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novarex · 7 months

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Thoughts on Nere

Ugh, look at his pretty white eyelashes. I just want to smoosh his face.

I have a lot of thoughts regarding Nere and how he could have gotten where he is by the time we see him. @lysblack has started a really excellent conversation I would like to expand on. For science.

So may I present a somewhat lengthy analysis (rambling thoughts) of Nere, based on comments of other characters, what we know, and my reading of the Drizzt Do'Urdon books that go deeply into Menzoberranzan and life there.

Warning - this is long

Let's start with when we meet Nere.

Before we meet him, we meet the duergar, who have some things to say - Morgal is the one asking if you and the other duergar are "plowing", and from Corsair Greymon asking if "the Sargent has choked on True Soul Nere's prick". I do think that the duergar here are just generally vulgar and probably don't have much respect for anyone, but they are definitely getting to the end of their patience with Nere. They are mostly hired mercenaries with at least one believer in the Absolute among them (Sargent Thrinn). Something to note here is that duergar are a race of dwarves that were experimented on an changed by Mind Flayers and later escaped, that is why they have psionic powers, you can connect to them without them having a tadpole, and they have a special nose for True Souls because they can literally smell the parasite in you.

When you move down to the cave in area where Nere is trapped and Thrinn and her crew are trying to dig him out, you can talk to Nere through the rubble. He is literally suffocating to death on the poison that is filling the room, and obviously panicking - he thinks he is going to die in that room and I don't blame him. In his eyes (and any Lolthsworn drow), the people that are supposed to be rescuing him are just about the worst case scenario - they are inferior, disloyal, stupid, and unlikely to succeed. Like Minthara, I am sure he would MUCH rather have drow coming to rescue him than mercenary duergar and slave deep gnomes. On that note, he even is quick to tell you, another True Soul, not to trust the duergar mercenaries.

I also want to take a moment to say that no matter what we think of his behavior, Nere has to be under an absolute unbearably high amounts of pressure at this point - he is failing in his mission, he is stuck in the rubble that is quickly filling with gas, with wildly unreliable help. Like this is peak desperation. He is lashing out in anger and fear in any way he can. I think our Tav showing up is probably the only thread of hope he has to cling on to. Even Gale recognizes how bad of a situation Nere is in.

When you push into Nere's mind at the rubble and see through his eyes while he is suffocating to death in the cave in, the narrator makes a point to say that he had killed a gnome with powerful magic. He probably went to Sorcere (school for magic) in Menzoberranzan (although it is possible he isn't from Menzo).

Most noble drow have a natural talent for magic (breeding throughout the centuries), but sometimes commoners have the talent for it too. Sorcere is almost exclusively men because women with any talent for magic go to Arach-Tinilith, the school for drow priestesses. Male drow can also go to the school for fighting, Melee-Magthere (Drizzt went here), and they do spend one year at the end of their training in Sorcere learning some magic.

The reason I don't think Nere is a noble is that he would have certainly let us know if he were, especially if you are playing as a drow (I play as a drow female). This could just be an oversight in the writing, but I don't think so. When you fight the spectator over where the petrified drow are, if you manage not to get Dhourn the wizard killed and talk to him (disguise yourself as a female drow if you don't play as one and you can bully him into giving you his research and not have to kill him), he immediately lets you know he is the third boy of house Ba'Tol. In everything else I have experienced, drow are quick to name drop their house. It is extremely important in Lolthsworn society.

Nere is probably a commoner with enough magic talent to go to the school. All drow have a little magic to some degree, but to really learn it you have to go to Sorcere. There are few things you can do as a male in Memzoberranzan that give you any sort of status besides "useless male", and wizard/sorcerer is one. I suppose it is possible he is of noble birth, but I really think he would have let us know.

In Sorcere he would have spent most of his time around other males, as Sorcere is a 30 year long school (unlike Melee-Magthere which is 10), and exclusively male, which could explain why a female hadn't absolutely killed the shit out of him yet. The occasional priestesses from Arach-Tinilith would be around, but I think he could manage to be fine.

Nere certainly has an attitude to match with having gone to Sorcere. Some of his reactions, like blaming others for failures, are actually VERY cultural and expected among Lolthsworn drow. It just tracks. It would be strange if he didn't. He would have, however, faced constant criticism, bullying, sabotage, and crappy backstabbing politics within his time there, so it makes sense that he would have some emotional baggage regarding failure. Pretty much all male drow do to some extent. Even if he didn't have to deal too much with daily subjugation by female drow, he would still have faced a lot of scrutiny from other males in Sorcere. Failure of any kind is extremely dangerous in Lolthsworn society, especially for men.

I don't think his failure necessarily comes from him being bad at things. He has really good stats, so he isn't weak at all. He is also physically very strong. He is taller than both Gale and Astarion. The top of my female drow's head comes up to his chin (as opposed to Astarion and Gale where the top of her head is about dead center on theirs). He is also clearly intended to be intimidating. He has the Muscular feature as well as High Spellcasting - so he is big, strong, and good with magic. Wisdom is his lowest stat, and that could be the source of his problems in life. Strangely, he has really high charisma... but I will get to that shortly.

Anyway, back to the Grymforge. Before you bust him out of the rubble, talk to Thrinn, then go talk to the two drow who want to betray Nere, go back and talk to Thrinn and let her know they are planning to betray him. She doesn't seem particularly concerned with Nere's ability to handle them.

I think it is reasonable to assume that Nere is not a total fuckup. I think he has a lot of talent and strengths, but is either unlucky or unwise, or some combination of both. He has enough intelligence and strength to be powerful, and enough charisma to persuade people, but not enough wisdom and insight to know when to shut up or walk away... or when he is in over his head.

I do think he is unwise... there are some indications that he constantly underestimates what he is up against. This could be from lack of experience or this is just a character flaw.

Baby boy, what about any of this is simple? Please. You should have known better.

He is trying so hard here to convince himself that things are going to work out, but you can here it in his voice that he is trying to believe it. He must think that we are surely powerful enough to speak to Ketheric and convince him that Nere is still worthy. He is lacking the appropriate wisdom and insight to really accept what has happened.

We know from talking to Minthara that the influence of the Absolute is extremely overpowering and overrides any of your own common sense. It turns you into a fanatic and forces you to do things you would never ever do if you had control of yourself. This would also be true of Nere. He has this wild fanaticism and desperation to please Ketheric and the Absolute, but he drops it IMMEDIATELY when you fill him in on what is really going on. Once he is free of the brain's power and sees the bigger puncture, there is a very strong shift in his attitude.

He becomes very reasonable and quickly puts two and two together. This is probably the first time ever in his life where he is free of cult influence - if you convince him to run from the Absolute (and also I assume Lolth, because dear god he CAN NOT go back there without being tortured to death for information and then killed or worse, turned into a drider for his sins against Lolth)... and it does seem like he has a lot to process.

He is actually very calm and grateful for what you have done for him. It is such a shame you can't drag him around with you.

I am also not sure if it is an oversight in writing, or if Nere loses control of his mind again once we leave the area, or if he is just so pissed off at Balthazar and Ketheric and the whole ordeal that he goes after Balthazar to try and mess everything up for the Absolute by sabotaging the Nightsong plot.... but it is just such a shame that he dies anyway. I would like to think it is just a gap in writing because the game is SO HUGE.

If he is wiling to potentially die for a cause, what better cause than getting revenge on the people who did this to him? What better hook to get him to join our party and quest to destroy the Absolute and rid ourselves of the parasite? I think this is a huge missed opportunity.

LET ME DO IT, LARIAN. AGHHHH. LET ME SAVE HIM.

As far as how he became an exile/rogue, because I really do think he was.... (previous post on this)... I think there are a few possibilities, and we have absolute no indication as to what they could have been.

So this is pure speculation with nothing to back it up on my part. Here are a list of reasons he could have resulted in him being separated from Lolthite society.

Was out on some kind of mission and failed, couldn't go back without risk of severe punishment or death.

Separated from expedition to the surface (for slaves, or supplies, or whatever) either through no fault of his own or because he was unwise.

Attempted to kill someone and failed, fled. Probably while they were away from the city.

There was an attempt on his life that failed and he fled. Probably also while they were away from the city.

Was scouting or part of an expedition for a noble house that was annihilated while they were away. Nothing to return to without risking being killed.

I don't think he was some matriarch's special pet, because there is a certain level of obedience a reverence for female drow he would need to have to not be killed. His attitude is way off to have been some matron or priestess's favorite. Sure he is hot, but most drow are hot, so the standards for "too hot to be killed" are way too high for that to have been it. There are plenty of dead hot drow men.

I think it is likely that he made some mistakes that led to him not being able to go back for fear of death. I also think that when he mentions going to the Order of Soul Spiders, that is just him being unwise and not thinking the whole thing thorough. Like baby boy, you are going to be destroyed once the hear what you have to say. Sure, they will want to know it, but you are NOT going to escape punishment for abandoning Lolth. That isn't a possibility. Think it through.

Ok wow this post got too long and way out of hand. Nere is my current hyperfixation, and I hope that at least two of you share this hyperfixation with me and found this worth reading.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

#nere #bg3 #true soul nere

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treesandwords · 11 months

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For anyone who's into LOTR I am rereading (again) and took notes on the weirdest/most interesting bits this time:

There are/were other magic rings beside the main ones, which is part of what makes it so hard for other characters to believe that Bilbo's ring is actually The ring

At one point Tolkien jumps into the POV of a random fox walking by our protagonists' camp and then never brings it up again, no big deal

The ever-controversial Tom Bombadil has several other names we just never talk about? And the elves (at least in Rivendell) know about him and have known about him for many years now

They also consider giving him the ring but ultimately decide it would be a bad idea because "he'd probably just lose it"

A lot of what happens to Frodo after he's been stabbed by the Nazgul is less symptomatic of dark magic and more of just...having a severe shoulder injury?? Like "oh no my hand is numb and I'm weak and can't move it, must be the evils of Mordor" bro you probably just have nerve damage and blood loss

Bilbo straight up writes and sings a song about Elrond's dad in front of him and a bunch of other elves in Rivendell like. The audacity.

There's a river called "Wetwang" (yes it's called Nindalf in Elvish, but that's not important here)

Aragorn never tells anyone else that Boromir admitted to trying to take the ring, it's implied he even keeps it secret from Gandalf once he reappears

The "Two Towers" actually refers to Orthanc and Minas Morgal, not Orthanc and Barad-Dur as the films suggest

Eomer has met and possibly was friendly with Boromir

Also Aragorn, who doesn't look that old, straight up tells Eomer he'd met both his father and Theoden when they were younger and he just...has zero reaction?? Like if a guy who looked not much older than me wisely said "ah yes, I met your father and uncle long ago" in a way that implied they'd worked together as somewhat equals I'd be. A little uncertain to say the least.

Oh and he also hung out with Denethor back in the day

Eomer and Gimli have a running disagreement on whether or not Galadriel is real, and if so, how hot she is

This is common ish knowledge but there are elements of actual Old English embedded into Rohan's worldbuilding (esp. the names/ "Rohrric" language) and the whole location is genuinely just Tolkien's fantasy version of Anglo-Saxon Britain. He is very not subtle about it.

Saruman was FULLY RUNNING DRUGS BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE SHIRE AND ISENGARD

And this actually ends up contributing to a main plot in the third book

Instead of the Palantir falling out of Saruman's pocket when he dies like in the movie, Gandalf shoots a spell at Saruman and makes him run back inside Orthanc and Wormtongue chucks the Palantir down at him from the window in retaliation

I know the potato scene is *iconic* but let's be real the fact that Sam risks a fire and takes the time to make a full rabbit stew plus seasoning while they're on a dangerous secret mission to sneak into the Darkest Of Dark Lords' fortress is kind of hilarious

Minas Morgul is some serious eldritch horror cryptid shit

Denethor is honestly such drama queen. Like I know he's supposed to be a threatening and tragic character but holy shit.

Also the entire houses of healing segment is unintentionally comedic

Like between the old lady who runs the house giving absolutely zero fucks, and the herb master and Aragorn having a mini nerd off about what Athelas/Kingsfoil is called in different languages, and also Aragorn and Pippin roasting Merry - who has JUST woken up from an Evil Coma by the way - about not being able to find his weed

"This weed is better than I thought" -- actual quote by Ioreth re: kingsfoil

This is something I noticed that a lot of people don't mention - the "Evenstar" that Arwen gives Aragorn in the movies that's tied to her lifeforce/immortality isn't really a thing in the books. The closest to it is this green brooch that she gives him via Galadriel in FOTR - but the only necklace she gives to anyone is actually to Frodo, as a token that basically means if he ever wants to go to the Grey Havens (as he ultimately does) he'd essentially be taking her place because she isn't going

Ok the scouring of the Shire is pretty common knowledge but are we going to talk about Lotho Sackville-Baggins became Saruman's dealer and helped smuggle drugs pipeweed into Isengard (see I told you it would come back)

Also!! Lotho was possibly EATEN by Grima Wormtongue, or at the very least Saruman believes he was, yes this is an actual canon thing

Legit quote from ROTK: "Worm killed your Chief, poor little fellow, your nice little Boss. Didn't you, Worm? Stabbed him in his sleep, I believe. Buried him, I hope; though Worm has been very hungry lately[]"

Seriously what the fuck

Saruman is killed by Wormtongue (who is then shot by a bunch of Hobbit archers) and promptly....disintegrates?

Anyway if you're a casual fan who's only seen the movies, or if you haven't read the books in a while, I'd highly recommend.

#lotr #lord of the rings #books #writing #reading

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trahald-the-burrower · 4 months

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Happy 20th Anniversary to Jackson's Return of the King!

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Peter Jackson's Return of the King, I drew my favorite scene in the movie!

Déagol: I caught a fish, Sméag! Sméagol! Sméagol: Pull it in! Go on, go on, go on! Pull it in!

I saw this movie in the theaters when it was released, and I was very excited to see young Sméagol!!! And shocked! I was also very incredibly disappointed because I hadn't read ROTK yet at that point and didn't know Sméagollum died. Very depressing! BUT, I'm glad at least that he didn't die miserably in the films, he finally reclaimed his precious and had a nice big smile, and didn't seem to be in a great deal of pain, he was so focused on the ring. And at least he was alive for most of the film, and very fun to watch ~

This is the order of my favorite scenes in ROTK:

1.) The Finding of the Ring (I really love that we got to see young Sméagol, see what he was like before the Ring, see Déagol and his relationship with him, see the transformation Sméagol went through! Amazing!)

2.) Gollum's Villainy (I just really love when Gollum and Sméagol talk to each other, they're very funny and it's wonderful to see them scheming.)

3.) The Stairs of Cirith Ungol (I LOVE how Sméagollum convinces Frodo that Sam wants the Ring, how close he gets, whispering in his ear, it's delicious~)

4.) Mount Doom (I love when Sméagollum attacks Frodo, it pleases me in many ways, the way he CHOKES him, mocks him! "Sméagol lied"!!! it gives me the shiveries ~ )

5.) Sam's Warning (Sméagollum knowing Sam knows he's up to something, and knowing Sam can't do anything about it, he just SMILES, and leans against the rocks looking so devious and pleased with himself, I love him so much)

6.) The Parting of Sam and Frodo (Sméagollum pretending to be asleep, so cleverly framing Sam, convincing Frodo that he TAKES things! Frodo choosing Sméagollum over Sam, YES!!!)

7.) Shelob's Lair (Sméagollum's clever plan, I love when he mockingly sings to him as he's stuck in the web, and I also love how Frodo wants to choke Sméagollum but stops himself. Sméagol's face when Frodo tells him he has to destroy it, Frodo saying "I have to destroy it for both our sakes", he cares about Sméagol even yet, beautiful!!)

8.) Crack of Doom (Sméagollum attacking Frodo, biting his finger off, reclaming the precious at last! Dancing and overjoyed! He and Frodo becoming one, fighting over the Ring, neither able to let it go!)

9.) Journey to the Cross-Roads (Wake up SLEEPIES!)

10.) Cross-Roads of the Fallen King ("We're not IN decent places..." "Come on HOBBITS!")

11.) Minas Morgal ("Full of... enemies...")

#gollum #sméagol #smeagol #the lord of the rings #lord of the rings #smeagolsfriend #andy serkis #peter jackson #lotr #the hobbit #rotk #return of the king #anniversary #return of the king 20th anniversary #20th anniversary #trahald #trahald the burrower #myart

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dailyadventureprompts · 2 years

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Player Home: Valeview Keep

Sometimes moving up in the world feels almost intangible. Other times it’s quite literal, involving hauling all your worldly possessions up a cliff and a dizzying number of stares to make yourself at home in your new tower. Oh your knees will hate you, for sure, but the new scenery is more than worth it.

Setup: After impressing the local nobility, the party are rewarded with a keep and the knighthood that goes with it, signaling their progression from common sellswords to champions of the realm. As castles go, Valeview keep is a stout and sturdy construction, built to survey a winding river and the prosperous trade settlement that sits upon it. Garrisoning a small force of fast-response cavalry, the keep was meant to act as a sort of feudal fire-station, sighting dangers throughout the valley and dispatching those who might be able to help as fast as possible. Living side by side with these soldiers at arms is likely to color the party’s time at Valeview with a sense of duty and camaraderie, as these brave souls deal with the wandering monsters and petty squabbles while letting the party concentrate on the big picture.

Hooks:

Knighthood will bring an unexpected number of benefits to the party’s lives, ranging from the yearly income of surrounding lands to invitations to every mid-range feast and tourney in the duchy. This will give the party a chance to hobnob with nobles, warriors, and socialites alike, and will introduce them to a whole new tier of adventure hook they’d never have access to as simple freelancers.

There may be an adjustment period as the party adapts to lives of peerage while the Valeview outriders get used to having to actually answer to someone. Pranks may be played, Crude caricature graffitid in out of the way corners of the keep, maybe even a cutting nickname or two. The means to overcoming this tension is for the party to demonstrate to the garrison that they’re not just some lordly brownnosers who’ve been handed their position and join the outriders on one of their hunts. A few outings helping to Keep local monster populations in check and tracking outlaws through the mud will convince the hardriding warriors that their new keepmates are on the up and up, especially when an unusually strong beast wanders in from the deep wilds and throws what might’ve been a routine patrol into chaos.

War is brewing on the continent, and while the dukes, ambassadors, and spies busy themselves with the grand chessgame of tactics and diplomacy, the party are faced with the challenge of defending their valley from enemy incursion. Before hostilities officially break out, foreign scouts sweep through the valley looking for weaknesses and tactical advantages, while their commander has devised a clever plan to keep the party and their outriders occupied: securing the loyalty of a plunder hungry giant by the name of Thognar and letting him maraud through the region like a living war engine. The party will hear whispers of conflict and spies mere days before the giant bursts onto the scene, ripping merchant barges from the river and burning cottages to keep warm at night, but it may take a direct conflict with the brute to realize that he has received both armor and orders from foreign hands.

Thognar is too tough to take down in a single skirmish, so the party’s primary means of dispatching the giant might be angering him enough to pursue them back to Valveview keep and wearing him down from behind their fortifications. This will involve a breakneck chase across the valley, then drawing the giant inside the sturdy stone fortifications where their courtyard can act as a killbox.

Ameanities & Upgrades

Captain Winnry Morgale acts as the party’s Castellan, commanding the garrison while the heroes are away and ensuring Valeview remains in fighting shape. An older soldier and local to the valley, Morgale is loyal and fastidious in her duties but is having trouble adjusting to life out of the saddle after suffering an injury while fending off a grey render some years ago. Morgale had been one of Valveview’s most longserving riders and had to be forcefully promoted to majordomo to allow her to recover, an elevation that mirrors the party’s own unexpected rise in station. Perhaps commiserating about their shared feeling of undeserved ascension over a cool mug of ale will help the party break through the captain’s stern and subordinate outer shell and win the heart of the garrison to their side.

Key to Valeview’s functioning as an early response system is a series of watchtowers and beacons throughout the valley, which can be sighted from the keep’s tall tower without needing to wait for a messenger to make the miles long trek from the far peaks. Over the years of wear this system has begun to wear down, from beacon towers being neglected as funds have tightened, to a general shortage of manpower . Should the party devote some of their feudal funds towards refurbishing the beacon system ( as well as clearing out the few beast dens that’ve popped up in the meantime), they’ll eventually be approached by a goblin engineer by the name of Ruphyllis Glinnt who’s had an idea on improving the beacon system by replacing the cumbersome bonfires with a system of lenses and mirrors. Ruphyllis does indeed know what he’s doing, but he’s been co-opted by a gang con-artists that’re using the debts he worked up on other projects to exploit his cleverness.

Now that they’re in possession of a knightly domicile, the party will need a staff, cooks and cleaners, grooms and valets, the dozens of hardworking individuals that make any castle run. Thankfully they’ll have help organizing this hydra of domestic chaos in the form of their new steward: Idius Spry, a fanciful gnomish gentleman who’s been a fixture in their liege’s household for generations. While helpful in the extreme and quick with a joke, Spry is infact reporting the goings on of Valeview back to the party’s liege, ensuring that these mercurial adventurers stick to their new sworn duties as feudal vassals.

#mid level #player home #home base #homesteading #fortress #highlands #nobility #monster hunt #warfare #fighter #ranger #dnd #dungeons and dragons #adventure #5e homebrew #homebrew adventure #giant

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tjesje · 6 months

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me: good foods is meats and cakes and candies and vegetables and fries and the other essentials. bad foods are foods that are rotted, or perhaps that have poisons in them

my henchman morgal who just finished putting a bunch of poison in my cheese sandwich: who told you that

#old man yells at cloud

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nox-lunarwing · 1 year

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The main vampire clans In Nox's universe

Though there are many smaller clans in Nox’s universe there are a few Main one who are the largest and most influential clans who have the most sway in the vampire court. this is a brief summary of them and some info about them. Bloodfang Clan Current Clan leader: Vratziem Bloodfang Feeding method: drinks blood Magic affinities: Hemomancy, charms, mind control, Umbramancy. Abilities and traits: They have supernatural beauty, speed, and agility - can withstand sunlight though it stings to be in it. Blackwing clan Current Clan leader: Vanita Blackwing Feeding method: drinking blood and eating flesh Magic affinities: Necromancy, Umbramancy, Black ice magic Abilities and traits: weak to sunlight, undead, and are weak to symbols of faith (provided the wielder has faith in that symbol). Voidheart clan Current Clan leader: Unknown - uses aliases Feeding method: feeds off of hatred and malice Magic affinities: Charming, Frenzy magic Abilities and traits: have supernatural charisma - can be in sunlight just fine and often takes political roles and leadership positions. Nightclaw clan Current Clan leader: Unknown - uses aliases and proxies Feeding method: feeds on life force through touch Magic affinities: -Illusion, Charms, various forms of concealment magics, and subtle indirect jinxes Abilities and traits: have supernatural strength, speed, and agility - sunlight has no effect on them - prefers to fight through trickery and schemes wanting to never be tied to any deaths or crimes for it is all part of the "show" - are usually actors, artists, musicians, and often work as escorts and other such jobs where they can maximize loveless physical contact. - Is harmed by love as it burns them so they often avoid direct contact with ponies and because of this they have very few ponies in their numbers. Scarlethide clan Current Clan leader: Morgal Scarlethide feeding method: eats flesh magic affinities: Sonomancy, Necromancy, Flesh weaving abilities and traits: takes the faces of their victims adding them to their clan collective and can morph their flesh disguise into anycreature whom they have a face of in their collective - can gain victim's memories by consuming their flesh - underneath their flesh disguise they are hideous with pitch black saggy skin and milky white eyes I will post more general info in a later post.

#nox lore #grimdark #vampires #bloodfang clan #Blackwing clan #Voidheart clan #Nightclaw clan #Scarlethide clan #vampire clans #mlp #mlp au #mlp au lore

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