9 replies to this topic

[Endless Twilight]

I posted this at Gibberlings 3, but this seems to be an active board as well, and so I'll post it here as well.

Naomi Winter, Priestess of Iyachtu Xvim
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Cleric (possibly Fighter/Cleric)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Concept:

On the shores of the Moonsea, rule by the Zhentarim is all many people have ever known. But for all that the Zhentarim are evil and corrupt, the policies of the priesthood of Bane, and later Iyachtu Xvim, did see orderly, efficient government and harsh but fair justice in many of the small villages. Naomi Winter hails from one of these towns, born to two half-elves in a fishing town on the Moonsea, and she was raised seeing the iron hand of Iyachtu Xvim not as a despotic and tyrannical force, but a strong hand to keep order in the troubled and dangerous north. With opportunities for advancement few in such a tiny village, and not content to spend her life in such a tiny backwater, Naomi became an initiate of Iyachtu Xvim, though during her seminary, she favored what she learned of the old god, Bane, slain during the Time of Troubles.

It is this interest that has brought Naomi to Amn, pursuing the tales of Bhaalspawn on the Sword Coast. Having developed close ties to the older priests who still recall Bane, Naomi's goal is to investigate the tales, especially the rumors that Bhaal may be somehow resurrected - if Bhaal can be returned, then so too might Bane. Naomi is not affiliated with the Zhentarim proper, but a cloud of suspicion has hung over the young woman as soon as she left the vicinity of the Moonsea.

Beliefs:
For all the ill repute of Bane and his successor, Iyachtu Xvim, Naomi cleaves to a different interpretation of their doctrine: peace and order are the mandate for all living beings, and it is the duty of the strong to impose order on the weak by any means necessary. Calculated brutality and cruelty are excellent tools for maintaining order, while offering peace and safety in the other hand. It is harsh, yes, but it is also effective and fair. Naomi loathes chaos and troublemakers, including the Harpers, but she does view the excesses of the Banite/Xvimite clergy with distaste: brutality with no purpose is simply violence, cruelty without a goal is simple sadism. Those traits are the lot of Cyric, not a civilized god.

Personality:
Affable, pleasant, and possessed of a dry wit, Naomi has deflected much suspicion with her personality alone, her essentially kind nature being far removed from the typical image of an Authlim of Bane's son. She is confident in her beliefs, and when conversation is struck up, enjoys debating morality and philosophy. Not many people want to get close to her once she reveals her choice of vocation and deity, but Naomi's elven blood does run in her private activities - she enjoys poetry and has tried her hand at painting more than once. She is aggressively mediocre at the latter hobby, but that doesn't bother her. As much as Naomi approves of brutal methods for instating peace and order, she looks to art and poetry as the lifeblood of a culture once order is established.


That's the rough concept, but here are a few other things I'm thinking about with her:

1. She's supposed to be a cleric, but as she's a half-elf, I'm thinking I'll include an option to have her as a fighter/cleric as well, purely as a class variation.

2. Considering Naomi's essentially benevolent nature, I am strongly considering the possibility for a good-aligned Charname to bring her around to a new god and a good alignment, probably serving Tyr or Torm. Tentatively, the idea is to run a point counter, that Charname and some NPC's will impact to measure her way of thinking, with her conversion and quest triggering once she reaches a certain level. Keldorn and Aerie will play roles as well as Charname - in general, if Charname acts good and has a good-aligned party, it is likely to rub off on Naomi. What form the quest will take, I have no idea. Perhaps something as simple as being bidden to help Charname investigate the corruption of the Cowled Wizards.

3. Romance. I've seen how much work romances take, so I'm a little wary of making Naomi a romance, but if I do, she would be a romance option for female humans, elves, half-elves, half-orcs, and dwarves. Gnomes and halflings are just too short to appeal to her. Naomi would be best suited to a lawful Charname, but wouldn't care about the good/evil axis, though a good-aligned Charname romancing her might have an easier time bringing her to Lawful Good.

4. A very tentative idea, but as I write banter ideas to get a better feel for Naomi's personality, I am considering the prospect of a romance between Aerie and Naomi, which would take a firm backseat to the Aerie/Charname and Naomi/Charname romances. Aerie will be a positive influence on Naomi regardless, however.


I have begun some writing and coding (coding banters as I write and solidify them), but have no modding experience otherwise. As such, it will be a learning experience, and my tentative plan is to make Naomi as a bare-bones NPC first, without a romance, alignment shift, or personal quest, then add those later when I'm more experienced with coding.


And for an idea of her personality, here are a couple of sample banters I've written:


Minsc: Boo is troubled. He has heard nasty things about this "Xvim" of yours, but he thinks you are a nice person.
Naomi: As a poet once said: There are no compacts between lions and men, and wolves and lambs have no concord.
Minsc: People are not wolves or lambs. We stand on two feet. And don't have as much hair.
Naomi: Metaphor.
Minsc: What is a metaphor? Is it something Boo can nibble on?
Naomi: The strong rule. The weak are ruled over.
Minsc: Minsc is confused. Boo says we are very strong, so do you say we should rule?
Naomi: Haha! Maybe you should, Minsc. Maybe you should.

Naomi: Interesting. Reports indicated there were two half-elf Harpers traveling with <CHARNAME>. A married couple, to be precise.
Jaheira: If you intend only to mock me, Xvimlar, I will strike you down where you stand.
Naomi: I was going to offer my sympathies, actually.
Jaheira: What?
Naomi: I'm assuming you loved your husband. I'm sorry for your loss, and perhaps when this is over, we can give your husband a proper burial and funeral rites.
Jaheira: I... why would a priestess of Xvim offer me kindness?
Naomi: Because you deserve kindness. Even Harper scum should still enjoy some dignity.
Jaheira: A Xvimlar offering a Harper kindness. What is Toril coming to?
Naomi: I can always go all 'Rar, I'm a power-mad sadistic tyrant!' like your typical Xvimlar if you really want me to.
Jaheira: That will not be necessary. Thank you, Naomi. I think.

[Zyraen]

Its interesting enough, and the writing style is fun If you are willing to start barebones, go right ahead.

I'm of the opinion that NPCs are carried by their personalities and writing styles, provided they are of a useful class. That being said, Cleric is a bit too common, so you may wish to reconsider. Apart from that, I think she looks good, though I find it a bit odd that an LN character would worship Xvim and associate with the likes of Zhentarim.

That being said, I'm no pro on FR lore, so take that with a pinch of salt...

[berelinde]

I'm of the opinion that NPCs are carried by their personalities and writing styles, provided they are of a useful class. That being said, Cleric is a bit too common, so you may wish to reconsider.

In the vanilla game, you've got your choice of Anomen, Viconia, and Aerie. Aerie will never gain enough levels as a cleric to make vampires explode, which is a shame. If you add mods, you've got Tiax, Branwen, Wikaede, and Gavin. I wouldn't call that an overabundance of clerics, especially since two of those are one-day NPCs and none of them will suit every party.

[Endless Twilight]

Apart from that, I think she looks good, though I find it a bit odd that an LN character would worship Xvim and associate with the likes of Zhentarim.

She's from the Moonsea, near Zhentil Keep. The Zhentarim are the local government, and Bane/Xvim the state religion. One of the themes with Naomi is that she's basically a kind, good-hearted person who was raised in a very rough part of Faerun, and has the attitudes to match. Some of the banters I've written for her and Aerie go into this heavily. For reference, the Mysteries of the Moonsea regional splatbook specifies a mix of the Viking idea of a harsh land breeding a strong people and the Russian air of overcoming any challenge through sheer dogged persistence as the main motifs of the Moonsea region.

The two sample banters I gave *are* Naomi near her friendliest. She likes Minsc, and has a dry sense of humor that really comes out with Jaheira. Edwin and Nalia, for example, she's much less friendly towards.

[Kaeloree]

I like the idea

I'm not sure if Jaheira would be so accepting of "condolences" from a Zhent, though. She'd be far more suspicious and probably more than a little insulted, I would imagine. Jaheira's not an accepting kind of person when it comes to things like that, in my experience.

[Aldark]

And one more thing: Harpers are always fighting against Zhents. Swords, not words, I think, will be between them. ))

[Aldark]

However, I realy like this dialog between them )

[Endless Twilight]

Yeah, Jaheira and Keldorn not immediately attacking Naomi does require a little suspension of disbelief, but I'm hoping the fact that Naomi isn't actually evil, and has strong distaste for the more wantonly evil deeds of Xvim's church, will make that acceptable.

I'm also getting a firmer grasp of Naomi's personality as I write dialogue ideas for her, and Naomi is shaping up to come across as one of the younger members of the party, and as confident as she is in some fields of life, she's much less so in others - she's shy about romance, so expect her to stammer and be embarrassed a bit. That said, be forewarned that Naomi has done some unambiguously evil things in her life, and one of them in particular should make the player cringe - Charname can kick back her "redemption" counter by telling her she did the necessary thing and/or shouldn't feel bad about it, or Charname can use it to bring her much closer to good alignment.

And on that note, only some of Naomi's banters will likely change based on her alignment, and her romance probably won't change much if at all. She'll still be Naomi, but with a softer edge.

[Endless Twilight]

I whole-heartedly agree with this. I've taken along Anomen, Aerie and Viconia so much that I'm sick of them. And I hate playing as a cleric, so any new cleric npc's are welcome in my eyes.

Ironically, Naomi gets along very well with all three of the Bioware clerics. Naomi's an easygoing person in general unless your name is Nalia, Haer'Dalis, Edwin, or Korgan.


Unfortunately, my computer went kablooie this morning (posting on my girlfriend's computer) in an auspicious omen, so who knows how long this will take.