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Wanted: Coders/Writers for Mekrath Romance NPC


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#1 Shfelliot

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Posted 09 August 2003 - 02:05 AM

Um, okay, I really have no idea how to start this off, so I'll get right to the point: I know how utterly hard this is, being on the writing side of things, to draw a NPC mod coder for this sort of thing, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. o_O (I hope this is okay with you FW people; I seriously apologize otherwise) I'm a college student, and completely new to WeiDU and working on coding myself, but what I really want to do is get written up one of two NPC character mods with a romance. I myself will, if need be, do all banters with npcs, all dialogue, the ToB ending, and anything else that needs filling in.

You know how it is; you have this great idea for an NPC character but you know next to nothing about coding. I suppose this is as good a place as any to start, so basically I'm asking if there's any NPC mod creators out there crazy enough to code a Mekrath romance for both SoA and ToB. I can guarantee something suberbly unique to the BGII mod world. If this doesn't work, I suppose I'll eventually end up doing this from scratch, which won't be pretty. And while I'm at it, I of course would love help from prospective writers, sound dialogue people, whatever. I totally think this would be better AS a collaborative effort, but we'll see what comes of it.

And yes, I am talking about that strange wizard in the sewers who stole Haer'Dalis' planar gem and made the bard his plaything.

I really don't even know how to begin the insanity that is this character, or how this idea came about. All I can say is to give an idea on what kind of writer I am my favorite characters from BG are: Xzar, Weimer's Solaufein, Jaheira, Faldorn, Edwin, Weimer's Valen and Sarevok, and this is going to be a hell of a long post to pitch this thing. Bear with me.

Emphasis on the Xzar. What a loopy, erratic, nutjob of a necromancer; there's so many things you could do with a mage like this. A guy who works for the Zhentarim, yet flamoyantly flashes his craft around Athkatla like nobody's business. I myself have resolved to work on my very first NPC not too long from now as a direct result from playing through The Darkest Day mod. (I downloaded and played through the whole thing, ToB and all, just to HAVE him) One of the more interesting aspects was bringing Xzar back as one of the available NPCs...in fact, several BGI npcs return. But here's the thing...aside from small quests; they have no dialogue with NPCS (something that is a MUST...I love character interaction), and no ToB endings. (something I may end up rectifying). Erm. That aside; I didn't like how they re-brought in Xzar )they say the one the Harper assassin killed was a 'clone' of himself) and just 'ressurect' Montaron so you'd have him...but I did like the idea that perhaps he was a clone of some sort. What if you said per say he's always been a clone (or from a long line of them); some sort of 'standard' issue necromancer the Zhentarim keeps on hand for their machinations in far away lands. The reason he's so nuts is that he's been copied so many times; copies of copies perhaps. Perhaps Montaron was just an agent who traveled with the 'Xzar' clone or such to make it look convincing. What if the new 'Xzar' you got was a clone the Zhents send to replace the old one...one who has no memory of Montaron. This is the type of thing I'd love to put together in an NPC mod.

Now you know how I think.

That being said, I'd love to get my feet wet in the modding bus with something like this; learn the ropes, hopefully get some coding knowledge; but that aside, this project in particular screams good finished result.

So, without further ado, here's the lowdown of the initial proposed Mekrath Romance NPC mod idea, complete with shameless monikers. Hell, this entire thing is shaped like a promo, so just go with me, here:

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Mekrath, "The Mage of the Sewers", or "THE STRANGEST ROMANCE OF ALL TIME!" (a romance...not sure on the genders, yet)

Yes, yet another mage. Yeah, right.

This definately traces much back to my Xzar roots, but definately one I thought you might appreciate and want to take a look at. I have nothing to say except absolute FUN on this one. This is the kind of guy who belongs on the outer limits.

Yes, that mysterious wizard you find under the sewers who has Haer'Dalis captive and subjected him to mind control; the guy who stole the planar gem.

I had an absolute field day with this one; wondering WHY a wizard would make his home in the sewers, why he would want a planar gem, why he has such advanced methods of mind control, and this crazy thing began to come together. What he thinks, what he works

He's lawful evil, and somewhere in rationality between Xzar and Edwin. Erractic, eccentric, somewhat evil and yet somewhat likable; strange as hell. This is a definate spin from any mage out there, but the added humor in the fact is this is all ABOUT a romance mod.

If you've ever played the Solaufein mod, take into account the deep brooding, take away the poetry, and add crack, and you'll get Mekrath.

There's a lot of text that would be involved in this, as Mekrath is a very long-winded individual when he thinks. But on the outset, it seems like he doesn't talk much at all. The interesting concept of this mod is that Mekrath, as envisioned, is SO many different things. He's a cold-hearted beast and a nerd, yet a eccentric genius and a misguided patriot of humankind.

I took all the scant evidence from the game and came to my own bizarre conclusion: planar gem, mind controlling device, mage who lives in sewers. To form all this, I believe Mekrath would have an extremely powerful mage. But why is he so close to the layer of the mind flayers, and why does he want the planar gem, and what device did he use to control Haer'Dalis? How does a guy like this think? That's just it. I think he overthinks.

On the outset, he is a very dark, cold, mysterious wizard who demands to join you after you rescue Haer'Dalis as 'payment' for stealing his planar gem. I believe he is so powerful, and so arrogant, that he only an 'aspect' of himself, ie, a spell that sort of resembles an avatar of a god; a lesser version of himself that is part of the whole, to adventure with you in the search for another planar gem as he surmises an adventurer of your calibur might come across one. This lesser version is the equivalent, of course, to your average mage joining the PC's party.

Mekrath has some bizarre association with Mind Flayers, and talks about experimenting with Mind Flayer flesh on more than one occassion; often including ingestion and other strange experiments. He quotes on how he has experimented with it and is convinced it is linked to 'control'. (more on this, later).

He begins speeches in the party very seldomly; speaking quietly and talking to others only when he must; he acts very pragmatic, dark, and serious (often threatening horrific things to the PC and other characters...he would be the type that would creep the hell out of anyone)...only through lots of dialogue with the PC does he become, per say, more open.

Mekrath is very hard nut to crack, but when opened the results are quite unexpected. With time, he might relent to add more of his actual power to help the party, which might give him additional spells or 'special spells'; I dunno.

One really cool thing about wizards in any fantasy setting is each one is different; each one specializes in different spells; from battlemages to enchanters; even two necromancers can be very different; take Xzar and Lavok, the guy in the planar sphere, for instance. Every wizard who comes out of Faerun develops different and gains their own kind of 'power'. This entire paragraph is the basis and an example of Mekrath's core belief system.

What I came to a conclusion on through the data in the game is, 'control'. Mekrath is a wizard absolutely obssessed with power through control. Thus, he is a wizard heavily specialized in the 5th level spell 'Domination.' In fact, as an amusing afterthought, he would even make mention through his talks he is of the top four wizards in all of Faerun regarding being specialized this particular spell. Mekrath, when talked to in a romance, would even go into detail as to say what he finds so fascinating is that he met one of the other wizards who specialized in 'domination', and how he turned out very differently and has very different goals than Mekrath does.

As you can see, Mekrath is fascinated with the development of mankind and the utter endless possibilities of studying magic, and loves ranting on about specialization. To this end, I'm finally getting to his ultimate goals. Like I said, he is obsessed with control. On the offset, it seems selfish. But he is actually interested in control in regards to the human species; he sees it as the next step in their evolution. At heart he believes he is helping his own species. He sees 'control' as a means to power to give man dominion over the numerously more-power species on Faerun. He actually hates psionics; he experiments so frequently on Mind Flayer flesh because he's eccentricly convinced it acts as a conduit that would allow humans to control others more easily. Yes, he loves control, but he HATES the idea of using alien mind powers to control. No, he believes it must be done by humans; they must either develop it by magic or perhaps, through forced evolution. He wants a planar gem because he has a need to study Mind Flayers more, and wishes to travel to their home plane. He didn't really only send part of himself with the PC because he's arrogant; he did it because he believes his work to be the most important thing in the world.

(this sounds WAY more complicated than I actually intended it to be. o_O)

It's sort of an interesting trippy experience, a wizard who seems so dark and twisted at first but then on the outset turns out to be more or less just a strange idealist. His views are certainly warped, and for what he does, he is no DOUBT evil, but he believes what he does will benefit mankind in the long run. Perhaps he could be changed.

Personality wise, he's actually a very introverted, erratic, oft-times unintentionally humorous individual. He lives in a sewer for god's sake; in some ways he's admirable because he doesn't give a damn what the world thinks about him. I would imagine a picture of a dirtied, possibly unexpectedly decent-looking individual always half-hidden under a messy, smelly robe.

Of course, it would be the PC's job to wade through all this psycho-babble and try to find a person beneath this madman. And perhaps, in doing so, teach him a few things. (certainly there'd be an option occasionally through his rants, for like, "No offense, Mek, but shut up!")

NPC talks would be hilarious, as would be some of his in-game dialogue. He would actually probably like Edwin (for his specialization fetish), but tell the conjurer he holds himself down because of his arrogance. He would creep the hell out of Anomen (and WHAT'S not fun about that? :P), he absolutely hates Haer'Dalis (and vice versa) and the resulting backlash would probably end up having Mekrath with his own little private 'tiefling zombie servant' (just imagine dialogue between the witty bard and the perturbed sewer freak), and would probably get along fabulously with Jan.

Talking with Mekrath as you see would be very taxing on the nerves, strange, and yet amusing. He would actually pity the death of people like Prebek (Xzar's apprentice), because they were never able to develop and realize their potential. This would certainly be a different mod, but it's open to all sorts of ideas; perhaps it could be toned down to not be SO complex; I dunno. But between talks of Mind Flayer flesh, controlling other individuals, and such erratic behavior, I certainly think this isn't your run of the mill romance. He certainly isn't a knight in shining armor.

Currently, I don't know what his special quests would be, but I know they would revolve around getting a new planar gem. I think he would actually -know- the goings on of Mind Flayers in the city, and actually might make cracks about 'that stupid Alhoon next door and his plans for world domination' and probably is in contact with 'The Hidden'; the Mind Flayer from Jan's quest.

The Mekrath character mod romance could be for girls or guys; I'm not sure a wizard who lives in the sewers would be SO picky. :P Certainly it's for a change of pace to your average character mod.
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Keep in mind, these are just the base concepts TOTALLY subjective to any sort of revision. I know they're a bit on the wild side, but I thought these particular projects might sell on you and your guys just because they're so tantalizingly different and open to all sorts of possibilities.

Suggestions, ideas, complete revision; whatever. I'm looking for anyone who might be willing to help. That is all. For the record, even though I'm still basically reading the 'WeiDU coding for dummies' .txt document, I'd be very willing to help with what limited skills I do have. o_O

#2 Andyr

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Posted 09 August 2003 - 05:32 AM

Wow, that's a long post. Seems like an interesting plan!

I'm a novice modder so probably wouldn't be the best person to help, but here and at FWP people are very helpful if you ask questions. B)

Good luck with it!

Had you considered doing a mod bringing back Xzar? I know a lot of people don't have/ won't play TDD, so this would I think still be popular.
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#3 Shfelliot

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Posted 10 August 2003 - 09:41 PM

Wow, that's a long post. Seems like an interesting plan!

I'm a novice modder so probably wouldn't be the best person to help, but here and at FWP people are very helpful if you ask questions.  B)

Good luck with it!

Had you considered doing a mod bringing back Xzar? I know a lot of people don't have/ won't play TDD, so this would I think still be popular.

Thanks! I sure hope someone's willing to help; otherwise I'm pretty much stuck reading this 'mod-making document' and pretty much building the Mekrath Romance NPC mod as I go along. o_O This will happen, as I'm determined to do it, it may just be a heck of a lot slower without a vet. I would like to reiterate, though, if writers want to help collaborate, or someone would like to voice act down the line, or anything, I'm totally open to you guys, to.

While I search for anyone willing to code, I completely would love any feedback from any forum readers regarding the story concept or anything at all; suggestions, revision, complete and utter hate-bashing, whatever. Feel the love.

A Xzar mod? Well, I was hoping to get some help to learn the ropes a little, but yes, I definately -will- be making one down the line. Heck, if there's support to help, maybe even sooner. (Candidly speaking, if I make one, it's sort of like making it brand new, since when you get him in TDD he has *one* event related to him after he ressurects Montaron...Lucette tries to kill you with a couple of cronies. No dialogue with PCs, no banter, NO talking at all with anything you encounter, no quests, not even a ToB ending. -_-) While I'm at it, what do you guys think of my take on Xzar (the clone thing)?

--------------------------------------------------------

Since I couldn't stop laughing at the Habib post (a REALLY cool idea, btw), and since the author made a post about some reasons why a Habib mod is a good idea, I thought I might just for fun make a list for those naysayers why making a Mekrath Romance mod is a good idea:

a) He's another freakin' mage on top of Jan, Imoen, Edwin, Nalia, Aerie, Solaufein, Robillard, Kelsey, Tashia...

b ) When you romance him, you get to learn about ingesting Mind Flayer flesh in relation to making your body more magically conductive to controlling people's minds!

c) You get to meet one of the four greatest mages in the world who specifically focus on the Domination spell!

d) He lives in a sewer, baby! How cool is that?

e) You get the option to make your own Haer'Dalis zombie puppet! No longer will that spoony bard annoy you with his stupid 'chaos' banter. Now he will happily jump into the fray and be cut down like last year's Thanksgiving turkey in just for you!

Yeah, yeah, I know. What's not to love? :D

#4 Andyr

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Posted 11 August 2003 - 02:40 AM

A Xzar mod? Well, I was hoping to get some help to learn the ropes a little, but yes, I definately -will- be making one down the line. Heck, if there's support to help, maybe even sooner. (Candidly speaking, if I make one, it's sort of like making it brand new, since when you get him in TDD he has *one* event related to him after he ressurects Montaron...Lucette tries to kill you with a couple of cronies. No dialogue with PCs, no banter, NO talking at all with anything you encounter, no quests, not even a ToB ending. -_-) While I'm at it, what do you guys think of my take on Xzar (the clone thing)?

Heh, I had considered making a Xzar mod but then I decided to make my own NPC instead- I would've gone with the clone thing too! :lol:
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#5 Shfelliot

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Posted 06 September 2003 - 04:44 PM

Hokay! I've actually learned enough coding to get a start on this. I wonder if I should get a board on one of those free-hosting dealies. o_O Anyway, yeah, Mekrath is finally looking like a bare-bones NPC over here with a couple of interjections with Hendak at the Copper Coronet and one with Tolgerias in the Council Building. Currently, he's a lawful evil wizard (he takes the concept of lawful evil in a whole different direction than Edwin) with the following stats. The romance is going to take a little more study-time. His story, npc talks, etc. will develop as I go along. Despite there being quite a few spellcaster npcs out there or being made, I still think the sheer strangeness (and humor) of this idea puts something unique to the table:

STR: 10
CON: 12
DEX: 10
WIS: 15
INT: 18
CHA: 10

I hope this works out. o_O

Seriously, if this whole thing actually goes well, I'd love to try to tackle either Xzar or, if Seifer isn't still doing it, maybe Habib. Actually, I had ideas for Lucette, the assassin who kills Xzar, as the idea of a Harper assassin who sort of represents the antithesis of Jaheira is intriuging as well.

PS: Andyr, I'll have my Elai review shortly. So far, so good. Btw, tell that guy who's doing Captain Brage to get a forum over here, already! (it's a really interesting idea!)

#6 -Moonfruit-

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Posted 07 September 2003 - 01:55 AM

One thing I like about your idea thus far is that you have decided not to make him a "powerhouse" and only gave him a 75 total stats roll.

Just a warning though: the biggest problem with converting a non-joinable NPC to a joinable one is that his biography and storyline must tie in with that of the original one provided by the game. This alone will, largely, determine the success of this mod. B)

While I would love to help you code, I unfortunately already have enough on my plate as it is. Sorry ;)

#7 Shfelliot

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Posted 13 September 2003 - 11:04 PM

News!:

My first dialogue! Yay! Btw, I've developed Mekrath's story a lot more, and it's getting more interesting. ;) It involves a demigod, mind flayers, and a lot of betrayal. And no worries Moonfruit, in what little part he does have in BGII, it's explained and worked in.


Anyway, yes, so everyone can get a first look at Mekrath, here's a dialogue I've put together with Jaheria. For this dialogue, you have to understand that Mekrath is fervently atheistic:

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Jaheira: Would it be too much to ask for you to stop staring at me like a pickpocket, putrid one? I have little doubt you have not seen many people living where you have been, but you could at least attempt to extend the courtesy.

Mekrath: I could care less for your outer appearance. What fascinates me is what lies within that little brain of yours, half-elf; what marvelous tangles of insight must go on in there. The very fabric of your being lies steeped in power, pulling the strings of the unsuspecting as you draw ever closer to the unfathomable powers of balance. The aura flows into your fingers; a wraithlike tapestry of true majesty that demands...

Jaheira: I assume in all that psycho-babble you are referring to my role as a Harper, mage?

Mekrath: Harper?!? Who in Pandemonium gives an elemental's ass about you being a Harper?

Jaheira: I'm afraid I don't follow, oh so strange one.

Mekrath: I am referring to your role as a druid. The ability to harness the elements of nature in a way much like I command the Weave. Yet, you still hang on to the ways of a fighter as well. The way you blend the two together, along with your particular personality, makes a startlingly fascinating combination.

Jaheira: But I thought you hated clerics, mage. You've made it quite clear you feel anyone who draws on the power of a god is cheating themselves.

Mekrath: Druids are not clerics to me. Nature is no god. It is a force that seeks equilibrium with the caster, and inasmuch it is a force to respect just as much as the force I use.

Jaheira: Are you actually telling me -you- have a respect for balance?

Mekrath: I am interested in the balance of -you-, even if you're aren't completely human. Just like every mage, every druid is different. You happen to be a fighter, as well. And a Harper. And a half-elf, to boot. Let us see how these things 'balance' out within you as you grow in power to become a unique package all your own.

Jaheira: I think I'm beginning to understand why you were alone in that sewer. You're wasting our time. Be silent, and let us continue our quest.

Mekrath: *drools*

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Well? :) Comments, suggestions, whatever? ;)

Consequently, I was wondering if anyone likes doing the SoA NPC side of dialogue talks, so to make this faster, say, I did Mekrath, you did Anomen, or Viconia...or Jan even. I do have certain dialogue talks I have specifically in mind for, such as Edwin, but to increase the complete randomness I'm going for in this mod, it might be fun to have a second person involved.

By the way, this whole project is very taxing on the brain, so while I'm making the Mekrath NPC, I've also been whipping up in my spare time a human fighter NPC named Threp'kas, who's interesting because he's actually a troll. For what I've got layed out so far, he was a chieftan of another tribe of trolls who was originally supposed to join Tor'Gal and lay seige to De'Arnise Keep. However, due to an amusing twist of fate, on the way there he managed to piss off the wrong traveling wizard, who used a special polymorphing spell which turned Threp'Kas into a human with sub-par strength (like, 10). (his class, of course, being fighter) His followers, frightened at such a show of magic, all disbanded. Consequently, he, as a human, has none of the troll regeneration powers, and is unable to use armor because, being a troll all his life, it makes him feel too encumbering. And, of course, he's used to being able to push anyone around. The possibilities are endless. :P I think I might have gotten inspired for this NPC just so I could write 'gradunk' into a line of dialogue. More on this later.

Me out.

#8 Shfelliot

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Posted 14 September 2003 - 11:34 PM

Another dialogue completed! Thought I might share a couple more for flavor's sake. This one is with Anomen:

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Anomen: <CHARNAME> may tolerate your prescence, evil one, but I will little stand for such filth as you! Your very existence is a blight upon my honor.

Mekrath: You say such daring words, tin man. For a cleric of Helm, of all gods, you are blind to the simplicity of the truth.

Anomen: You dare to presume to speak to me on the virtues of truth? On the vigilance of Helm? Nothing but lies come out of your slime-covered snake's tongue. I will not hear of it!

Mekrath: What you fail to see is that I am tolerating your prescence. As a human I find you to be quite a failure. You seem more content to whining to <CHARNAME> about the responsibility of a knight than actually enacting what you believe. You speak, but you never do. It is men like you that enable men like me to lord a certain amount of control over others. If anything, I let you live because you are a living proof I must continue my research; that if this species is to be on top we must remember to dominate the weaker to mold into useful tools.

Anomen: You disgust me, wizard. Squirm away into your little hole; I'll naught speak down to your level again.

Mekrath: ...god i hate clerics...

Anomen: WHAT?

Mekrath: NOTHING!

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#9 GreyViper

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Posted 15 September 2003 - 12:20 AM

Verry amusing. :lol: I think I am starting to like this NPC. :D
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#10 -Moonfruit-

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Posted 15 September 2003 - 04:20 AM

Indeed, it looks rather impressive for a one-man project B)

#11 Seifer

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Posted 16 September 2003 - 05:58 AM

Tell you what mate. I'll give you a hand here. The staff here prefer that people have a mod beta before we give a forum out. Since you seem well on hand for that I'll pin this thread same as I've done with Andyr in the past. When the team looks to have expanded a little bit we can look into the possibility of a forum for you.
In the meantime, there are many lurkers in here and over at teambg and FWP who can possibly be enticed outta the woodwork.

Go register with either one of those and expand the team.

how come you always look so damn cool in every photo I see you in?!?


Speaking of modding, I listened to IER 3 yesterday, so you can have another quote for your signature: how come you sound so damn cool, as well as look it? It's unfair. Seriously.


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#12 Shfelliot

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Posted 16 September 2003 - 05:21 PM

Thanks for stickying this, Seph. :) I'll register tommorrow with those guys. Maybe I'll get some response. o_O (Btw: Are you still gonna be doing the Habib NPC?)

Anyway, latest Mekkie update:

Well, actually, first a side note: It occurs to me some of you might be wondering, 'how the hell can Mekrath be so pro-human, when in the game his sprite is quite obviously an elf or half-elf sprite? Even -this- is explained, as you must remember Mekrath as I designed him has the strange ability to split himself into essences (sort of like the avatar spell), and the particular one you initially meet in the sewer is simply a fragment of himself. The reason why he looked like an elf, or more specifically, a tiefling...well for one, it was a lot easier to trick Haer'Dalis. Heck, when Mekrath joins you, the 'npc' that joins you is a splintered essence of his true power. I'm -dying- to tell you guys more, but I'll restrain myself. Mekrath's life is dark, tragic, and most of all just plain weird. And funny. Gotta love the funny. :P On the contrary to most mages, Mekrath is a frustratedly emotional individual who deeply inside is intensely bitter about his current state of things. He's -not- an easy person to romance (hell, EDWIN probably is an easier man to romance), but it certainly will be a romance unlike anything you'll ever experienced in BGII. This I promise. If just for the fact at least one romantic conversation relates directly to ingesting mind flayer flesh to increase one's magical potential as it relates to control spells, I guarantee you will not be disappointed, and hopefully will laugh a few times. I'm fairly sure this is a romance just for girl characters, but on the other hand, it depends also on the reaction from what the fans want, as I don't necessarily think after all he's been through, Mekrath would care that much -whoever- he's in a relationship with.

And yes, it has occurred to me the -real- Mekrath is ridiculously powerful. This is also explained, but it's actually also a running joke that will be covered at least once. One you would probably never have access to until a) the very end of ToB or B), more likely, perhaps you'd gain some unique spells. Given Mekrath's nature, even if he's deep in a romance with a PC, he'd probably still have a portion of himself experimenting away on the magical properties of mind flayer flesh in his sewer lab. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to handle the 'Bohdi takes your lover away' portion of the game yet, but I'm certain it will be weird. :P

Anyway! Onto the update! I've decided to toss in another Jaheira dialogue to unveil just a little bit more of his bizarre personality:

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Jaheira: Look, putrid one, I know there must be something on your mind, so let's dispense with all pretenses and end this foolish staring contest so we can focus on more important matters. What is it?

Mekrath: Y'know, that almost sounded like you were trying not to be haughty and confrontational....Almost.

Jaheira: Speak your mind or else I must attend to more...

Mekrath: I'd like to apologize for the other day. I was wrong; I do have an interest in your role as a Harper.

Jaheira: Well that's bett...

Mekrath: Why do the Harpers feel the need to affect society so it bends to their definition of 'balance'?

Jaheira: You certainly have no idea...

Mekrath: What gives you the right to decide the fates of others? Who are you to decide what is good and what's evil? So what, Elminster wrote a tablet on it or something? Oh yeah, you know if Elminster did it, it has to be right. Or maybe a god wrote it in stone with bolts of fire and lightning? Look at me, I'm on top of the world with my elite Harper knowledge....la la la...

Jaheira: If you would cease your childish babbling, you might consider the possibility that balance is something that comes naturally in all things; Harpers merely ensure that one group does not get too much power.

Mekrath: And who gave you this privilege? What's your definition of 'too much power?' What if in seeking balance you destroy too much?

Jaheira: That's nonsense! The Harpers...

Mekrath: My point, oh so knowledgable one, is that you and I are not so different.

Jaheira: That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I am nothing like you; you seek to lord over others for your own gain!

Mekrath: As do you. Admit it or not, the Harper definition of 'balance' is just another word for 'control'. Your control. And that's why your group is such an effective one; you use the masquerade of balance to enforce your will. A brilliant tactic.

Jaheira: ...I've heard enough of your idiotic rants for today. You certainly have no clue what you are talking about. This conversation is over!

Mekrath: ....

Jaheira: By Silvanus, what is it now?

Mekrath: ...do the Harpers know about me and my sewer laboratory?

Jaheira: They do now.

Mekrath: Dammit.

---

Feel free to let me know what you think on any of this...the concept, dialogue, etc. If there's a particular NPC you'd like to see a Mekrath talk with on this board, just let me know. ;)

#13 Shfelliot

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Posted 18 September 2003 - 07:29 PM

Latest update:

Hokay, so I've done a few more banters, one now with Prebek (Mekrath actually sheds a tear for his death), one with Rayic Gethras, and one with Xzar. Mekrath is over-obsessive about magic and how different magic-users develop differently (all part of his weird 'human evolution through magic' obsession), as you've no doubt gathered by now.

It occurs to me Mekrath actually might be an obsessive-compulsive, which would contribute to the fact he's so -overly- concerned about the specifics of certain issues, and his research is so insanely specialized (Imagine his thesis: 'The Experimentation of the Evolutionary Process of the Human Species as it Relates to Control, More Specifically Magical Control, to make the Human Flesh More Magically Conductive, as Tampered Through the Ingestation of Mind Flayer Flesh'). This, of course, adds another dimension to his persona, and all the more eccentric.

I also keep forgetting to mention, like in the first post, Mekkie absolutely DESPISES Haer'Dalis due the obvious altercation of the planar gem which is more fully explained in the mod. If the two remain in the party for too long, it will inevitably result in Haer'Dalis becoming Mekkie's personal zombie servant.

I'm ready to take some suggestions on what good places for banters might be, from what you understand of Mekrath so far. Druids, clerics, and mages will be his primary interest, though creatures of magic (Firkraag, for example) will give him some fascination. However, if you also think there are places, given his personality, would be appropriate, interesting, pivotal, or just damn funny, let me know that, too. :P

I, of course, am still looking for people interested in helping me with some of the dialogue with different NPCs.

And of course, comes two more interesting factors: the picture, and, without a shadow of a doubt, a potential main voice actor. The picture, I'm going to have to do some digging on, but it's definately got to scream 'mysterious young mage, kind of shrouded in his garb, really messy and creepy looking, ie sewers'. The voice I'm looking for someone actually who can do kind of a young man's voice, but a very eerie sort of playful calmness to it, but also sort of can sporatically shift comically at the right moments. Mekrath is on the outskirts creepy, intelligent, mysterious, and strange, yet on further inspection he's also inexplicably amusing and clueless sometimes in his own weird obsessiveness.

And tonight, I post to teambg.net and forgottenwars. Here's hoping.

#14 Jabberwocky

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Posted 19 September 2003 - 09:51 PM

This is beautiful! I loved this idea from the start.

Though, why don't you make a Xzar romance mod? ::gets egged by disgusted people:: My friend and I attempted it a few years ago, but abandoned the project.

Make both of them! Yes! I would love them all. :D I would like to help you in any way that I can! (Which is... err... not that many, since I am no programmer, but I could write something, I suppose. I could try)

My friend and I were also discussing NPCs joining and becoming romance-able characters. Like Aran Linvail. Now THAT would be interesting. Tee-hee.

Errr... Ignore me. I am strange.

#15 NiGHTMARE

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Posted 20 September 2003 - 03:47 AM

My friend and I were also discussing NPCs joining and becoming romance-able characters. Like Aran Linvail. Now THAT would be interesting. Tee-hee.

Especially as the Tortured Souls mod lets you romance his daughter (yes, even female players ;) )

Anyway, this mod sounds darn cool, I just hope it doesn't take you as long to create as it's taken me for Kivan :D

#16 Jabberwocky

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Posted 20 September 2003 - 06:43 PM

LOL! That would be very interesting. Talk about conflict! Would they argue with each other over the main character, I wonder? :lol:

Edit: Oh, no! I have killed the topic with my madness. Or something. :(

#17 Shfelliot

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Posted 27 September 2003 - 09:38 PM

Jabberwocky, I'd love your help for the Mek mod. Email me at
shfelliotrpg@hotmail.com, as it'd be great to have a second hand on the
text. I'll also give you the full story there; trust me, it's weird.

Still need a voice guy...well, I suppose that's gonna be a little down
the line. o_O

I do want to do an independent Xzar mod down the line. Xzar (who doesn't
need Montaron, in my honest opinion), is one of the most untapped
potentials for a mod. I have a really bizarre take on it, and if you'll
look at my first post, you'll see why. As for a romance? Maybe. We'll see
how Mekkie goes. Somehow I think those two would be good friends.

Mekrath: Don't you hate it when you ingest the wrong amount of mind
flayer flesh?
Xzar: How excruiatingly annoying!

I love slightly 'different' mods. Aran Linvail, for instance, would be a
great NPC. So would Gaelan Bayle, or hell, maybe Mae'Var for insatiably
evil parties. If these initial projects go well, who knows where we might
go next. I -still- want to do a romance with Lucette, the Harper Assassin
who killed Xzar as a sort of foil for Jaheira. No only can be be
speculated that Lucette a) has a much different view of the Harpers than
Jaheira, and B) she may or may not know that Galvarey himself has
splintered off from the main Harper group (there -is- a line in the
Jaheira romance in front of Dermin where she says something like 'and
what about all the other Harpers who died thinking they were fighting for
the right cause?)

I actually do have an update, but it's not regarding Mekkie, but rather
the other NPC I've been working on to sort of test the waters: Threp'Kas,
the former troll chieftan who was polymorphed into a much, much weaker
human. (don't worry, folks, he's just an NPC, no romance. :P)

I don't mind giving a little spoilers for Threp'Kas, since he may or may
not be an official mod. So basically, like I said above, his tribe was
originally supposed to join Tor'Gal's group on the assault of D'Arnise
keep. However, on the way to the keep, they went through the wrong town,
and Threp'Kas pissed off the wrong mage, who polymorphed TK into a human
out of anger. The other trolls were spooked by this act, and disbanded.
The mighty Threp'Kas, however, was left a shell of his former self; a
human with none of the Troll regeneration powers, sense of smell,
dexterity, or strength. Regardless, he decides to go assist Tor'Gal
anyway by himself, but a) he's not powerful enough to get inside the Keep
and B) no monster race actually believes he used to be a troll. :P I'm
probably going to have him be able to join somewhere in the wilderness
outside the keep, but we'll see. If he is in the party when you battle
Tor'Gal there will be some -very- interesting dialogue going on. All in
all, this is going to be a -very- amusing mod, as you follow the
adventures of a very, very bitter and overzealous troll who has to cope
with the fact he can't just charge into battle and eat squishies anymore.

Threp'Kas is definately an NPC set up for the role-playing experience,
not necessarily to be an uber-tank in battle. His class is logically
fighter, but he cannot wear armor, as being a troll, it's too
encumbering. I'm probably going to give him specialization in
dual-wielding clubs, as most logically that's what a troll would fight
with.

So basically, the update on TK is essentially my very first quest
encounter. Taking an idea from a character class in TDD, I've set up a
group of Trollslayers (in name only; there's no way I'm good enough yet
to make my own -classes-; they're all fighters or wizards) lead by a
two-handed sword-wielding dwarf named Sallam. This encounter will only
occur if you've completed De'Arnise Keep and killed Tor'Gal, probably
about a week after. Naturally, TK must be in your party. The first conversation (the part I'm writing down here) goes something like this:

Sallam: Ho there, travelers! Me and me group have traveled quite the
distance to find ye! I am Sallam, and this be me party of battle-hardened
hunters. Now don't ye be worryin'; we're on the same side and we'd narry
pick a fight with the likes of ye. Y'see, me and me merry band here are
Trollslayers, but we had a might bit o' trouble getting down here what
with roving bands of monsters from the Sythsillian Empire bearin' down on
our hides. Bloody nuisances, they are.

Our speciality is trolls, h'ever, and we try to purge the ugly buggers
wherever they crawl.

PC: 1- Good and well met. I am <CHARNAME>. Might I inquire what your
business is with me?
2- I care little for your idle banter, but if you must know, I am
<CHARNAME>. State your business and move along; I've many things to do
and little time.
3- You are beneath my notice, insect. Get the hell away from me
before I have to do a surgical dismemberment of you and your friends'
genital regions.
4- Y'know, it's funny you mention trolls, because....
5- FRESH EXPERIENCE POIN...I mean, bodies! ATTACK!

<if choice is 1 or 2> Sallam: Aye, I'll speak my piece and we'll out of
your hair.
or
<choice 3> Sallam: Now don't ye be getting your nads in a fix, we'll say
what we need to say then'll be glad to step aside for ye.
or
<choice 4> TK: <whack>

Sallam: Y'see, we were coming down to liberate the De'Arnise Keep from that nasty Tor'Gal and his flunkies from a messenger that came to us from Lord
De'Arnise himself. But we were held up, like I said. Bloody lucky ye got
there when ye did, though I'm a wee bit disappointed I didn't get to be
the one who got to launch be blade into that bastard's heart. There were
still a mite too many casualties of lives wasted in that castle, none of
which was your fault, and we couldn't help but think we were partially responsible for not getting there sooner.

TK: <grumbles> Oh yes, stinky short one moan sooo much about death of
other squishies, he grubchack not consider the death of many of my fellows.
Stupid squishie need crushing good time...

Sallam: Eh? Did he say something?

TK: DIE, SQUI..

PC: <only choice> <thump> Sorry, my friend's a little agitated from all the stress. Eheheh.

Sallam: Erm...aye. Anyway. So we've come down 'ere to mop up the mess you and your band left behind; we figured we owed that much to all the poor bastards who met a bad end in the keep, we did. So while we were routin' up the renamants of TorGal's army, we tortured some interesting information out of a Yuan-ti we found in a cave to the west. Spouted out a lot of strange things before we split his gullet in two.

Most of it was bloody impossible to discern, but we did get something out of 'im. Not his employer, but somethin' that may give us a good hint. Apparently Tor'Gal was one of two chieftans who were supposed to assault the castle. But the second bugger never showed up, so Tor'Gal took charge and decided to go it alone.

So naturally we decided our best shot at followin up on our lead to come to you and compare notes, if ye will. We came him figurin' on the off-chance you might know something to help us. I know ye's done with the troll-slayin' business, and ye can do whatever ye' want with the keep, but we've got a bloody job to finish. So basically, all we're here to ask you is, do you know anything?

PC: 1- I'm afraid I can't help you good sir. If I find out anything, I will send word to you immediately. I wish you godspeed and good luck on your travels, as trolls are among the foulest of creatures.
2- You've wasted enough of my time. No, I do not know anything. I took care of the problem, and now I have to get to the next one. Leave me now.
3- Begone, maggot. I care little for your questions, and if you bother me further, it will be you who I shall squash next.
4- Troll chieftan? I have no idea what you're talking about, except for the polymorphed one over here who joined my party for no apparent reason.
5- What's that? You're an experienced party with loads of valuable items and equipment just waiting to be looted? Cool! LET'S GET EM' BOYS!

<choice 1 or 2> Sallam I thank ye for your time. If ye find anything, me party'll be camping near Imnesvale for a few days. We heard there's a couple of Spirit Trolls annoying the local wildlife.
or
<choice 3> Bloody annoying bugger. If ye were a troll, I'd kill ye for that.

<Sallam and party leave>

TK: Run hairy bearded smallthing! Smallthing no match for Threp'Kas! Threp'Kas can crush you like I crush this rock...<stomps ground>...um...wait for it...<stomps ground>...oh schrap it.

----
<option 1, choice 5 or option 3, choice 5> Sallam: Bloody hell. This is the third time today! <enemies turn hostile>

<option 2, choice 4> TK: You stinky traitor! DIE! <Threp'Kas goes hostile>

<after Threp'Kas dies> Sallam: Ye bloody killed your own party member! That's bloody dishonorable in my book! Oh well. Gotta find that rogue troll chieftan..la la la... <Sallam and his party leave>

#18 Jabberwocky

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Posted 28 September 2003 - 02:33 PM

E-mail sent. :D

And that NPC sounds hilarious!! I would love to play him. Maybe you should give him a special power that makes him different from the "regular" humans? Perhaps one of those slow regeneration options? You know what I'm talking about, right? Those little egg things you find in Bodhi's Gauntlet that you put on your head and it regenerates hitpoints veeeeery sloooowly... Maybe you could have that option on Threp'Kas, without actually having the egg. I think I'm confusing myself here. :( Anyway, I think it would be an interesting option, and it wouldn't be as fast as an actual troll's healing, otherwise it would be unfair and all that.

Also, once you get to the Pirate Isle, wouldn't it be interesting to have Threp'Kas as one of the people to show to the Pirate King that you're insane? You could have the option to introduce Threp'Kas instead of Minsc.

PC: "I surely must be insane. Look at the company I keep. Show him, Threp'Kas!"

Threp'Kas: "You look tasty human. Crunchy, yes. Not at all squishy. Maybe little too chewy, dunno if you're stinky human. Threp'Kas can't tell with human nose."

Pirate King: "What the!? Surely you must insane to keep such a deranged person in your party, blah blah blah" I don't know. :D Just an idea!

#19 Shfelliot

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Posted 30 September 2003 - 11:04 AM

First two considerations for a character portrait. Again, I'd like to state for the record Mekrath appears young. Tell me what you guys think.

First, from Vaul's Baldur's Gate Portraits (http://www.vaulscast...gportraitm3.htm):

Posted Image

The drab, utterly colorless clothes and the utterly disinterested, distant expression are right, though I'm not sure about the winter scene, as Mekkie seems to prefer dank, dark places.

The second possibility is from Death Jester's Baldur's Gate Portraits
(http://www.scifantas...start=24&pack=m):

Posted Image

Your standard mysterious mage, and I love the facial expression, though the cowl seems a bit too bright and the face a bit too clean. Looks more like a Thayan than some weird wizard you'd find down in the sewers. Geez, if we could just combine image one and two. :P

I actually am considering shelling out 30 bucks to just get a custom 3d portrait from http://www.dragonsart.com/home.asp; we'll see. Anyway, more updates as they come.

#20 NiGHTMARE

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Posted 30 September 2003 - 12:26 PM

How's this? :)