \He cares not that wars kill the innocent. One must still act. By doing nothing evil prevails and that cannot be allowed. The order will wage endless war no matter if his family suffers or others.

    There really is not evidence to support this. He is a reluctant warrior, and mentions this many times. In a conversation with Nalia in TOB he mentions that he has hopes for a future where he doesn't have to fight.

    Also he says to Minsc after a battle:
    "The righteous must sometimes descend to the methods of the brutal, but do not let it destroy you from within. Fight when you must, but let it end when done. "

    Also (this may be a language problem in your post) I can't see why anyone would think that he "cares not that wars kill the innocent". What makes you think that in any way?
  • civian1991civian1991 Member Posts: 57

    I really enjoyed Anomen

    Heh, you mustn't have played through his romance then. :P

  • AntagonistAntagonist Member Posts: 139
    No I haven't :D I'm a straight male and never tried to play with the other team :D
  • xzar_montyxzar_monty Member Posts: 631
    Keldorn is one of the best-written characters, in my view. I rarely choose him, though, because his Dispel Magic ability feels too much like cheese and I cannot resist using it if I have the chance.

    Btw, I think Anomen is an extraordinarily good piece of writing by the original developers. The fact that they've managed to create a character whose superior attitude and downright short-sightedness *really* gets on your nerves is just astonishing. I'd never expect to be annoyed by a fictional character in a computer game, but Anomen manages it. Kudos to whoever wrote him!
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    I actually really like Anomen. I think he has the most realistic portrayal. His flaws make him interesting and the way that he can grow as a character in different ways depending on his choices makes him the character that is most linked to roleplaying decisions.

    I love Minsc and Imoen because they are loveable and fun, I love Keldorn because he is the rare Lawful Good character that is actually very well written and I love Yoshimo because he is awesome and has swag. Yet I also love Anomen because he is *not* loveable, is a flawed LG character and has fake confidence. Yet this is what makes him unique and this characterization mimics real life in several ways. Someone who actively adventures and looks for evil to fight can't always be the most well-balanced and amicable person. Keep in mind that he is choosing to put his life at risk every day. His personality is similar to the fighter-pilots in Top Gun because he lives a similar lifestyle.

    High stress lifestyles such as the specialized military life or working in an emergency room often tend to draw (and even produce) egotistical, overly self-assured yet ultimately well-meaning people. I think the portrayal of Anomen reflects this quite well.
  • xzar_montyxzar_monty Member Posts: 631
    @booinyoureyes: Concerning your last paragraph, I think you're right. Other things can happen as well, though: I've met a very experienced emergency room worker who'd achieved an almost Zen-like calmness about everything. I found her extremely admirable. Her experience in the emergency room had taught her that no matter what the issue, whether it's a knife in the chest or a blood-spouting artery, getting agitated or making rash decisions will *never* help. She was the epitome of quiet and kind calmness. I wish I could be the same...

    I think the worst character in terms of writing is Edwin. He's the most one-sided of them all, there's no depth whatsoever. I've only taken him with me once and ended up ditching him almost immediately. He manages to make his arrogant stupidity quite indisputably clear even during the Mae'Var quest. His smugness lacks something that Anomen clearly possesses - while I was mightily annoyed by Anomen, I didn't ditch him in the game where I took him.
  • tennisgolfbolltennisgolfboll Member Posts: 457
    Keldorn would gladly forgive someone who was truly sorry. By forgive i mean in his heart. His order might still demand death or imprisonment (as in the case of his unfaithful wife) and so would he.

    He would not become hateful over it. He would just do his duty. Keldorn would never spare evil. For example his killing of viconia.

    Refusing to kill drizzt is a given in keldorns mind. Drizzt wars evil like he does. To attack
    him means you are evil and so he fights you (the other thread was asking about game mechanics about adalon, not about keldorns personality but game mechanics)

    My point is that keldorn will do whatever his duty demands. Above all else. His life, his childrens life, your life, all lives.

    Keldorn is an endless crusader. Brave and warlike. This is why he gets along with korgan (who is a butcherer but not like a demon) and cannot stand viconia (who is intelligent but turns to shar)
  • karnagekarnage Member Posts: 92

    No I haven't :D I'm a straight male and never tried to play with the other team :D

    Oh, come on, Really?

    1. It's fantasy.
    2. It's role playing.
    3. It's just a video game.
    4. It's Not Real!

    Anywho, I really like Anomen myself. He is very ... well ... human ... in how he was written. He strives to do right but struggles with his own character flaws to do so. Like all of us.
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    edited January 2014
    @karnage
    As a straight male, I enjoyed the Anomen romance. But @antagonist's personal preferences are his personal preferences. Saying that he doesn't like roleplaying this kind of relationship isn't something to be offended about, and it is not really insulting some individual or group. It's just how he sees things. Many people like to roleplay characters similar to themselves.
    If I don't like pasta but you do, I'm not refusing to eat it just to spite you.
  • karnagekarnage Member Posts: 92

    @karnage
    As a straight male, I enjoyed the Anomen romance. But @antagonist's personal preferences are his personal preferences. Saying that he doesn't like roleplaying this kind of relationship isn't something to be offended about, and it is not really insulting some individual or group. It's just how he sees things. Many people like to roleplay characters similar to themselves.
    If I don't like pasta but you do, I'm not refusing to eat it just to spite you.

    @booinyoureyes, well put.

    @Antagonist, just to keep the record straight, I wasn't offended.
  • AntagonistAntagonist Member Posts: 139
    Relax Boo :D
  • civian1991civian1991 Member Posts: 57
    Good points, I guess I never really looked at it that way. I get that he is unsure of himself and he has baggage, but I guess yelling at me every second talk kinda grinds my gears. That being said I almost always take him because he tanks. I did like him better in ToB though.
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    Yeah he's a d-bag! By "I like Anomen" I mean I like him as a character, not as a "person" (if you know what I mean). I agree that he is better in ToB
  • tennisgolfbolltennisgolfboll Member Posts: 457
    I never thought anomen is a whiner at all. I also play like antagonist so ive never seen his romance.

    Anomen is alittle arrogant but he his personal quest is fun and he changes due to it. Good stuff
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