Faerûnian Times

Exclusive interviews with the cast of Kail's Story.

-by Alara Nimbletoes

Halfling reporter

Interview 3 - Neeshka

The tiefling thief enters the room with a spring in her step, and grins when she sees me. I almost get the urge to protect my pockets, before I remember that the notorious thief is having a day off after completing her scenes in chapter 100. She curls up in the chair so recently vacated, coiling her tail seductively around her legs.

Alara Nimbletoes: Hi Neeshka, how are you?

Neeshka: Just great, thanks!

AN: We're almost at the end of Kail's Story now. How does it feel to be so near the end?

N: I'm thrilled with what we've done so far, but a bit sad that it's going to end soon. I've had such a fantastic time playing the part of Neverwinter's greatest thief... part of me wishes we could just scrap the last 90 chapters and start over from the beginning.

AN: Is there anything you'd do differently, if you had the chance to re-write the script yourself?

N: Maybe I'd make Leldon a bit more dangerous. I mean, he was supposed to be like, my arch-nemesis or something, but in the end he just turned out to be really incompetent. Kail's had the best enemies so far... Ammon, Garius, Sydney and the King of Shadows. Still, she's the protagonist, so I can't really complain. It's not called 'Neeshka's Story', is it?

AN: You and Kail have become really close, in the story itself. Do you have such a close friendship away from the story, too?

N: Absolutely! We're like, best friends. It's great just being able to relax and have fun both in-character and out-of-character.

AN: Do you have a part in the sequel?

N: Yeah, most of us do. [she grins] I'm not allowed to go into details about it, though, so don't ask!

AN: Did you know, when you signed up for the part, that you'd end up become something of a secret-keeper and best friend for Kail?

N: Yeah, it was made really obvious from the very beginning.

AN: And Neeshka's also become quite a good friend of Khelgar. Do you like that twist?

N: Absolutely. The characters don't really have that much in common; he's an ale-swigging, brawling dwarf, and she's a mischievous thief, but I just love how the characters both grow, and they're kinda united by their friendship for Kail. I think both characters, along with Grobnar, are the only ones who're there because they're Kail's friends, and because they care about Kail so much. Everybody else has their own agenda, like Casavir who wants to fight evil and get in Kail's pants, and Zhjaeve who wants to 'understand' the Kalach-cha because of her link to the githyanki, and Bishop, whose true intentions nobody's really figured out yet.

AN: What do you think his intentions are?

N: [grins widely and wiggles her tail] Pretty much the same as Casavir's, except without the fighting evil part.

AN: Do you think Kail and Bishop will end up together?

N: Should they? Definitely. Will they? Not in this story.

AN: Is that official, or just supposition?

N: It's just what I think. I mean, we're already at chapter 100. We've probably only got a few days left before the final battle, and both characters are really stubborn. Kail's so desperate to do things on her own because she expects to die, and Bishop's so desperate to not let himself trust anybody for fear he'll be hurt. Unless something drastic happens, or we get a bit of divine intervention, I don't think there's much chance of anything happening between them. Though saying that, the script has been changed at the last minute in the past. Maybe the writer will have me drugging them both with aphrodisiacs and locking them in that store room.

AN: That room's becoming something of a janitor's closet, isn't it?

N: [she cackles nefariously] I guess it is.

AN: How did chapter 81, (Games) come about? I mean, it's so different from the chapters immediately surrounding it, that it was entirely unexpected.

N: Mostly it was the result of having a writer who bores easily and drinks too much. The whole chapter, plus chapter 82 (Three days) was written in a whisky-fuelled haze. I had a bit of input too... our writer's really good at listening to our suggestions and taking them on board. Basically, we all knew that things were going slowly downhill. Shandra had just died, Kail was getting bogged down by all the paperwork, it wasn't going to be long before she'd have the Sword taken from her, Elanee's character was in a bad place, and the others weren't much better. Plus, the cast themselves were feeling the weight of the roles and the mood of the scenes. We wanted to do something really fun and light-hearted, not just to give the readers a break, but ourselves too.

AN: It was a really clever chapter. I love how ingenious Neeshka is, and how she gets Grobnar on her side too. She seems like a good friend, and a really gutsy person.

N: Oh, she is. And those two chapters were so much fun to do. I think they were my favourite out of the whole story. I get lots of fan-mail because of them.

AN: Are you pleased about how much screen-time your character's had?

N: Of course. In most scripts, I see a bit of action in the beginning of the story, centred around Leldon, and then a bit at the end when Garius kidnaps and tortures me, and not much in the middle. Friendships don't normally tend to be as well-developed as relationships, but that's not the case this time around. You see my character's growing friendships not just with Khelgar, Shandra and Grobnar, but also warming a bit towards Casavir. She's really fleshed out and given a few extra dimensions, y'know?

AN: If Neeshka hadn't met up with Kail, where do you think she'd be right now?

N: Probably on her way to Port Llast with the refugees... [she smiles]... picking through their pockets, no doubt.

AN: Neeshka's friendship with Kail is one of the most important relationships in the whole story. Neeshka is the only person Kail trusts with her darkest secrets, and she was the one who helped Kail out of her shock in chapter 66 (Girls Kick Ass). Kail also relies on Neeshka to make sure the Keep's running smoothly while she's away in Neverwinter. Where do you think Kail would be without Neeshka there to keep her grounded?

N: I dunno. Probably in a much darker place than she is now. One of the early themes of the story was about light and dark, and how sharing your burdens with friends can bring a little light into your life. Neeshka's always been there for Kail, always helping to bring her back from the brink. I think without Neeshka, Kail would be much more inclined to do dark things. She'd also be a lot poorer, too [chuckles].

AN: It's been interesting to hear your side of things. Thanks very much for the interview, and good luck with the inevitable torture scene.

N: Thanks. And remember, it's 'Neeshka'. Spelt 'N-e-e-s-h-k-a'.