Author's Note: I haven't actually played Mask of the Betrayer, although I am currently replaying Neverwinter Nights 2, the original campaign. However, due to this amazing site: (Type in LP Neverwinter nights 2 and it should work) as well as the story 'They told me' by anesor (which I highly recommend), I was inspired to write this story.
Storm is the Knight Captain, our player character (PC) from the game, but there is another NPC as well. This is Amiltha (my creation). She and Storm grew up in West Harbour together and she is a bit like his sister. She is a sorceress and ended up having a relationship with Bishop. She is also a worshiper of Kelemvor. You can say that she is what might have happened with Amie, although I did give Amiltha a past of her own.
This story really relates to the idea of the wall and what certain people feel about it.
They stood before the Grey City, a city that all mortals must end up visiting. However, the gate that they would cross was a very different one from the ones that others would usually walk through.
"…so, we are here." Storm said softly. "What was started so long ago has finally come to a full circle."
"Yes, we have." Amiltha said in equal softness. "And what is your decision, Storm?"
Since she arrived in West Harbour almost a decade ago, she had been beside him. The simple kindness from one lonely child to a stranger had ended up forming into a very strong friendship that many siblings would envy.
She took the step out of the village with him and has yet to step onto a different path.
"I will stay with Storm." she had declared out on that day, when a choice was offered. "I will die with Storm."
However, he was now the one who had to make a decision.
"What is wrong?" Kaelyn asked, her eagerness causing the impatient note in her voice to be very obvious. "Why are you two stopping?"
"I never asked any of this to happen." Storm continued and who he was speaking to was rather uncertain. "Everything happened due to that piece of silver shard. Yet I feel that I have to accept it because what happened is the sacrifice of my mother, so to curse what it brings is to be ungrateful to my mother's love. However…I am sick of all that has happened…"
He was not just Storm, the Knight Captain who defeated and King of Shadows and saved Neverwinter. He was also Storm, a young boy who had yet to get a moment's rest since his village was suddenly attacked.
"If I could have a choice…I want to just hide away somewhere. I am so sick of this. Doing this and doing that." Storm continued, although he then took a deep breath and seemed to have calmed down. "However, I will not deny what has happened. I am Akachi's heir, that is true, but I am not Akachi. I did not become his heir by choice. Therefore, I do not need to make his cause my cause. His crusade is not my crusade."
"You will abandon – " Kaelyn began angrily, but was interrupted by Storm, who spoke in a very matter of fact way.
"I am not a hero, Kaelyn, I am not someone who have any noble dreams of saving the world. I am…not you."
He was just a confused youth who had to face whatever was thrown at him in order to survive. There were more then once when his legs trembled at the enemy in front of him. If it wasn't due to death being the consequences that would follow, he would not have been even able to continue standing, let along fight.
"I am here because I need to get my soul back and to finish this, but I am not here to start a crusade. Because the truth is that I am already scared, and if being here meant that I have to fight Kelemvor, I might be really tempted to run as far away as I can."
Kaelyn's eyes were suddenly very hard and Storm was reminded that the kindest person might easily be regarded as cruel to one that they regarded as being their enemy.
"You will shield what brings such suffering on others?" she asked angrily, and he was sure that she barely managed to control herself to not strike at him. Because the truth was that this was more then a crusade, this was her religion. Therefore, he was committing the greatest sacrilege and sin.
"I am not a crusader. This was never my crusade." Storm said simply. "It will not be my crusade."
"…it is the wall, it is weakening you." Kaelyn's voice had changed and even though it was more familiar, it remained different due to that desperation in it.
What had happened did create a bond, it was impossible otherwise. Therefore, she desperately clung onto something that would prevent what happened as being a betrayal.
"…I am sorry, Kaelyn, I really am." Storm said and despite everything, he knew that she knew so too. "However, I am not strong enough. Nor am I brave enough."
"…and would all of you abandon the crusade too?" Kaelyn demanded as she turned to look at each one of his companions.
Storm did not even need to look away from Kaelyn to know that his oldest companion had taken a step beside him once again.
"…I know that what I wish has nothing to do with your decision, but I am still really happy." She whispered to him before she turned to Kaelyn. "Kelemvor is my God. If Storm had agreed with you, then I would have stood in your place."
"I wish to end the curse and I believe that by remaining with Storm instead of joining you, I have a higher chance." Safiya said practically, although that was certainly not the only reason. However, she was unable to say it yet.
"What of you then, Gannayev of Dreams?" Kaelyn pressed on the final member in the party.
"I am no crusader." The other said honestly. "Surely you all know that."
"You are no crusader, but you are directly affected by the wall. You know very well that the wall will one day claim you."
"That is so." Gann said calmly, perhaps a bit too calmly. "However, I have made my choice. I will stay with Storm as I think he has a higher chance of winning. After all, I am not in that great a hurry to begin my stay there and perhaps this might impress the Lord here enough to make my latter stay a bit more comfortable."
"Even now you jest!" Kaelyn yelled out, her control finally snapping.
"Yes, but it doesn't matter if I jest because you will still not be able to understand me even if I explain." he said, and his voice suddenly has an edge to it. "You see a path and define it as the truth. Therefore, you cannot understand why others would not choose to walk on that path."
Author's Note: This is the first part and it centers on Storm- the KC, who I refer to as the anti crusader. This is because he choose to fight against it. I am actually quite proud of what I did with Storm, because usually, my player character tend to just serve a narration purpose, as I tend to write about NPCs that I created. However, Storm actually has his own character. He is very human. By this, I am not referring to his race, although he probably is a human too. He is a very normal person. He tries to deal with everything the best he can. This is not something he wants and while he does not whine or escape from it as a child would, he admits that he does not want this. As I mentioned before, I was inspired to write this story by 'They told me'. I really recommend people to read it. it is really short, but very well written.
Often, when we play a game, we just regard it as a game. And of course, it is a game. However, we often fail to take account of how hard the journey for the PC is when we write their stories. I think it is the worst for the Neverwinter Nights 2 PC, because this is something that is NEVER their choice. I am not sure about the PC in the expansion pack for the first game, but they were the apprentice of a wizard so I presume that they do have some knowledge of what might happen to them. As for the PC in the first Neverwinter Ngihts game (the original campaign) they are there because they choose to adventure. The same can be said of the PCs in both Icewnd dale games. However, the PC in Neverwinter Nights 2 literally starts in a really peaceful village. Baldur's Gate is similar as the PC was ignorant of their heritage and grew up fairly sheltered. Perhaps that is the most similar case to this PC.
Unfortunately I didn't get to explore what Storm feels about the wall. I think he would probably be a worshiper of Chauntea, who seem to be what the rest of West Harbour worship. However, his reason for not fighting Kelmvor is very human- he does not think that he can manage it. He is not the Bhaalspawn PC of Baldur's Gate who would risk fighting the gods due to their essence. He is a normal man. He does not wish to fight Kelemvor, perhaps he is afraid, and can we really blame him?
And I must confess something, I personally have a liking for Kelemvor (ever since I read the avatar trilogy) and I do feel that he is actually not that bad a person. The truth is that he is really making the best of a bad situation. Because the truth is that by becoming a god, he could no longer be a man and so must think in the way that a god do. I know that this sound quite strange, but it really is the same principal as a nice man not always being a good ruler. One of the clips on youtube actually has him talking about the mistakes he had made in the past.
As for what happened with Kaelyn, she actually does say a very similar thing of how your soul being tied to the wall has weaken you, and I think she really do believe this. Especially if you were her friends, because there is no other reason that you would be doing something that is really wrong and even, in her opinion, bad and cruel. Therefore, I think she will believe that it isn't your fault, but what happened. A bit like the king of shadows in Neverwinter Nights 2.
As for Safiya, I don't think she really care about the wall, at least not in the sense of it being unjust. In addition, I think she is actually quite loyal to the PC. In this oneshot, this is also a slight hint of how she likes the PC.
Gann, however, is really hard to write. I think this is also because his character is just really hard to write. I think he is one of the best examples of a chaotic neutral character. He is really hard to predict. Gann does not have a deity and it is quite obvious that he will end up being in the wall of faithless when he died (although I feel that this might change if he ends up with the PC). I feel that for someone in his situation, if he had a chance to destroy the wall, then he might do so. It is true that he did say that he would help the PC to tear down the wall and in so doing save himself at Act 3, yet I feel that he does not seem to mind that much if the PC decided to not fight the crusade. It almost seems that he does not actually care that much and I am actually not very why. In the end, I think I feel that he is actually oddly acceptant of this fate and does not wish to fight it in such an active way.
