Part 44: Act Two Chapter Nine - With Friends Like These

After being released from the courtroom, we head down to the Temple of Tyr in the Merchant Quarter. We must prepare for our duel with Lorne on the morrow.

We don't have a choice in the matter. Guilty or innocent, we must fight to the death for the honour of Neverwinter.



: It is a cleansing ritual of prayer - it is held in seclusion here within the Hall of Justice.
: By purifying one's mind and reflecting on one's deeds, sometimes it allows one to achieve the clarity needed to avoid bloodshed in a trial by combat by admitting one's guilt... although I do not believe that will happen this night.

And just what is that supposed to mean??



: I am ready.
: Your companions will have to leave you alone for the first phase of the Rite. It is tradition.
: All right everyone, you heard the man. Out.




Suddenly Khelgar bursts in. We haven't heard much from Khelgar for a long while.

: What are you doing here?
: Why am I here? Well, it's because I want to take your place. That... Torio, she's got you matched up with a Luskan-trained killer!



He seems really quite upset.

: We know how to solve situations - by hitting them until they break. They know it, that's why they're doing the duel now, and I want to hit them. Hard.

There's an alternative line Khelgar can use here instead if he's on the Vision quest... at least, I think that's what it's for. There's some... complication in the matter.


It might just be because we haven't cashed in his Vision quests yet, but I doubt it.

: Why are you upset?
: Because it's not fair, that's why!





This is, in fact, the third and final part of the Vision quest - the Trial of Justice. Although we could make Khelgar see how his actions could hurt those he loved, and how he could be blinded to true worth by prejudice, he still didn't fully understand the why of fighting, why it is so important... until now.

It's the only one you have to wait for. The other two can be completed almost as soon as you get them, but this is tied to the main plot.

: After all you went through, all the searching for clues and those poor villagers... to lay it all on your head... by the Gods, I want to fight him! I'll show him justice!



: You must still undergo the Rite of Tyr, but when Lorne emerges on the field tomorrow, it shall be this one who fights in your stead.



You can take Khelgar up on his offer if you wish (a good idea for some characters) but we're not going to do that. This is personal.



: I will see your friend out, then return. May Tyr's justice fall upon us all.

* * *




: You are permitted visitors during this time, for often, justice does not solely lie in the words and deeds of the accused, and you may gain truth from the words of those closest to you.
: We will return for you on the morrow.

* * *





There's six different characters that can come to visit you during the Rite, although you'll only ever see two. Sand is the first to see us.



Hah, I like how even though we're the one facing death in the morning, we're still playing psychotherapist for our companions.

: I must say, I didn't expect that we would be able to force Torio's hand like this - trial by combat is a rather desperate maneuver, quite unlike her.
: It's really rather quite pleasing. And if you were to beat Lorne... well, that would make me simply ecstatic. I could help, you know.
: Anything you can do to tip the odds is fine by me.



All right, to be fair, they also offer you some help. Some more than others.

: And, uh, no need for thanks - it would just be embarassing. Let me leave you to it.




Hrm. Interesting. Going to enlighten us further, Sand?



Thought as much.

* * *

If Sand doesn't turn up, then Qara will. After all, if you're not friends with one then you're almost certainly buddies with the other.


Qara, ever the direct one, offers to take your place in the duel. Actually, you don't need Influence with her to choose her as a champion, but that's not really the point of this segment.

* * *





The second visit. This one is your romantic option - Bishop or Casavir for the girls, Elanee or Neeshka for the boys.



Creeeeeeeepy.




: If you want, I can help you deal with Lorne tomorrow. I've been watching him, I know how he fights.




Bishop comes with advice rather than potions or bravado. He's going to tell us how to kill Lorne, as only a hunter could know.

: Lorne's barely keeping it together at the best of time. I could tell at the trial, he wanted to fight you then and there - not the sign of someone in control.
: So do this - keep hitting him, but stay out of reach. He won't have any ranged weapons, he likes that falchion too much to fight smart.
: He doesn't like being weighed down with armor, so you shouldn't have trouble hitting him, so keep hitting him and hitting him and don't stop.

So, we should hit Lorne: got it.




Okay, this bit is useful advice. Lorne's a berserker, and he'll be most dangerous when he's almost dead - when he has nothing left to lose.

: He's not going to spare you, not after all Luskan went through to get you.

There's a final line that Bishop is supposed to say if you have enough Influence. Originally Influence was on a much larger scale than it is currently but Obsidian evidently didn't correct all their Influence checks because this one only shows if you have 30 Influence with Bishop:


* * *

In a way, this sequence is bad design. I invested tons of skill points into Bluff and Diplomacy; skill points that I could've spent on Disable Device or Hide, combat skills that play a much larger role in the game. So to have my one chance to shine, my one opportunity to resolve a major conflict through words, forced into a combat solution? Unacceptable.

But I'm willing to make allowances for it because of the companions. It's a dramatic moment that lets the player engage with his companions - makes them seem more like personalities rather than little RPG soldiers.

It's also our first real taste of the Influence system in NWN2, rather than the Influence system that Obsidian ported over from KOTOR2. Obsidian actually decided to move away from the unlock-based system of KOTOR2 and try a new system that was entirely about roleplaying, with no pressure on the player to game the system so they can turn everyone into Jedi. In fact, only two characters - Khelgar and Shandra - have anything material associated with their Influences.

For everyone else, it's just a measure of how much they like your character, nothing more. And the Rite of Tyr is the first sequence in the game that shows just where everyone stands with the player.

It's a better way of doing it, I reckon. There's less pressure to consult a walkthrough so you don't miss out on vital Influence. Remember Bao-Dur from KOTOR2? How you had only three chances to get enough Influence with him to turn him into a Jedi?

If you're not friends with Bishop, then Casavir shows up. He, too, offers to be your champion against Lorne. He also gives you advice: namely, don't hold back because Lorne sure won't.

Male characters will see neither Bishop nor Casavir. Instead, it's either Neeshka or Elanee who show up.


You can see here some of the remains of the cut Neeshka romance.

Elanee is useless as always. She only complains about you having to risk your neck to fight some stupid trial, and suggests running away to the forest. Well, they can't all be winners.

These aren't the last of the Influence dialogues for this sequence, by the way.

* * *





And this is Nevalle's version of a pep talk. I'd honestly rather have Elanee visit.



Oh wow, it's Edmund! Hey, is he back in the sto



Guess not.

: No - how are they different than the Luskans we encountered at the Docks?
: The Arcane Brotherhood are mages who have a stranglehold over Luskan, and many believe to be the true rulers of that city. They have never had any love for Neverwinter.
: Nevertheless, we have had no reason to deny them passage through our city, whatever their intentions - until now.



So that explains that. Shadow Thieves running the docks is a small price to pay for getting rid of the Arcane Brotherhood.

A cunningly underhanded plan. I didn't know Nevalle had it in him!

: What happened at Ember was a terrible crime, and they are responsible, of that we are certain. Fight Lorne, defeat him, and you will prevent Neverwinter from sharing Ember's fate at Luskan hands.




Oh nice. Being a squire was good and all, but full-blown nobility? Hell yes, my son.



* * *



The arena. This is where we'll fight Lorne.



Our friends...



...our liege...



...and our patron.





Grobnar and Shandra are here at the gate to wish us some last-minute luck.

: You sure about this? It's not too late to choose someone else to fight for you. Not like I don't have faith in you, or anything.
: Shandra, you changed your mind? I'm glad! After all that terrible crying last night and that phrase you kept saying, what was it... "I don't see how she can possibly..."




: I want him to answer for what he did. I do. But that man is built like a mountain, and if he wins... well, he's out of our reach.

More importantly, I'll be dead.



: Yeah, but I wasn't crying. I haven't cried since I was a girl, and even then, only when peeling onions.

Hold up here a second while I explain our options.

Yes, we're going to fight Lorne ourselves - that's the heroic thing to do, after all. But we're not exactly the best build for it; Rogues can dish out the damage but can't take it. There's a very real possibility that we might die. Bards are probably the only class even less suited for the duel than Rogues.

So we can choose a champion instead, just like Torio did. Khelgar's one possibility (he's got the hitpoints to wear him down), while Qara is another, even if she didn't approach you during the Rite (she can blast Lorne with magic and can avoid his attacks if you chose her spell selection wisely). Either Bishop or Casavir will also fight for you, but only the one with highest Influence.

But we won't be doing that.





And we pass an Influence check with Grobnar. It's quite tough to get the necessary Influence, since there are so few opportunities to gain Influence with him.




But for our efforts, he rewards us with a little song... and a few magical buffs like Heroism and Iron Skins. That's why we look a bit funny in the next couple of screens.








: Is the accused or her champion here?
: The accused is here and ready.



: Torio Claven, ambassador of Luskan, has accused one in the service of Neverwinter, and has called for a trial by combat to resolve the matter.




And we get the chance to conduct some last minute psychological warfare.

: What would you know of my mother?



: [Success] Shut up! Just for that, I'm gonna carve my name into your hide while you still breathe.

The full list of insults:


Hmm... you know, that last one makes me think...







And the duel begins.



We start out strong, thanks to Grobnar's buffs...



...but Lorne makes up ground quickly. Iron Skins eventually wears off and after that there's nothing to protect us from him. We are so dead.

Wait... what's this?

In what seems our moment of defeat, a memory emerges... a memory of our master, Georg-sensei, all the way back from the West Harbor Harvest Brawl...


That was from all the way back in the beginning of the game, in the tutorial area. That's our secret to beating Lorne.

I'll admit that the first time through, I didn't realise Lorne the bald-headed Luskan thug was supposed to be Lorne Starling, brother of our best friend. It was only in the duelling arena, when I decided to Examine Lorne for kicks, that I finally made the connection.



The key to beating Lorne Starling as one of the 'delicate' classes is to not get hit in the first place. One of the potions Sand gives you is a Potion of Invisibility: use it. Failing that, buy a potion or just cast it yourself if you're able.

Once you've no longer got Lorne breathing down your neck, you can manoeuvre yourself into striking position. Haste up, use a Feint, throw a grenade-like... so long as you're controlling the terms of combat.



You'll know he's almost dead when he enters his Deathless Frenzy - a super-special version of Barbarian Rage that stops Lorne from dying, no matter how much damage he takes. This is where Haste comes in handy, because you'll have to run from here on out.




When it runs out, he'll be winded - slowing down dramatically. Swoop in for the kill and you're done.

Practically none of the above applies if you're a big dumb Fighter, natch.



: You've won nothing. Garius lives. He seeks your death - and you will not be able to stop him.
: So go on - kill me. If you have the courage.



: There is no law, not here, not anywhere. You are a fool.
: I will never be punished for what I did at Ember... and no law, no decree, will ever erase the stain I've placed on your name.
: Even in defeating me here, you have achieved no victory. The people of Ember are still dead.

That's not why we did this, Lorne.





: My judgement passed at the trial shall now take effect, as was intended.
: The Arcane Brotherhood of Luskan is to leave the city of Neverwinter within three days time, and they are not to be permitted within our walls again, by royal decree.
: The possessions of the champion of the Luskan ambassador, Lorne, are to become the property of the accused.
: And ambassador... you now have much to answer for.



* * *





The cutscene is very slightly different if you chose to spare Lorne after the trial by combat. In it, Lorne is present as well - but Garius kills him around about at this point. Evidently, Lorne had failed him for the last time.

: Ember destroyed, the time wasted with this trial... I trusted you, Torio.
: Brutes like Lorne... they swarm the Luskan streets in hundreds, thousands, but you...
: Master... Garius... the one we seek, she still has the shards, they are in her possession...




: The shards are out of my reach... for now. But I have almost all I need for the ritual.