#Zhjaeve

[shungieshrieks]

Neverwinter Nights 2 Companions in Baldur's Gate 3

AKA

I miss them.

[wuhuha]

Just a small project I was working on, until I wasn't. Kinda forgot to share it.

(Feel free to share what you headcanon Gith and Zerthimon to look like.)

[vaultsixtynine]

literally every time goddamn it. zhjaeve isn't an Old Lady persay but she is Older and didactic to an extent. and magda is bonded to her forever and ever

[lazysload]

Dar'zah, githzerai, monk, master of disguise (no)

She pursued the nautiloid to intercept the Astral Prism and disrupt the plans of the githyanki, but something went wrong...

Like Zhjaeve from Neverwinter Nights 2 she has to hide her face.

[the-great-elwisty]

Day 29: How your adventure(s) should have really ended

A/N: Here's a bit of meta which, despite the claim in the first sentence, I've been writing in fragments over a few months. It's quite appropriate for today. Please join in with your own ideas!

Over the last couple of days, I’ve found myself wondering at what point Rocks Fall Everyone Dies became the plan for the end of Neverwinter Nights 2. Was that always what Obsidian were working towards? Or was it something that happened as they were struggling to get the last Act done in time for Atari’s deadline?

Here are a few different ideas for an alternative finale, some of which segue into Mask of the Betrayer, some of which would be more suited to the earlier, abandoned idea of a Planar adventure involving the githzerai/githyanki. (No source for that; it’s something I vaguely remember reading about fourteen – aaaaargh!!! – years ago.)

After the final battle, rocks do not fall. It turns out that the ancient architects of the final dungeon really knew what they were doing when they put in the foundations. Instead, the PC and companions are victorious and return to the surface. Big reception a la Dragon Age in Crossroad Keep. Dialogue with the companion you have the highest influence with. “So what will you do if you survive?” “I’m going to look for another adventure/stay in Crossroad Keep/restore West Harbour etc.” End game, role the epilogues. XP1 could start with a new character, or have the old one being kidnapped from their chosen life. Would this have been too vanilla for Obsidian devs? Probably. It’s much more of a Bioware-style ending. I think I could have been happy with it though.

The King of Shadows is dead; rocks are starting to come down. Zhjaeve or Ammon approaches with a desperate escape plan depending on who has the highest influence. They open a portal, the PC and companions go through to Limbo (Zhjaeve) or Stygia/somewhere really nasty (Ammon), and doubtless end up scattered all over the place, giving the devs a chance to introduce a new set of characters in XP1 without killing all the old ones. Regardless of your starting point, you would ultimately visit Limbo/the Hells as part of the campaign, thus not wasting a location on just half of all PCs.

The final battle changes – it’s not just about defeating the King of Shadows, but about freeing him from the Shadow Weave. This scenario could end with the person-who-became-the-Guardian restored, like Akachi, to his former identity, and the PC taking on the mantle of Illefarn Guardian, perhaps in a ceremonial or more real capacity: the spirit of the Guardian-that-was refuses to depart until the PC in some measure accepts the burden. If the PC doesn’t want it, a high-influence companion could accept it in their stead. (Grobnar as supernatural protector of the Sword Coast along with his Wendersnaven assistants??) Actually, I could see anyone except Zhjaeve (too extra-planar) and Sand/Qara (too self-interested) in the role. A chastened Bishop might do it if he could be persuaded back after his betrayal. The downside of this scenario is that most of the OC appears to be saying that lone heroes are a bad idea. The Guardian was not a good plan; no society should allow one person to turn themselves into a sacrificial lamb for their benefit – and those that do (like the Illefarn) will find it has unpleasant consequences. Also: do not be like Casavir. Do not be like Ammon Jerro. (And maybe with foresight: do not be like Akachi.) The PC wins by relying on their companions, their connections, and the apparatus of the Neverwinter state. So a campaign that ends with a single character taking on the job of Guardian would be more of a tragic ending than anything else – it’s just a matter of time until they make a big mistake and fuck up. Unless we are meant to believe that the person who inherits the mantle is just super special and can do what they like, as many politicians seem to believe of themselves with alarming ease. As you might guess, I don’t like that idea.

A final fun idea, again stealing from Dragon Age (I’m thinking of the escape from Fort Drakon sequence). Again, we use companion influence to determine the ending. This time, your companion with the most influence will take the lead and successfully work out a way for you to get out. Precisely how they do this will vary in line with characterisation. (Elanee’s druidic instincts lead her to the correct exit; Sand conjures magical protection; Khelgar uses his dwarven knowledge of how underground structures work/encourages the PC not to give up/Qara blasts through pile of rocks blocking a passage/Grobnar…summons the Wendersnaven to our aid…?) Maybe they all cooperate. Who knows? Rather than end with That Cutscene, you get to play through an extra escape level before stumbling out into sunshine and party-time on the surface.

But I have also asked myself – do I really want the ending changed? Perhaps the sudden collapse of the final dungeon is the natural end point for a game that can’t quite bring itself to be a complete heroic fantasy.

And then I answer my own bloody stupid rhetorical question. Of course I want the sodding ending changed. After sixty hours of play, my protagonist deserves more than some stills and a droning narrator, all assembled on a ha’penny budget at speed, in the moment that they’ve won the final battle and should be having some sort of catharsis.

If the rocks have got to fall, I want my PC sitting with their companions in a hidden refuge waiting for rescue. It’d be Waiting For Godot if Vladimir and Estragon were a ten-person collective of bad temper, irony and curious fashion choices. Bishop is allowed to join the squat-in if he walked away from the final battle.

PC: Well, shall we go?

Casavir: Yes, let us go.

[They do not move]

[imsopopfly]

What would Zhjaeve think of the legend of Orpheus? What would Zhjaeve think of the *actual* Orpheus if she got to meet him in his moment of freedom? Any thoughts about afterwards?

(Only if you don't mind me asking - it's okay with me if you leave this ask marinating a while or don't even answer, I don't know anyone who knows Zhjaeve better. I love the interpretations you have)

Honestly considering she’s a hardline follower of Zerthimon’s principles I don’t think she’d really think much about his legend and I don’t think she’d give him a chance if she met him since he’s literally the son of Gith. There’s been bad blood between the Githyanki and Githzerai for years and while there is a small subset from both races who support the reunification of the two, Zhjaeve seems to not be a part of that. While she’s a reasonable person and I think she might eventually be convinced, her initial reaction would hardly be favorable.

[kalach-cha]

my dm made a joke that zhjaeve was secretly in love with daeghun. i don’t know how to feel about this

[neverwinternighting]

gee........................ i wonder why the party reacting to a dead guy in the bathroom didnt make the cut in the final version of the game.............

bonus: discord comments

KC: -opens bathroom door to take a look- KC: -closes bathroom door- KC: -turning around with a defeated stare- I don't know what I was expecting. 

Oh but Zhjaeve... Poor, innocent Zhjaeve...... "Is this a graveyard?" Oh, honey... sweetheart no... 

Please Do Not Sonnet The Dead Toilet Man Grobnar

WHY IS EVERYONE FOLLOWING KC TO THE TOILET IS THIS THE WOMEN'S RESTROOM IN A BAR I CAN THINK OF NO OTHER REASON OF WHY THEY'D ALL GO TOGETHER AS A FLOCK 

I can't even think, like, in what possible context they'd find a dead guy on a toilet??? Specifically a dead KNIGHT, if Bishop's line is to be believed???????

Bishop's calling them over: Hey you fucks check this out lol Qara: For the last time! Nobody wants to see how big it is!

Sand and Casavir in unison: wash your fucking hands

[forgottenharbor]

This is the result of my long work. All portraits of the nwn2 characters on one picture (with captain Brelaina). I am happy that my project is finally completed. 🎉Thanks all for your likes!

[theamazingdearheart-inactive]

Okay, for the, like, five of us in the NWN2 fandom, I’m gonna list my LGBT headcanons-

The Official Campaign-

- Elanee struck me as straight (though I used to wish she was bi so I could romance her as a girl- from a story standpoint, I thought her romance made the most sense, even if it could’ve been handled better)

- Khelgar is the Straightest Straight to Ever Straight with the way he goes on about dwarven women

- I could honestly see Qara as pretty much anything. She’s pretty much the only woman besides Zhjaeve to not show interest in the male KC, though.

- Idk if it was a bug or something, but I once got Casavir to flirt with a male KC (I don’t think I have a bi mod, I’m unsure if one even exists). So yeah, that’s part of my headcanon now

- Not even gonna talk about Bishop (he just REALLY rubs me the wrong way, I could probably do a whole ‘nother post on that)

- Neeshka is bi and you can fight me on that

- Zhjaeve just struck me as aroace

- Sand’s gay. After that line he had when meeting Blooden (something about him being the most equipped to fight her, even when you had [supposedly] straight female companions in the party) my gaydar went right off

- Ammon Jerro is canonically the ancestor of Shandra, so I assume he’s into women (though so many other possibilities are possible, including those where he or his lover were trans)

- I could easily see Shandra as a bi trans woman

- ACE GROBNAR RIGHTS

- SAND X DUNCAN RIGHTS

- Also I (crack) ship Sand with Nevalle... wtf is wrong with me

- I literally have no explanation for any of this. No proof. These are just brainless gay headcanons. Made by one brainless gay. 

Part 1/?

[bkwrm523]

Every inch of you hurt.  You’d lost count of how many places probably had broken bones.  It had taken a great deal of willpower to even get to your feet.  Zhjaeve, the healer of the group, had used the last healing spells she had to get everyone in a position to walk again.  That, and all the healing potions everyone was carrying had given your group just enough life to follow the sorcerer where he fled.  And Shandra.

You were numb, a feeling that had nothing to do with your many injuries.  At your feet, was Shandra’s lifeless body.  She’d lived just long enough to say goodbye, just long enough to explain that it had been the only way to save you all.  Just long enough to call the Sorcerer “grandfather.”

You hadn’t registered the implications yet.  You were still too full of raw emotion.

You were leaning against a wall near Shandra’s body, using it to stay upright.  You forced your battered, broken body to turn to face the sorcerer.  Suddenly, none of you injuries hurt anymore.  All you could feel was the raw anger and grief.

You had been Shandra’s tutor, the one who taught her to fight, to be an adventurer.  And now you’d utterly failed to protect her.  You’d promised her.

The sorcerer stood still, shock and numbness on his face as he stared at the lifeless body of his only kin.

“If you’d stopped and talked to us, just once, she would still be alive!”  You screamed at him, pouring all your grief and anger and fury and pain into your voice.

[feywildheart]

NWN2 companions as DnD players

Kelgar: Always picks a martial class, always, and forgets that you can do more than fight in dnd.

Neeshka: Genuinely wants to have fun, and enjoys getting into mischief, but it's not malicious. Looooves getting loot, no matter the means.

Elanee: That one person at the table who thought too much about their character's backstory, tries too hard to make a middle ground for the other players.

Qara: That one player who's out to annoy people at the table, either a brilliant troll or a pure asshole, usually kicked out of groups by the DM in the first 4 sessions.

Grobnar: The one everyone loves at the table, sucks in fights but makes some awesome, memorable roleplay.

Casavir: The KING of goody twoshoes, while the character equates do being the typical arthurian hero, also seems disinterested in the game.

Bishop: The edgy broody teen boy who tries to seduce women and look like a bad boy, unsuccessfully.

Shandra: Has issues at home and tries to compensate with a tough character, but it's clear she cares about the people at the table. Protect at all costs.

Sand: Has memorized the MM, DMG, PHB, SCAG, Volo's and lord knows what else, thinks he's better than everyone else at the table and shows it.

Zhjaeve: Loooves the less popular characters, and a bit of a homebrewer. Nonetheless, takes everything seriously, and wants to finish things quickly.

Construct: this fellow wanted to play an earth elemental, a warforged, or a robot. Doesn't talk or rp much, but pulls off sweet moves in combat.

Ammon: Full force emo, probably listens to disturbed or avenged sevenfold when not playing dnd, does some messed up stuff in game.

[wuhuha]

[neranishin]

I like how you can tell Zhjaeve “But I don’t have enough shards to make it complete” when you’re going to reforge the Sword. As if your KC will just sit in their room sometimes and lay the shards out and try to make a sword from them. Shiny silver jigsaw puzzle

And then the Sword isn’t even shaped like a normal sword, so just imagine: Your knowledge of swords is trying to fit the pieces together one way, and that OBVIOUSLY isn’t working, and some part of your intuition (aka, the shard inside you) is trying to fit them together some OTHER way. and that one IS working, kind of, in that some of the shards actually seem to fit together along their fractures, but it doesn’t look very swordy at all. (especially with the missing bits)

[tt-vision]

shaydh replied to your post:

Did you know Neeshka and Zhjaeve also approve! …I’m an asshole too huh.

Really? Huh, I never would have guessed. In the end everyone is a closeted asshole, haha.

I suffered through the druid fight 4 times though! Because the game kept bugging out and just didn’t let me attack Elanee. And then what did the game do in the epilogue? TOTALLY FORGOT I KILLED HER AND ASSUMED WE’RE IN A RELATIONSHIP. And even MotB had to rub salt in the wound where I could say “she’s the love of my life~~”, MAN SHE DED. LEAVE ME BE. PLS.

[the-great-elwisty]

NWN2 cut content: Kendrick Savis

#4

Tiny cut content that no one’s ever bothered to talk about because it’s so tiny. In the finished game, Zhjaeve tells you the location of Arvahn. In dialog.tlk:

Know that there is one in your citadel of Neverwinter, a lorekeeper named Kendrick Savis, who should be able to aid us in locating the Illefarn sites where the ritual must be performed.

Once the player has spoken to Savis:

The places Savis spoke of - their names are unfamiliar to me...If my memory holds them true, then we seek the city of Arvahn in the Wood of Neverwinter, the Tower of Sight within the receding ocean of Dead Men Mere, the Court of Tides along the coast - and the unknown ruins near your birth village, West Harbor.

Okay, so maybe this cut content wasn’t so tiny after all. It looks like this is a hangover from a stage of development when Arvahn wasn’t the only Illefarn location you had to visit (to complete the Ritual of Purification, if the writers had come up with the Ritual's title at this stage). I’m sorry we didn’t get to visit the Court of Tides or Tower of Sight – I’m not sure what kind of dungeon design we would have got, but they have undeniably cool names.

The Tower of Sight, btw, was where a council of mages met and decided to create the Guardian as a defence against Netheril. Another location is mentioned in the dialog.tlk called Tide’s Reach, which might be another version of the Court of Tides.

The unknown ruins near West Harbour aren’t that unknown, since according to Tarmas’s cut content, they would have belonged to an Illefarn port city that once stood near West Harbour.

I don't recognise the concept art that accompanies this piece as being an extant location in the game — does anyone else? It could be a candidate for the Court of Tides.