Ye gods! *puke*

[Ajnos]

But I will take it out of the .d just to avoid reports of psychic siblings from people who read ahead.

 

My fault! I read it awhile ago and it has merged into what I remembered about the game. Sorry-sorry!

 

(In light of this latest post, I am really looking forward to the SoA/ToB portion. Mostly, as with a future with Sir Ajantis, I can see the potential for so many unhappy endings. But then, I very secretly liked Xan sans ToB as well, so that's probably just me.)

[berelinde]

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure how all the possiblities in SoA/ToB are going to go. I've got some ideas, and a tentative outline, but I find that when I sit down to actually write it out, things take on a life of their own and head off in unexpected directions.

 

Sweetness without any bitterness is cloying, and endless tranquility might as well be the peacefulness of death. It would be unrealistic to expect it all to be wine and roses.

 

The only guarantee is that no matter what I do, I will not be able to please everyone. I'm all right with that, because it means that I am in good company.

[Kulyok]

Oh, I don't question for a moment that it is there! After the reminder, I remembered that it was there, and where it was. My point is that the only people who will ever see this are those that read the .d, not those who played the mod.

 

Whoops! Er, sorry? Really, I did enjoy the writing as I was reading .d files(especially since they weren't actually traified), so the idea that some of these little gems, such as "your father was bald" will never make it into the release never occurred to me.

(EDIT: I've actually written "your father was bOld". Um, another pun?)

 

 

But then, I very secretly liked Xan sans ToB as well, so that's probably just me.

 

Make it two of us.

[berelinde]

Hmmm. It might be a pity to lose that joke at poor, deaf Darlos's expense.

 

We'll have to see how it goes. Maybe the PC might *want* to talk about how Gavin's family would react to having a Bhaalspawn in the family. If so, there will be no mention of domineering sisters.

 

Somebody wanted a "returns to Ulgoth's Beard" option. Sounds like a good place for it.

[Minarvia]

I just read all this, and, concerning Reed, she didn't bother me at all. In my experience some siblings are quite close and it doesn't/didn't occur to me that anyone else would read so much more into it than is really there. I like Reed and have no problem with her whatsoever.

I am intrigued by the possibilities in SOA, especially if a pc begins with the romance path there. I take it there will be a romance? I believe you said, "some form of" so I don't really know what that means. If it turns into a whine-fest ala Xan I think I may pass! (Tho after TOB was added I like Kulyok's Xan much much better).

Anyway, I realize that Gavin isn't perfect, but any man who will only stay with the woman he professes to love because he made a committment troubles me. Does that mean that his heart isn't really in it but he pretends that it is? (I'm referring to Gavin in BG1, here). Or that his heart is in it but he thinks his god would disapprove but since he made the promise it is okay to stay with her?

Still, all questions aside, I love Gavin a lot and am really enjoying him. It will be interesting to see how your ideas take shape for the rest of the story. I know what you mean by characters and your ideas going off into their own directions. That has happened to me many a time in my own writing.

Oh, a side question that I do not want to open a thread for - I can play for ages and NEVER get a banter between Khalid and Gavin. Is that the case? I once got one with him and Jaheira, but that was all. My current game Jaheira has long since been dead and just silence from Khalid, so I was wondering if the banter will come or not.

[Eleima]

I just read all this, and, concerning Reed, she didn't bother me at all. In my experience some siblings are quite close and it doesn't/didn't occur to me that anyone else would read so much more into it than is really there. I like Reed and have no problem with her whatsoever.

 

I just read the last couple of posts, and I am totally flabbergasted. Reed's intervention was totally seamless, she just fitted right in (and I loved that "what kind of mage would I be if I couldn't scry my own brother!" comment). And I didn't feel she was intrusive at all! In fact, I rather liked the Reed character, she seemed like someone the PC could become friends with (especially my lil' half-elven sorceress, they could've have talked about the Weave for hours, and then wrapped the whole thing up with embarassing storied about Gavin's childhood! ). I never felt that she was a "burr under the PC's saddle", so to speak (figuratively speaking of course, since we all know that the party travels by foot see the horse flirt topic in the Aklon forum! ). It's kinda funny that from the same lines, the same situations, the same items, we would get different impressions.

 

@Minarvia:

(small) SPOILER BELOW (but I guess that's what you asking for?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's odd, there are two banters with Khalid that I know of, one of those requiring Jaheira to be alive though. The other one speaks of wet streets and stone walls. I don't know why it wouldn't set off though.

[berelinde]

Oh, Gavin loves the PC all right, or he wouldn't have proposed in the first place. But there is more at stake here than his own heart, or even hers.

 

By "some form of romance", I mean that good characters can start BG2 married, engaged, dating, broken up after having been engaged, broken up after having just dated, having been no more than friends to each other, or complete strangers. Neutral and evil PCs can still have some Gavin romance, but he won't commit to any PC unless she has become good. And there is a nasty surprise in store for a woman who lets her hair down as only a Bhaalspawn can before Gavin has committed himself to her.

 

The slayer transformation is just as much of a shocker as finding Gorion's letter, which upset Gavin on several different levels. Gavin is the cleric of a good god. He also has a young daughter to care for. Both of those things would lead Gavin to end a relationship with a PC he did not love enough to marry. He needs the strength of his commitment to carry him through this just as surely as he needs to love the PC. Without one or the other, he couldn't stay with her through it.

 

He's going to have a few different issues to face in BG2, and one of them will require a lot of understanding on the part of the PC. She'll have to intervene on his behalf, but it won't take the form of therapy.

 

Big spoilers ahead, so stop reading if you don't want to be seriously and irrevocably spoiled.

 

The PC will meet Gavin's ex and his daughter. This will take some understanding on the PC's part, but he won't expect the PC to solve his problems for him, nor will he moan about the situation in which he finds himself. He knows how he got there. If you need a bigger spoiler than that, it would take a PM for me to divulge it.

 

Gavin will witness the PC's transformation. This will upset him. He'll probably act about the same way he did when she got her letter.

 

Something unpleasant happens to the committed partner of a Bhaalspawn. As a Dawnbringer of Lathander, Gavin is not going to be happy about being turned into a chaotic evil blood-sucking minion of the undead legion. He just isn't. Lathander is very firm about his views on undeath. To make matters worse, Gavin is also the follower of a god that believes in resurrection only under extremely rare circumstances, and only when there is unfinished work to do. I wouldn't worry *too* much about that one, though. I'm sure you can think of at least one thing (and probably two) that would bring him back.

 

Khalid has 2 banters. They aren't particularly memorable. I know they work, because I've seen them both in game. If it worries you, you could try spamming CTRL-I.

[Eleima]

By "some form of romance", I mean that good characters can start BG2 married, engaged, dating, broken up after having been engaged, broken up after having just dated, having been no more than friends to each other, or complete strangers. Neutral and evil PCs can still have some Gavin romance, but he won't commit to any PC unless she has become good. And there is a nasty surprise in store for a woman who lets her hair down as only a Bhaalspawn can before Gavin has committed himself to her.

 

Wow!!! That's quite a number of different paths to choose from! Which means, that it'll take quite a bit of work from you! Wow! I mean, that's even more choices than for the Xan romance at the start of BG2. Good luck to you, you're gonna need it! (And probably a lot of coffee too! )

 

The slayer transformation is just as much of a shocker as finding Gorion's letter, which upset Gavin on several different levels. Gavin is the cleric of a good god. He also has a young daughter to care for. Both of those things would lead Gavin to end a relationship with a PC he did not love enough to marry. He needs the strength of his commitment to carry him through this just as surely as he needs to love the PC. Without one or the other, he couldn't stay with her through it.

He's going to have a few different issues to face in BG2, and one of them will require a lot of understanding on the part of the PC. She'll have to intervene on his behalf, but it won't take the form of therapy.

The PC will meet Gavin's ex and his daughter. This will take some understanding on the PC's part, but he won't expect the PC to solve his problems for him, nor will he moan about the situation in which he finds himself. He knows how he got there. If you need a bigger spoiler than that, it would take a PM for me to divulge it.

Gavin will witness the PC's transformation. This will upset him. He'll probably act about the same way he did when she got her letter.

Something unpleasant happens to the committed partner of a Bhaalspawn. As a Dawnbringer of Lathander, Gavin is not going to be happy about being turned into a chaotic evil blood-sucking minion of the undead legion. He just isn't. Lathander is very firm about his views on undeath. To make matters worse, Gavin is also the follower of a god that believes in resurrection only under extremely rare circumstances, and only when there is unfinished work to do. I wouldn't worry *too* much about that one, though. I'm sure you can think of at least one thing (and probably two) that would bring him back.

All of this seems totally in character, and it's amazing to see that you've so well-defined Gavin, I mean the whole thing seems utterly consistent (something that I know I would not be able to do! If ever created a NPC, the poor thing would be shapeshifting everytime I tried to touch it! ). Anyway, what I'm piteously trying to express with my lacking vocabulary, is that I'm impressed.

Not to mention, looking forward to Gavin BG2...

[Minarvia]

quote]

All of this seems totally in character, and it's amazing to see that you've so well-defined Gavin, I mean the whole thing seems utterly consistent (something that I know I would not be able to do! If ever created a NPC, the poor thing would be shapeshifting everytime I tried to touch it! ). Anyway, what I'm piteously trying to express with my lacking vocabulary, is that I'm impressed.

Not to mention, looking forward to Gavin BG2...

 

You've stated this very well, and I totally agree!

 

Hmmm...about Khalid's banters, it's not a big deal, I just found it odd that he is the only one Gavin hasn't spoken to at least once.

 

For BG2, I realize the encounter will have to take place with his ex and Lanie. After all, they are right smack in the middle of the Temple District. (I would assume this is not considered a spoiler as Bioware has them speak with a cleric of Talos?)

I suppose it would be too much to hope for the party to be invisible and sneak by them?

 

Gah, the vampire thing! Just when I hoped for a little less angst...but it is indeed something to seriously consider for a cleric of Lathander. I suppose it would be impossible for Bodhi to be unable to turn him or something like that?

 

Anyway, I guess you get the idea that we all cannot wait for SOA. Tho I really think for at least one game with Gavin that beginning the game married will be a really cool experience. No Anomen flirting or Tsujatha jealousy, etc. The pc and Gavin shopping for little souvinirs for Lanie...

[berelinde]

Well, that would depend on what you consider "Anomen flirting..."

 

Funny, I really and truly was just thinking about that.

 

This is going to be a little more complicated than that, and it depends entirely on how seriously the PC takes her vows to Gavin and whether these vows were ever witnessed by a priest who isn't Gavin. If she considers herself Gavin's wife, and especially if they repeat those vows at the temple in Athkatla in the presence of Dawnmaster Arval, Anomen will stay well away from the PC and will keep both hands where Gavin can see them.

 

If the PC never really took the vows very seriously, sleeps in a separate room from Gavin when they stay at inns, and has not gotten around to repeating those vows yet, Anomen might be inclined to see the loophole, and the law would likely be on his side.

[DalreiDal]

Er, I thought I hated spoilers??? *mind attempts to draw irrational emotions away from the forbidden thread* *mind fails* Well, OK, I just read pretty much all this (though I skipped the part where berelinde outlines her vision of BG2 Gavin), and I have my grain of salt to add : CAN'T WAIT!!! By Lathander, can't you write faster? Please? Pretty please?

 

Anomen might be inclined to see the loophole, and the law would likely be on his side.

 

No! Gavin being let down again!? Poor, poor Gavin...

[Minarvia]

How the heck can you sleep in different rooms at an inn? Here I thought I knew how to actually *play* the game I've been into for years. I thought you just rented, rested, and that, as they say, is that.

Unless there is a dialog choice?

Hmmm...sorry, that bit got me wondering...

 

And, Dalrei Dal, I, for one, wouldn't let Gavin down! He's been there for me, I'll be there for him!

Letting Gavin down would definately fall under the title of this thread!

[Guest Guest]

CURSE YOU ALL!!!

 

*wonder if I'll ever see a copy of BG1*

 

Couldn't you guys, you know, pretend like Gavin is terribly boring?

 

Sorry. I've been lurking for awhile (bored : ), and I finally just had to say *something*.

 

 

Hmm... you can sleep in different rooms in an inn? I bet Jan snores in BG2...

[CaraKaze]

Gah. That was me. And I finally registered too.

[berelinde]

How the heck can you sleep in different rooms at an inn?

Well, that's applying a bit of a euphemism, there. By that, I mean that Gavin and the PC might not be intimate.

 

The PC can agree to marry Gavin and refuse to sleep with him. She can marry in an impromptu private service and *still* refuse to sleep with him. When BG2 begins, there is going to be a series of conversations that determine what the intimacy level of their romance is.

 

If the PC says they were married, Gavin will consider the PC to be his wife. If she decides that the vows were not binding after the fact, she won't be able to convince Gavin of this, but it won't matter much, in the end. Just like that guy in the cleric stronghold duties (Glidden?), Gavin is bound by his faith to release her to follow her heart.