Lucia

Hey everybody. I've been ghosting around the modding communities for years now, and I thought it time I finally gave something back. Especially since I've finally finished moving around and have a computer again. I wanted to get some general feedback on whether people were interested and what they think before I got started in earnest. Earnest being the scripting, difficult part . . . I've already got a rather massive amount of writing done.

This is yet another NPC mod, but hopefully one that's a bit less restrictive than others. I wanted to create someone you could have and would hopefully WANT to have in your party, regardless of your own class or alignment. I see a lot of fantastic mods out there with some great content that restricts itself to an evil or good PC, and I wanted to make something that would be accessible to everyone, regardless of play style.

Thus, Giselle. Giselle was originally intended to be a fairly pivotal character in a NWN mod that I was very close to finishing when I lost my computer a few years back. I liked the character enough that I felt she could be revived here when I found out about the modding communities, and learned enough.

Giselle is a joinable NPC who will add four different medium-sized quests to the game (one introductory one, one basic personal one, and one "for" the PC depending on his or her alignment) and a ton of dialogue and extra content. She is NOT romanceable -- there are already a lot of NPCs out there falling head over heels for CHARNAME, so I wanted to do something different. She is instead a character designed to allow the player to explore his or her alignment and personality, allowing you to speak with her in depth about any number of subjects, including herself. Giselle owns an apothecary in Athkatla, and will join you after you undertake a deceptively simple-sounding little task for her. Later in the game, there are also two temporarily joinable NPCs who will join you to take part in "your" quest, each with a different alignment to suit you. (Sorcha, for example, is a young Paladin who will temporarily join for the good aligned quest, while Frum is a ranger with a lack of scruples who will join for the evil quest.) Since she has her own store, once she has joined your party, you may return to it at any time and speak with her assistant to purchase items at a discount as long as she is with you.

There is absolutely no pressure to get involved in a friendship with Giselle -- all you will miss out on is her own quest that reveals a little more about her past, but it isn't necessary to keep her with you. She will stay with your party, regardless of alignment or reputation, until you tell her to leave. For that matter, there will be options for good PCs to "turn her in" if they feel she isn't exactly an upstanding person, or for an evil PC to turn on her. She will banter extensively with Bioware NPCs (some more than others), and, if enough interest is shown, will hopefully eventually be included in the Crossmod Banter project. There are several endings possible for her at the end of ToB, depending on how much you know about her, what she's done, and your own alignment. Don't expect her to be a perfect NPC with a godly set of stats, or even to find out everything about her. She isn't your everyday "lady of mystery everybody loves and is insatiably curious about". (That's already been done by better than me!)

Personality: Giselle is an enigmatic woman with a shadowed past. That's not to say it's been particularily disreputable, but "a lady never tells". You'll have the opportunity to find out more for yourself in game if you wish. Self-confident and assured, Giselle's mild manner and remarkable calm can make her seem non-confrontational, when in fact she is actually extraordinarily determined in getting what she wants. Despite her polite, some would say even charming manner, there is always someone who seems to find her a little unsettling . . . although they can never quite put their finger on it. She carries herself like a noble, to some extent, but treats even the most unscrupulous thieves and most pious of priests as equals. Although she is fairly popular with most people, she seems to prefer to keep her own company -- at least, she does until someone interesting comes along. In the past, by her own admission, she has frequently wound up quietly in the background on one side or another of any number of causes, with no apparent rhyme or reason to her choices. For Giselle, the world is in shades of gray -- not black and white -- and every day presents new opportunities for anyone to sieze upon -- good or evil -- if only they have the will to do it. Once she has made her decision about a side to support, she is in it to the end . . . for better, or for worse.

Full name: Giselle Amara
Sex: Female
Species: Human
Age: Looks around mid 30's
Alignment: True Neutral
Class: Sorceress (may have a custom kit)
Stats: TBA
Biography: When asked about her past, GISELLE gives you a funny little smile. She says she isn't much more than any other woman trying to make a living in the world . . . although she admits she may have been more successful than others. Indeed, she seems a little out of place even amidst the nobles; you would be hard pressed in thinking of a place where she would fit in without being noticed. When you ask her why she really decided to come along with you, she only smiles again and pats your cheek in an almost motherly fashion, saying she finds your curiosity flattering and laughing at your obvious embarassment. It isn't until she resumes her place in formation that you realise, some time later, she never actually answered your question.

Please note the following before you read the samples -- I can't stand NPCs that always get the best of every single conversation. You know what I mean, the ones who are so perfect, so witty, they always get the last word in and end the conversation smug and sitting pretty. This is NOT the case with Giselle. Both the NPCs and the PC have multiple opportunities to take her down a peg, leave her speechless, and so forth, just as she may occasionally have the chance to do the same. These are just a few examples of a more basic nature.
Banter Samples:

Anomen: Lady Amara, pray pardon my intrusion, but have you been in Amn very long?
Giselle: Oh, for quite some time, darling. Although I haven't decided whether or not to lay down roots just yet.
Anomen: I see . . . and what made you decide to open your own business?
Giselle: Why, people, of course. I adore them -- they're all so fascinating, don't you think? And you meet so many when you're in my line of work.
Anomen: Ah, so you would say you're rather a bit of a, er, philanthropist?
Giselle: Master Delryn, my dear, I wasn't aware I had done anything to warrant an inquisition from the Order. I apologise if I have given you reason to think --
Anomen: No, my Lady, it is I who must apologise. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. I was only curious as to why a lady of your obvious stature and good standing within the community would choose to run her business in such a place as you have chosen.
Giselle: You flatter me, darling! You needn't worry about me. I assure you, I am quite capable of managing myself, and I have not yet had any alarming . . . ah, incidents that would be cause for worry.
Anomen: Ah, well, that is . . . good to hear, Lady Amara. It would be most distressing if any ill were to befall such a fine member of the city because of a lapse in judgement.
Giselle: *Although the exchange has been pleasant enough, you get the feeling you may have been missing something as you listen. Giselle's expression seems to change quality in some subtle way you can't identify, though she merely inclines her head in a humble, respectful manner. As for Anomen, you can't help but think there is an unmerritted watchful look in Anomen's eyes, and the polite smile he wears seems a little tight and artificial. Nothing seems to have changed outwardly between them, but you can't help but notice they do not speak again for some time afterwards.*

*takes place after a certain event, this is only one path showing the outcomes of one possible dialogue choice in each instance*
PC: Giselle, what was that back there?
Giselle: Hah . . . don't . . . don't worry about it. I . . . I've taken care of it. Oh, only, let me rest a moment . . .
PC: No! I need to -- I don't understand! What happened back there? What did you do? That man --
Giselle: Hmph . . . ah. I told you . . . I took care of it. Of him.
. . . Our path is now clear. We can continue, yes?
PC: . . . Giselle, you've helped me this far, and I appreciate it, but . . . I need to know. Who . . . what ARE you?
Giselle: . . . why, I'm your friend, darling. And right now . . . that should be more than good enough for you.

*one of Giselle's first initiated talks with the PC, again only showing one possible choice for each path out of several*
Giselle: CHARNAME, dear . . . are you happy with your life?
PC: Well . . . obviously there's a lot to be desired right now. I HAVE told you about Irenicus, and there's that whole thing with Imoen . . .
Giselle: Of course, things may seem dark to you now. But when you look back on your life . . . on the things you have done, the choices you made, the people you became friends with . . . are you happy with it all?
PC: That's . . . an awfully broad association, Giselle. Of course not every choice I made each and every time throughout my life was a good one -- we all do stupid things. But, I suppose . . . yes. I think I am. I think I've lived my life well, and been a good person.
Giselle: Well, then, darling. That's really all anyone can ever ask for, isn't it? And if you would like my opinion . . . I believe you ARE a good person. Perhaps one of the best I've met.
PC: Giselle . . . uh. Huh. Well! Wow. Thank you?
Giselle: Keep your chin up, darling. There's always a new day to look forward to.

Imoen: Hey, Giselle, is it hard to run a store?
Giselle: I daresay that depends on a great many things, dear. Why? Is it something you think you might like to do?
Imoen: I don't know . . . maybe. I was just thinkin' about what I'd like to do after all this is over . . . providing we live that long, heh. And, well, that seems at least as good as any other choice. Anyway, YOU seem to enjoy it.
Giselle: Oh, I do. Quite a bit.
Giselle: It can be trying from time to time . . . but life isn't worth living without hardship.
Imoen: I dunno. I think CHARNAME'd agree that we both might like a little less of that right now.
Giselle: To be sure. But a wiser woman than I once told me that without the bad in our lives, we would not know the good when we saw it, and love it for what it was.
Imoen: Geez . . . what do you do? Sit around and drink fancy wine with snooty philosophers when you're not out with us?
Giselle: Ha! Something like that, dear. Something like that.

*one of the possible PC initiated talks if the PC is of an evil alignment. Obviously there are different responses available for you, some harsher than others -- this is just a basic one, since not every evil character is constantly frothing at the mouth*
PC: Giselle. Are you ever afraid of me?
Giselle: Darling, whatever brings this on?
PC: That's just it. You keep calling me that. Well, heh, you call everyone that, but me . . . I'm nobody's darling. In fact, I've been called a lot worse names.
Giselle: Mmmm. Well, I don't know about that. What have you done to me? Have you planted some knife between my ribs I've yet to discover? Are you trying to tell me you're really some serpent in the grass, waiting for me to plant a foot unawares within striking distance.
PC: Hah. Nothing so dramatic as that. But, Giselle, my point is . . . the things I've done . . . the things I could do to you, even . . . one day. Does it worry you?
Giselle: Would it worry you if it did not? I am not an irrational woman, CHARNAME. Or a stupid one. I know where I stand. And I know my uses to you.
PC: I suppose you are useful . . . at the moment.
Giselle: Such flattery! CHARNAME, my dear, I see you. I know with perfect clarity . . . what you are. What other people may be. And I do not turn away from anyone.
Giselle: Of course . . . nor do I completely turn my back on them. *She even smiles as she says this last, her usual, coy, faint twist of the lips. She reaches out and brazenly brushes a dried speck of blood from your cheek, before returning to her place in line without so much as a backward glance.*

As of right now, I have no plans to voice Giselle. If, somewhere down the road, anybody wants to offer to voice her when everything is done (I dont want to ask someone to commit before it's done), they're more than welcome to. Attached is one of the possible portraits I had for Giselle way back when she was a NWN side character. Unfortunately, it's the only one I've been able to find since, but I thought I'd include it anyway just to give an idea.

. . . geez, that was a long post.