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BG2 banter spoiler


berelinde

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I was inspired today, thinking about how Gavin is going to react to some of the BG2 NPCs. Which led me to thinking about Nalia, her obsession with charity, and the Lathandrite fascination with shiny things. This banter was the result. I haven't checked any of the spellings yet.

 

NALIA: ~I've been to the Lathandrite temple in Athkatla. It disgusts me.~

GAVIN: ~How can you say that? Temples devoted to Lathander are places of peace, joy, and beauty.~

NALIA: ~They are also the worst examples of excess.~

GAVIN: ~You mean the statues, don't you?~

NALIA: ~The statues, the tapestries, the vestements, the books in their jeweled bindings, the gold dripping off every surface. Even the temple dome is chased with gold.~

GAVIN: ~Lathander is the god of artistic endeavor. We would be dilinquent if we did not patronize the arts.~

NALIA: ~Buying paintings never helped the poor.~

GAVIN: ~The artist would disagree. But still, as Mornmaster Ormlyr used to say "None are turned away from a house of Lathander." We do not neglect the less fortunate.~

NALIA: ~Even then, they must come to you! You do not seek them out and help them unless they first crawl to your door.~

GAVIN: ~Nalia, you cannot help someone who is unwilling to help himself. Lathander blesses any act of self-improvement, but the first step is always one's own.~

NALIA: ~You rich clerics have a saying for every occasion, don't you?~

GAVIN: ~I don't know what you mean, Nalia D'Arnise. My father was a sailmaker. All are equal in Lathander's eyes, from a beggar in the street to a tradesman's son, to the daughter of a duke.~

NALIA: ~I would only use my family's wealth to help the poor, not to bedeck my home in riches.~

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I like it. I really like it. :D

 

I think this banter captures with a touching accuracy the state of mind Nalia is in.

I've always thought of her as a coddled daughter of a noble, who is endowed with a fine sentiment, but still, somehow, maintains a haughty manner (see her opening dialog in the Copper Coronet). Maybe that's why I don't like her. ;)

Still, one of the reasons I like this banter is that, although Nalia is visibly outraged by the display of wealth, Gavin puts her in her place in a firm, but kind manner.

 

Correct me if I go it wrong. ;)

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I figure they'll lock horns once, establish their boundaries, and then stick to more neutral topics. They are both on the same team.

 

Nalia has at least one confrontational talk with just about everyone. This is the one between her and Gavin. After this, thier relationship improves.

 

I don't know it this will stay a scripted banter. I think I may change Nalia's first line to be "I've been to the Lathandrite temple in Athkatla. It's disgusting." Then it can happen anywhere. But it is important that this be the first between them. After that, they can find their common ground.

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I figure they'll lock horns once, establish their boundaries, and then stick to more neutral topics. They are both on the same team.

Nalia has at least one confrontational talk with just about everyone. This is the one between her and Gavin. After this, thier relationship improves.

I don't know it this will stay a scripted banter. I think I may change Nalia's first line to be "I've been to the Lathandrite temple in Athkatla. It's disgusting." Then it can happen anywhere. But it is important that this be the first between them. After that, they can find their common ground.

 

Sounds good and makes total sense to me! (For what that's worth! Blush.gif)

I do have a question/remark. I agree with what you've said regarding changing Nalia's first line, but there's something about the "It's disgusting." phrase that bugs me, I can't quite put my finger on it. I have this little nagging feeling inside my head, this little voice that keeps saying that "It's repulsive" or "It disgusts me" would sound nicer. I'm no writer, but if I hadn't posted my opinion, that voice would've kept me up all night... Blush.gif

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Well, my question is if you do want to start them immediately with a quarel? It could be a bit more refreshing to actually start on a more friendly foot, then have a small fall-out over the temples... I'd also wouldn't mind if the banter was tied to the Sir Sales quest. It might make it come a bit less out of the blue, as it's more likely to tick Nalia off than really not quite conspicously rich Gavin.

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It might be refreshing for them not to start with a quarrel, but IMO, Nalia starts everyone off with a quarrel. Doing otherwise would not be true to her character. She has issues, and seems to take the stance that everyone is against her until proven otherwise. She's young, and very immature, so she might be forgiven for this.

 

She even does it to the PC in her own intro. "Won't *anyone* hear my plea?" with her voice dripping with accusation. No, that isn't desperation, it's whining. The girl just doesn't make a good first impression, and Gavin isn't going to change that.

 

Afterward, after you get to know her better, you start to see things to like. Gavin will, too. This isn't to say that they are going to become bestest friends. They are both too different and too similar for that. Gavin is as grown up as he is going to get. He's past the Nobody-Understands-Me angst and has left his adolescence firmly behind him. Nalia is still mired in hers. But they both throw themselves into the causes they support, and both will consider that more fanaticism than anything else. Don't forget that what people dislike most about each other are usually the traits they have in common.

 

Originally, I thought to script this to fire either in the temple of Lathander itself or maybe in the temple district. I might still script it to fire the first time a party that contains them both enters any temple that isn't Ilmater. She'll make the connection between the temple, Gavin, and the temple of Lathander, and that will set her off.

 

I'm not going to change my mind about setting them off on the wrong foot, so this would still be the first one between them. I don't want to have to answer too many reports about "Why don't Gavin and Nalia banter?"

 

If you're looking for a good female that Gavin will get along well with, there is always Aerie. Despite my own intense dislike for her, Gavin will be very friendly toward her, in a platonic and vaguely paternal way. I am not looking forward to writing those banters.

 

Edit: by the time BG2 rolls around Gavin will be adequately equiped. Like the PC or the rest of the NPCs, he is dressed like an adventurer, so there would be no obvious way of telling personal wealth. For all Nalia would know, Gavin might be wealthy. After all, Lathander is popular with the rich.

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She even does it to the PC in her own intro. "Won't *anyone* hear my plea?" with her voice dripping with accusation. No, that isn't desperation, it's whining. The girl just doesn't make a good first impression, and Gavin isn't going to change that.

 

See!!! **That's** why I dislike her so intensely! :D

 

If you're looking for a good female that Gavin will get along well with, there is always Aerie. Despite my own intense dislike for her, Gavin will be very friendly toward her, in a platonic and vaguely paternal way. I am not looking forward to writing those banters.

 

Ick. Aerie just gets my nerve. I tried to romance her, as I was curious to see what Bioware had in store for male PC (I mean, they have three options!! No fair! ;) ), and was sorely disappointed. Always whining, whining... So I found a second reason not to keep her in my party (the first being that she has the constitution of a Kleenex box, and every time she gets so much as a scratch, Minsc goes beserk, gets annoying after a while...).

Anyway, I digress. What I meant to say is that Gavin is far more patient than I will ever be, and that just makes him a better man, a good cleric of Lathander. ;)

 

Edit: by the time BG2 rolls around Gavin will be adequately equiped. Like the PC or the rest of the NPCs, he is dressed like an adventurer, so there would be no obvious way of telling personal wealth. For all Nalia would know, Gavin might be wealthy. After all, Lathander is popular with the rich.

Does that mean that when we meet him he'll still have some good equipment carried over from BG1? Like, at least a +1 war hammer?

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Ick. Aerie just gets my nerve.

Yeah, mine, too. I absolutely cannot stand her. But Gavin is not me. I suspect he's going to have to talk to her about how she's already overcome so much, surely she can overcome this one last thing, and I'm sure they'll talk about gaining confidence. But she is basically a good person, and so is Gavin. Aerie does like surrounding herself with strong men who are willing to protect her, and Gavin is a strong man always on the lookout for another opportunity to help someone, so he'll have every reason to like her.

 

Edit: by the time BG2 rolls around Gavin will be adequately equiped. Like the PC or the rest of the NPCs, he is dressed like an adventurer, so there would be no obvious way of telling personal wealth. For all Nalia would know, Gavin might be wealthy. After all, Lathander is popular with the rich.

Does that mean that when we meet him he'll still have some good equipment carried over from BG1? Like, at least a +1 war hammer?

Yep. Bassilus had a +2 hammer. One of his quests was to defeat Bassilus. He'll start the game with that hammer. He won't have any other fancy equipment, just some standard armor. If the PC asks him what happened to all the rest of his gear, he'll say he had to sell it for reasons that will be clear in BG2.

 

Edit: I'll probably have the Nalia/Gavin banter fire the first time the two of them are in a temple together. The party is in and out of temples all the time, and it should be in context. I'll have to do three of them: one for the temple district, one for the Temple of Lathander itself, and one for any other temple. If Nalia can't make the connection between Gavin and temples, she's hopeless.

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Edit: I'll probably have the Nalia/Gavin banter fire the first time the two of them are in a temple together. The party is in and out of temples all the time, and it should be in context. I'll have to do three of them: one for the temple district, one for the Temple of Lathander itself, and one for any other temple. If Nalia can't make the connection between Gavin and temples, she's hopeless.

 

That sounds perfect, and I am sure that the party will come to the Temple District sooner or later, because of all the quests ;)

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Edit: I'll probably have the Nalia/Gavin banter fire the first time the two of them are in a temple together. The party is in and out of temples all the time, and it should be in context. I'll have to do three of them: one for the temple district, one for the Temple of Lathander itself, and one for any other temple. If Nalia can't make the connection between Gavin and temples, she's hopeless.

 

That sounds perfect, and I am sure that the party will come to the Temple District sooner or later, because of all the quests ;)

 

 

I go there almost at once because I need to get what I need to acquire Edwin ASAP. Plus, since I use Ease's No Traps or Locks I get some easy loot! :D

 

Heh, a few of us here simply can't stand Aerie. I am in that camp, so I'll never see their banters, but the ones for Nalia I look forward to. Tho I don't always take Nalia because I don't like her, either. Lately I have Auren Aseph and that mod makes Nalia tolerable for me.

 

But Gavin for SOA is just so darned...appealing! ;)

 

Personally, I think Nalia and Gavin would clash a little, then settle down because, as you said, they are on the same team, after all.

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We're going to have to see about Nalia. The best they might be able to manage is a truce. It won't be Gavin's fault, except indirectly. He won't care much what she thinks. But Nalia has issues with her older companions like Keldorn and Jaheira. Gavin is probably about the same relative age as Jaheira, so Nalia will have the same authority issues with him that she does with Jaheira. To make matters worse, Gavin is male, just like her father, who set her up for a loathesome arranged marriage, and her less-than-wonderful fiance. Never mind that they are both on the same side. She has to get to the point where she can forgive all men for the offense of being male before she can lighten up on Gavin, and that doesn't happen until ToB. But it does happen in ToB, so their relationship will improve after that. Their verbal sparring will not be too vicious.

 

Aerie is an even more complicated issue. They will start out as friends. Their early banters will be very positive, and Gavin will admire her determination to do good in the world, overcome slavery, etc., but he will probably lose patience with her need to play the eternal victim. They might argue over this, if they are kept together long enough, and if so, he will encourage her to let go of the hurt that has been done her. She will, as we all know, ignore him, because only the romanced male pc has the power to help her get past this, and even then, not until ToB has begun. So, for Aerie, it will be mostly smooth sailing with the possibility of a random banter call argument later in the game. As an aside, Aerie alwas reminds me of why I hate "damsel in distress" stories. I'd rather watch Ever After, where the heroine hacks her own way out of captivity, given the flimsiest opportunity.

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She has to get to the point where she can forgive all men for the offense of being male before she can lighten up on Gavin, and that doesn't happen until ToB.

 

Er, are you sure it is Nalia, and not Shar-Teel?

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