Aklon Anomen Banter

[Proserpina]

So, all in all, the little elfling is easy to avoid and easy to ignore. But right now I'm imagining how Aklon and Jahiera would get along and I am highly amused.

 

Oh, certainly, it's possible to avoid Aerie entirely...but then we wouldn't have the supreme satisfaction of seeing her burst into hysterical tears when Aklon rejects her in favour of our charming Bhaalspawn (or turning the party against the avariel if he doesn't. Hell Hath No Fury and all that).

 

I could be wrong about this but given their neutral outlooks towards the world, I can't imagine Auntie Jaheira and Aklon would get along *too* badly. I would think she would be glad to have a more mature member in the party for a change. Of course, she does tend to be very protective of Charname, so if the monk starts showing romantic interest in her young charge it's not unlikely he'll have to undergo a degree of interrogation in order to see if he'd be a suitable mate.

 

Ah, the potential for much comedy gold!

[BigRob]

There will be some... interesting moments between Jaheira and Aklon, to be sure.

 

 

 

 

But now, as requested, a little springtime sneak peek. Not a lovetalk, or you'll have seen all those before he's released, but the most recently completed Aklon/Anomen banter. As always, comments and criticism are welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

Anomen: What is it that makes a man live as you do?

 

Aklon: Pardon? Live as I do?

 

Anomen: I’ve heard you speak of it. You spend your life wandering around, you do nothing, you serve no one, no worthwhile creed. All your pursuits are in some strange quest for knowledge. What reason is there for it?

 

Aklon: You speak of purpose? I once had a purpose chosen for me and it was a fine thing, in its way. The one who provided that purpose is gone now, so I had to find a way for myself.

 

Anomen: So you chose the life you did. Skulking about, never having a home, selling your skills to others, a vagabond’s life. But you still have not answered my question. It was your choice, so why that one? Why be a vagabond?

 

Aklon: Curiosity, mostly. I had read about distant lands during my schooling and had a desire to see them for myself. Once I had reached them, there was always more to see and to know.

 

Anomen: Lack of imagination, then. Hmph. Poor breeding will tell, I suppose.

 

Aklon: Perhaps. But there are many measures of a man. I suspect my final worth will not be judged by you.

[Eleima]

But now, as requested, a little springtime sneak peek. Not a lovetalk, or you'll have seen all those before he's released, but the most recently completed Aklon/Anomen banter. As always, comments and criticism are welcome.

 

Gosh, I love this banter!! Aklon just seems so calm and secure, especially in contrast with Anomen (whom I picture in this banter as not having passed his test yet, for some reason). Aklon's final answer ("I suspect my final worth will not be judged by you.") is priceless: he seems so cool, so composed. It is as if nothing anyone could say would shake Aklon. The other impression I get from this dialog is that Aklon is a man of few words, but he makes each and every one of them count.

Anomen also seems completely in character, although, like I've said previously, I'd say this is the Anomen who hasn't passed his test yet, and still has his mind full of preconceptions (which I always imagined he'd shed as time went by, despite the Bioware banters. I mean, travelling with a Bhaalspawn has to make you rethink everything you took for granted, no?

 

Aklon: You speak of purpose? I once had a purpose chosen for me and it was a fine thing, in its way. The one who provided that purpose is gone now, so I had to find a way for myself.

I love this response. It shrouds Aklon in more mystery, and begets more questions. Who is this person who provided a purpose? What was said purpose? Leaves the PC wanting to speak with Aklon and learn more.

 

Bottom line... I'm really looking forward to this NPC (but you already knew taht, right? ), and this sneak preview of an Anomen-Aklon banter just confirms what I've surmised previously: this mod is going to be awesome...

[berelinde]

Sounds like Anomen, but I'm kind of surprised that he'd take the stance he does, chiding Aklon for lack of a sense of purpose.

 

It isn't that he wouldn't do just that if he realized what Aklon was about, because he would. He is driven by the need to prove himself, and that purpose is a relentless taskmaster, and he would resent the way Aklon champions no cause, if he noticed it. Thing is, I don't think he would.

 

Anomen is unarguably self-absorbed. I happen to feel this is justified becuase of his own emotional turmoil over his long-standing anxiety with the Order, and over the friction with his father. Regardless, justified or not, Anomen remains self-absorbed. He notices what <CHARNAME> does because he is attracted to her. He probably noticed what color her socks were in the three seconds it took her to put her boots on, and still remembers it when she takes them off at night. But lesser companions? He is probably aware that there are other people in the party, and he will probably bicker with them just on general principles, but he isn't likely to go to the trouble to ascertain their motives and ambitions unless they volunteer that information.

 

Anomen has a go at Nalia (or vice versa), but it is unlikely that Nalia keeps her opinions to herself. He never asks Yoshimo, a bounty hunter by trade, why he continues to follow <CHARNAME>, even after he is freed from the dungeon and could leave if he wants. You'd think he'd want to know the motives of a bounty-hunter who travels with his beloved, wouldn't you?

 

All that it would take to put this banter in context would be for Aklon to vocalize his contentment with a vagabond lifestyle at any point prior to this banter taking place. He could say it to the PC or any other party member first. As long as Anomen had the opportunity to hear it before this banter takes place, he would remember it.

 

Anyway, none of this is particularly significant, and should be taken as severe nit-picking over the most trivial of details, only volunteered because BigRob actively asked for comments.

[SMichelle]

You make a good point berelinde. I like Anomen, but he does have a LOT of issues. (Because of his responses and actions, I always picture Anomen as quite a bit younger than Bioware's voicing and picture would suggest...maybe early/mid twenties instead of late thirties. But maybe that's just me...)

 

However, I think you could look at this banter as Anomen's way of showing his superiority over Aklon instead of actual interest in Aklon himself. (Because unlike that wastrel Aklon, HE has a purpose after all, to right all of the injustices of Faerun!...okay, that may be exagerating a bit)

 

But...for all his issues, I do still like Anomen. I think he just needs to grow up a little.

[berelinde]

Hmmm.

 

Another thing I hadn't considered when I made that really verbose post was that Anomen might notice a rival, and note any perceived faults in microscopic detail.

[Vestrael]

yes, it think it sounds like anomen, though perhaps on one of his touchier days. i don't know that he would care to take time to be so horrible to aklon though. like berelinde said, he might be too absorbed in either himself or the pc. good banter, though.

p.s. just for the record, i like anomen.

[berelinde]

So do I, and so does Eleima, methinks. But that doesn't mean Anomen has no faults

 

But yeah, great banter.

[Eleima]

So do I, and so does Eleima, methinks. But that doesn't mean Anomen has no faults

But yeah, great banter.

Indeedy I do... I might have an extremely soft spot for other romances, but Anomen retains that special place as "first NPC I ever romanced". I still remember fondly that pleased/surprised feeling in my gut when I got the crimson rhodelia LT... (I didn't even know the NPCs were romanceable!)

But still, I tend to get annoyed when we're in the Pocket Plane, nearing the end of the saga, and you'd think that he'd have matured a bit from that first fateful meeting in the Copper Coronet, especially under the good influence of his beloved Bhaalspawn. And yet... there's still a banter in which he'll have a go at Nalia, or Mazzy. *sigh*

But then again... nobody's perfect, right?...

 

Ack, this post is becoming exclusively Anomen-oriented... Sorry, BigRob!

[dragonjewel13]

I love how any series of posts about Anomen is started (or ended) with the words 'But I really like Anomen!'

I agree with Berelinde in the sense that Anomen is only going to notice things about his companions that are immediately obvious--he notices that Viconia's a drow, that Mazzy's a halfling, that Edwin's an evil wizard--and is going to completely ignore any part of them that goes deeper. However, I also agree with the eventual addendum that Anomen's going to very carefully watch any man that is his romantic rival, if only for the hope of finding a crack or a fault that he can pounce on. I like, in the banter, that Anomen more or less ignores any of Aklon's responses that don't fit in with the answer that he wants to get, and then when he finally gets that response he becomes pleased and ends the talk. Very Anomen. I always thought that this part of his personality has to do with an intense self-doubt--thinking that, by pointing out others' faults that he'll keep [CHARNAME] from noticing his.

[Stnemele Faerie]

Good job with the talk! Like the others have said, it does ring true with Anomen.

 

The only thing that I would suggest is having Aklon poking a little fun at Anomen when Ano gets on him about not having an imagination, because to me Ano's whole goal of being a Knight of the Radiant Heart is not very creative at all.

 

I think that they should have a slam poetry/compliment showdown in front of <Charname>. That would be highly amusing. I think that I know who would win... *cough* Aklon *cough*

 

And, like everyone else, I've gotta admit that I do like Anomen. To a point. It's mainly his goatee and eyebrow scar, though.

[BigRob]

Thanks for the comments everyone, I'm glad I seem to have captured Anomen reasonably well in this.

 

However, Berelinde, you do have a point about Anomen being self-absorbed enough not to notice things about Aklon without a good reason. One of Anomen's gripes with Aklon is that while he is obviously a skilled fighter (and Anomen does seem to have resepct for most warriors), Aklon has spent a lot of time as a hired guard and mercenary, so obviously Aklon is lacking in the honour department.

 

Of course, as pointed out, he's not likely to go to the trouble of asking a peasant-dressed brawler about his past, so I might make this banter only fire off if certain force-talk options have been hit, or if there's a romance going on. Aklon does give a short description of his life in his intro speech, but it is possible that it can be avoided (I'll have to see when I edit it).

 

 

 

And yes, Aklon's not much on hitting back at Anomen in this one, as this is a more general banter and he's trying not to forment any conflict in the party. If there is a romance going on though, you can expect a little more retaliation from the monk.

[Silver]

not that I'm poking around but what about a sweety-sweet preview because of Easter?

Just a peeek! puuty pweeez? XD

[Vestrael]

yeah! yeah! what she said!

[dragonjewel13]

BigRob does have a point though--if he keeps giving us previews, we're going to have seen everything that's in the mod!