Kova, a mage/thief with an unsavoury background and good heart (or so he claims), and a law-enforcing, impartial (or so she claims) archer called Kiyone, comes together to join the party in this intriguing Mod about proving one man's innocence against the odds, and about the unlikely yet strong bond formed between the two people, so different yet so much alike.
The Quest is slated to run from chapter 2 to 6, and involves 7 separate parts, each with its own rewards, but interlinked nonetheless into a case that only goes to show more about the power play between the Shadow Thieves and the Cowled Wizards, the pliable nature of the law-enforcers in Athkatla and further insights into why certain things happened to certain NPCs, such as -
How did Renal come to be informed of Mae'Var's designs?
Why did Edwin want Rayic dead, and why was he in Mae'var's Guild?
Why was Rayic protecting himself so extremely?
Was Jermien building a golem simply to protect his daughter?
BTL also examines many of our concepts of good & evil, right & wrong, justice & forgiveness, courage & despair, means & ends, and most importantly, perhaps, what it means to really live, and to find a purpose in that, amidst this journey of self-discovery between these two NPCs.
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KIYONE
Alignment: Lawful Good
Race: Half-Elf
Class(s): Archer
Starting Level: 7
Str 15
Dex 17
Con 13
Int 14
Wis 15
Chr 12
Character Overview
Kiyone is a top ranger from a group called the Sentinels, with a reputation for being an investigator, tracker, and a capable judge, and was sent South to assist Magistrate Bylanna in hunting down an elusive criminal known as Kova. As a person she is fixated on righteousness, truth and law, and is focused and pragmatic, and her view of emotions is that they only serve to ruin objective judgement and cloud the truth, though she does use them to encourage allies and to ensnare villains. Even as she seeks to uncover the truth behind the case, perhaps she will learn more than she ever wanted to about what she stands for and what it means to be alive.
Biography
When asked about her roots, KIYONE always brings up first her place within a cadre of rangers known as the Sentinels in the North, apparently a rather newly formed group. She recalls the group being a lot smaller when she was under their care, and how, under their instruction, she had become the top ranger in her cohort for her rather large batch. She has since served as a tracker, investigator and magistrate on various occasions, typically for more challenging cases. Her accounts almost never focus on her considerable combat prowess, but instead emphasises the importance of discernment and deduction in bringing to light the true nature of a case.
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KOVA
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Race: Half-Elf
Class(s): Mage/Thief
Starting Level: 6/7
Str 14
Dex 17
Con 13
Int 17
Wis 10
Chr 11
Character Overview
Kova is a man wanted by many powerful organisations for a variety of crimes he claims he didn't commit, and comes across as cynical and sardonic, unwilling to open himself to others except through jibes of sorts, with a tendency to cautious unenthusiasm about adventuring heroics. He despises himself for being "good", especially as he has been far from it almost from birth, but deep down he hopes against hope that there is a way out, and that there is some truth in the world after all. These same feelings take him down a road he feels would certainly lead to his demise, and for that he despises them even the more.
Biography
It is with an overly nonchalant tone that KOVA speaks of his being brought up in the Shadow Thieves as a young street urchin, and becoming a proficient thief with a distinctive lack of pleasure for vices. He claims his intelligence allowed him to survive the intrigue without having to resort to knifing others, and books and equipment were generally what he spent his "income" on. He had leaped at a chance to join the Cowled Wizards as a mole so that he'd be out from among the lawless ways of the Thieves, but he became equally dissatisfied with Enforcer assignments and spent his time buried in magical libraries furthering his thirst for knowledge, in the hopes of finding some way to be rid of his current situation and his past.
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Mod Details
The Quest will generally be non-combat in nature, though 1 or 2 battle scenes may come up and could prove to be challenging (depending on the experience level of the party), and there'll be various bands of enemies hunting for the party as a result of them harbouring Kova. However in the process of the game there'll be many opportunities available to "end" the Quest prematurely simply by turning Kova over to various people who want him dead ; other effects simply involve kicking him and Kiyone out of the party to prevent harrassment by the enemies.
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Non-Party NPCs in BTL Quest
The roles of certain non-Party NPCs, some new and others not so new, are highlighted below Note there are possible spoilers in here.
Bylanna
Bylanna is magistrate of the case involving Kova and the ensuing trial. She is involved in a twist if things don't turn out too well, to help things go better.
Chief Inspector Brega
Chief Inspector Brega investigated the case involving Kova and is holding on to some pieces of evidence, including overseeing the protection of certain individuals involved.
Prison Keeper
He is involved in a few dialogues here and there, which assists the player in knowing what is going on and what to find who.
Inspector Dayven
He is a new NPC who frequents the Prison to visit his friend the Prison Keeper, for various reasons. He is closely tied in with at least one part of the BTL Quest.
Myroven
She is a new NPC, an inquisitor, who assists Bylanna as an assistant and as her person on the field, since she is more than capable of protecting herself and serving as a messenger. Perhaps she is there for other reasons as well.
Kharen
She is a new NPC, a Cowled Wizard who seeks Kova's demise for her own reasons, and probably has other links as well.
Gaelan
Apart from announcing that there is wanted criminal to apprehend, Gaelan occasionally plays a messenger, and there are in game hints he is more than just a messenger boy and a frontline contact for the Shadow Thieves. He is probably involved with other BTL quest elements in the background.
Arledrian
Gaelan's merchandise-peddling friend from the 2nd floor of his home has a bit more independance, though how independant he is from Gaelan is not really known. Perhaps he is a reflection of Gaelan's allegiance and role, but maybe not.
Baevrin
He is a new NPC, a young boy who is being protected due to what he knows about the poisoning of his village. Something seems to be wrong though.
Seida
He is a new NPC, an influential Shadow Thief guildmaster who Kova used to work under. He seems to be plotting against Kova, and probably has his hand in many other intrigues as well.
Mae'Var
Mae'Var might have had some working relationship with Seida before he himself became a guildmaster, but it seems that the relationship hasn't been so good of late, for whatever reasons.
Rayic Gethras
Rayic seems to have been doing some kind of investigation into Cowled Wizard murders, and was in contact with another Cowled Wizard called Elvan. His 2 stone golems were probably placed there to deter certain types of attackers he was expecting.
Renal
Renal plays a very helpful role in BTL, though for a price, and definitely for his own reasons. Of course before he helps at all, you'll have to settle a little tetchy problem for him, called Mae'Var.
Jermien
Jermien building a golem for his daughter seems a little too much effort for which something else would be easier. Find out what events caused him to take such a course of action. What kind of assault was he expecting?
Edwin
Edwin's purpose for being in Mae'Var's guild is indirectly dealt with and explained in BTL. All will be made clear over time, on how his involvement completes the picture.
Corneil
Corneil is strongly against Kova's innocence, given the evidence he has been presented with regarding the Cowled Wizard murders from certain sources. He is as usual, pliable to money, though.
Aran
Aran might be of assistance in BTL, provided you play your cards right and make it worth his affable while to help you.
Edited by Zyraen, 06 May 2010 - 05:33 AM.
