#regill critical

[lukedanger]

I made a previous post calling out how Regill's spiel against Irabeth was complete nonsense, and two things were brought up in reblogs: wondering what achievements the Hellknights have to their names without the Knight-Commander or crusaders helping them, and interest in looking at their tactics further.

To summarize the first one: as far as I am aware, the only achievement the Hellknights make on their own is taking that outpost near the Gloomy Gorge, which was described as an abandoned ruin. Everything else they succeed at - even escaping from the Lost Chapel - is either done with the Knight-Commander or with the help of other crusaders like Sosiel. And even then, sometimes with the KC's help they're counter-productive, not to mention hypocrisy that I didn't realize until digging through my screenshots for this.

So, let's actually go down what the Hellknights contribute. I will be focusing specifically on Act II as this is where the "Hellknights are uber competent" nonsense is at full blast.

This is a long post, so the most of it will be under a 'Read More' for the sake of scrolling. TLDR, the Hellknights aren't actually that useful, especially when looking at these four sections:

The Siege of Drezen - Another Way In?

Leper's Smile - Vescavor Fodder

Lost Chapel - Hypocritical Murder is the Best Dumbest Solution

Reliable Redoubt - Regill's Folly

===

The Siege of Drezen - Another Way In?

During the Siege of Drezen at the climax of Act II, if you saved him at the Reliable Redoubt, Regill offers another way into the city to target the giants manning the artillery. He wants the Knight-Commander to accompany him in taking out the artillery to clear the way for the rest of the army, just in case they run into a mythic demon again. And to be entirely fair, on paper and as presented this is an entirely reasonable recommendation! Taking out the artillery quickly is a good way to mitigate casualties, and this is exactly the kind of task that the Knight-Commander and their lance is best at doing. Leper's Smile was overcome exactly through this tactic.

However, in practice... what it actually does is let you skip one skill check to get to past the first gate (crossing the gap to the barracks) or the dungeon path that Nurah could send you down (which you probably want to go down anyways to recruit Arueshalae). Otherwise, you still have to either skill check your way up the walls or fight through the cathedral... and you probably want to clear those anyways just for the loot and XP.

All while costing you morale if you don't have Galfrey and Irabeth to provide leadership to the main army, and locking you to hauling Regill around the entire siege. Quite frankly, I'd rather have Seelah and her noble steed Iomeneigh.

Either way, Regill's "big tactic" at Drezen is basically a wash, all things considered. It lets you skip one skill check at a potentially very high cost, a cost that Regill sneers at not understanding the value of morale in a siege assault. While some of this could be chalked up to level design not lining up with the narrative (would not be the first time - take a look at the stats of units in Crusade Mode), I can't help but wonder if Regill was hoping to swipe a lot of credit for the liberation of Drezen with this.

And this is the most positive contribution the Hellknights offer to the campaign.

===

Leper's Smile - Vescavor Fodder

Leper's Smile is the first 'big' challenge that you face, by this point having either abandoned the Hellknights to their fate or taken the time to rescue them. Faced with the challenge, you need a unit to act as bait to pull the swarm out so the Knight-Commander can take a lance and drive it through the Vescavor Queen's thorax. You get five options of who to pick, the best being Sosiel where his troops hold their ground so he can quickly heal anyone who is overwhelmed - otherwise anyone who scatters too far can't be healed in time.

To focus on the Hellknights, first of all we should remember why Regill is volunteering his forces: "My superiority over the crusaders will not permit me to cower behind them."

Yep. Mister "emotions are a useless distraction" himself wants to feed his own men to vescavors because his ego won't let him allow others to do it. And if they hold their ground, this gets a lot of Hellknights killed. Better them than crusaders, but that's the kind of thing that you expect out of a gentleman officer in Sharpe, not someone who prides himself on pragmatism. His alternative tactic is actually pretty sound - his best protected troops draw aggro, then the rest of the Hellknights hurl acid and fire into the swarm. It costs him some of his best troops, though. Even adamantine doesn't make you invulnerable, whether it's to a vesvacor who gets through one poor sod's visor, or the acid hurled at them.

Either way though, Regill is specifically putting his own troops forward without any of the support that could open up other options because his ego won't allow him to stay behind while others distract the swarm.

The grand irony? The "ideal" solution in this situation is probably to have Sosiel's contingent consist of Hellknights: the Hellknights are a disciplined force who are most likely to hold their nerve and among the most well-armored of the troops on hand. That heavy protection and discipline would merge with Shelyn's miracle through Sosiel to completely minimize casualties - even more so than Sosiel alone and a KC who doesn't delay going after the queen.

Then again, the Hellknights will throw away a perfectly fine Armiger if they can't actually make it to Hellknight, wasting all the resources that went into their training and losing a competent warrior or spellcaster in the process. Why are we surprised?

===

Lost Chapel - Hypocritical Murder is the Best Dumbest Solution

So first of all, the Hellknights get more or less completely captured during this. Even though they presumably would have had their own men on watch due to not considering the crusaders competent. Now, the Hellknights do manage to break out on their own, but they are far from the only ones - other crusaders are able to as well such as one Iomedean paladin who CPEs an entire squad of ghouls or the guy who might lose more than his tooth you can rescue along the way.

Of course, we inevitably meet Yaker at a mixed lance of Armigers and Crusaders, and after some bantering if you comment on the fight in the Hellknights, Yaker will want to execute one of the Mendevan soldiers for panicking. The dialogue in the fight prior does show the Mendevan men-at-arms are at the breaking point, but none of them actually flee the engagement despite escape being the primary goal at the time. And Yaker wants to execute them because Chelaxian law demands an example be made of those who flee when none of them actually have.

Forget the fact that it's somehow "Lawful" of the 'acceptable for a paladin' variety to murder a Mendevan under Chelaxian law while in territory where Mendevan law has jurisdiction. We're trying to rescue as many soldiers as possible, and you want to execute one for being at the end of their rope and about to panic but not actually running away? And yes, doing this will increase your casualty counter for the entire sequence, potentially costing you quite a few soldiers in a portion of the game where they're hard to get!

It's worth noting that this is after Regill had formed a rearguard further up the mountain to buy time for troops to escape and await reinforcements. So not only do we have the above, Yaker is pissing away the objective here. Of course, Regill also claims he will always strive to preserve allied forces, but we've already seen how much of a lie that is at Reliable Redoubt and Leper's Smile... can't believe I missed this line in my first playthrough.

Funnily enough, Regill also makes a lot of noise about how the standing orders for scouts is to not be taken alive and that it was better to kill the wounded than let them be taken even though he had no idea why the gargoyles wanted prisoners. The only Hellknight who chose to die was Marenta, the Armiger who had Trever's shield. Even then, she was acting as a rearguard to allow allies to escape after breaking out of captivity. So much for "never allow yourself to be taken alive" and "deny the enemy prisoners".

(Thank you @forestdragoncat for pointing that out in your reply to my other post!)

===

Reliable Redoubt - Regill's Folly

I could honestly do an entire post dissecting this for how much of a complete failure it is on part of the Hellknights at every level even as the narrative tries to convince us it was cold, ruthless rationality. In the interest of not dissecting the sequence line by line here, I think there's five points that really sum it up well:

The gargoyles specifically went after the supplies of the Sunrise Sword knights in the earlier engagement, retreating once they had completed that objective. The gargoyles didn't even bother with this kind of harassment against the Hellknights: they just overwhelmed them. And that's with them being reinforced by the now-exhausted Sunrise Sword!

Regill had full warning that the gargoyles were coming thanks to the Sunrise Sword, the Sunrise Sword didn't and were ambushed. Yet Regill's troops still had their asses hanging in an undefendable position that they then retreat from to a more defensible location rather than having prepared for the attack.

Even knowing another attack was coming, he gave the Sunrise Sword no supplies and did nothing to bring them back up to full combat effectiveness in anticipation of the attack. This wasted not only the warning they gave but troops he actually thinks had potential! This is the same Hellknight who later says that he will "always preserve the lives of allied forces" because he is thinking in terms of "efficiency and achieving your goals".

The only way the Hellknights win the encounter is if the Knight-Commander diverts the entire campaign to take Drezen to save them. Without that, the Hellknights are crushed. And the Knight-Commander only knows because Yaker disobeyed orders and fled the battlefield... the exact thing he says warrants execution in Lost Chapel.

On top of that, Regill had others killed to stop them from being taken prisoner despite explicitly admitting he doesn't know why the gargoyles wanted them. He and a number of his troops are quite alive should you not reinforce him and find him in Lost Chapel on the hook next to Irabeth.

In short, Regill had every opportunity to put together a better defense thanks to the Sunrise Sword's efforts getting to him, and he pissed it away. I'm not going to say that he could have won the battle outright without the KC, but at close examination it becomes clear that he had failed beyond "competent but up against something where that isn't enough". And then has the audacity once the battle is won to act as if it was the Sunrise Sword who were weak for their "excess of morality" and needed to be remade into Hellknights.

I wonder if Regill realized in his Reckoning after the Reliable Redoubt that he had fucked up and that's why he's so eager to prove himself at Leper's Smile - to hide his folly from his superiors and his new comrades.

===

In the final tally... in Act II, for all the Hellknights acts superior and say they have to teach the Crusaders everything, they either don't contribute much, are outright counterproductive, or they only succeed because the Knight-Commander bails them out. Regill's suggestions in particular tend to be only "better than the default options", and even then not by much.

At least in the councils he gets his act together and starts making some good suggestions, or at least pragmatic ones if ruthless... along with the expected bad suggestions.

Either way actually digging into this makes the sheer hypocrisy of the Hellknights in Wrath of the Righteous come out even more. And I can't tell if this was intended as a subtle criticism of Lawful Evil that a lot of people - myself included - missed because of how much is going on, or if they had genuinely wanted to write the Hellknights as competent Lawful Evil and ended up making them only good at looking like they were competent for making "hard" decisions.

And the sad thing is? Even with all this, Regill is a fascinating character because he actually seems to believe in what he says for the most part - a few exceptions regarding allied forces aside. He's a different kind of Lawful Evil than the usual corruption of Hell as we see in Aeon->Devil, and that contrast would work really well if they leaned into that more.

[goddevouringserpent]

kind of obsessed with the juxtaposition between Irenni and Kaija's core parties

Irenni's party: kind, honourable people fighting for a better world. and Daeran is also there

Kaija's party: nightmare blunt rotation

[yunessa]

Saw a meme that was about Critical role (Here) that @thesaintofnevergettingitright posted and immediately wanted to make a similar one. I think I nailed Regil.

[rollofleaf]

Saw this so uuuh, stealing it from @mountainashfae and making it a tag! Give your KC’s first impression and final opinion of each of their companions!

Hilde:

First Impressions

Seelah: “She’s eager, tough, and friendly, I might get along with this paladin!”

Camellia: “That’s an unusual necklace, especially in Mendev.”

Lann: “The horn and lizard body is certainly a look, but at least he seems friendly and honest.”

Wenduag: “This woman looks like she’d stab me in the back for a piece of bread.”

Woljif: “Ugh, a thief. Why am I even bothering with one of those?”

Ember: “She doesn’t even seem to realize the danger she’s in, I have to keep her safe.”

Daeran: “He has a very punchable face and personality.”

Nenio: “Oh, this girl is going to get herself killed looking after knowledge.”

Ulbrig: “At last, another barbarian, I was getting lonely among all these city folk!”

Galfrey: “Yet another ‘civilized’ noble trying to use me as their sword and shield.”

Sosiel: “Another artist, maybe he’d let me watch him paint while I write.”

Regill: “How are you even worse than the Hellknights that arrested me?”

Arueshalae: “She’s so beautiful… In a way I’ve never seen from a succubus.”

Greybor: “An assassin who pretends he has any honor is disgusting.”

Trever: “Please, Desna, don’t let what happened to me happen to him.”

Aivu: “She’s adorable, I will never let anything bad happen to her.”

Final Opinions

Seelah: “She’s my best friend, I want to travel the world with her.”

Camellia: “I should have known she was lying from when we first met.”

Lann: “His heart is in the right place, he’ll make a good chief.”

Wenduag: “I saw her betrayal coming from minute one but it still hurts.”

Woljif: “I’m so proud of how far he’s come and how he’s held onto his soul.”

Ember: “I never saw myself wanting a daughter, but I want to take care of her.

Daeran: “It’s nice knowing another aasimar who’s wrong in the crusaders’ eyes.”

Nenio: “Maybe she’d let me write a few entries for her Encyclopedia? Or we could go for a drink when she publishes it.”

Ulbrig: “The last true Sarkorian… He has a lot to pass on.”

Galfrey: “I guess you weren’t so bad… I know I didn’t make things easy on you.”

Sosiel: “He deserves a man who loves him so much…”

Regill: “For all my criticisms of him, at least he’s good to have in a fight.”

Arueshalae: “My love, I will fight the entire Abyss for you.”

Greybor: “Go be the father your daughter needs.”

Trever: “He deserves a long rest.”

Aivu: “Where would I be without my dragon?”

Tagging @the-raging-tempest and @kaleido-scope-lady

[dujour13]

10, 32 and 28 for Sia?

Thanks Harper! 💕💕

10. What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

Answered here. Basically - “I promise” and yes.

32. Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke?

He has so many stories there isn’t exactly a classic he trots out for every occasion, but there are a couple he’s especially fond of.

He often comes back to this one from his pre-Crusade days in the Andoren diplomatic corps. (It would take some retrofitting but I like the idea that he may have met Daeran before the Crusade.)

A couple of years ago there was a Taldan Duchess who claimed that a certain young Mendevian Count had put her in a delicate condition at her debutante ball, and via the royal family was pressuring his cousin, the Queen of Mendev, to force him to marry her, escalating the political stakes when he categorically refused. He protested his “innocence,” claiming he gained entrance only by the back door, metaphorically speaking.

As a neutral 3rd party an Andoren diplomatic delegation was called in and Siavash drew the short straw to have a chat with the Count.

He never tells exactly what they said to each other, but they both came out of the sitting room wine-drunk and Siavash informed the delegation there was nothing for them do; the Count had it all under control.

The Count proceeded to make himself at home with his new fiancée.

He hired some unsavory types to burgle the estate and deliver to him the family’s sensitive documents, perhaps in an attempt to dis-inculpate himself and prove the whole pregnancy was a sham to begin with, but stumbled upon the dire secret that the Duchess’ gambling habit had frittered away most of the family fortune. This the Count released to the press, but not before drawing the Duchess into a pyramid scheme that finished the job.

He also proceeded to:

Encourage the servants to unionize; train the family dogs to hump guests’ legs; purchase a shocking quantity of love elixir in the Duchess’ name; encourage certain salacious habits in the Duchess’ teenage brother, which ended in minor injury when he slipped off a window-ledge; and, as the cherry on top, seduce his fiancée’s father, the Duke.

The family sent him packing back to Mendev within a month.

As Siavash does hilarious imitations, especially of nobility, this story gets a lot of traction.

28. Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? 

On trivial matters he’ll take a pleasant lie over an unpleasant truth anytime, and he’s more than willing to return the favor. Tell him how great he looks in those green striped bard trousers.

But when it comes to more important matters he puts a lot of stock in honesty, because owning up to his mistakes and using them as a chance to improve is important to him. He hates letting people down. He can accept constructive criticism because he’s always been good at appearing to take it gracefully. (I should say, from anyone except his dad and Regill.)

[thesolemnhour]

🍎 🎂 🍩 for Agria 💕

Dolly!! Thank you for asking!!

🍎: Do they share any features or traits with any family members?

Physically, I like to imagine the peri-blood influence makes it so she doesn't really look much like anyone in her family. She is like a single-generation lightning strike. There are a few notable exceptions, though! If she looks like any of her relatives, it's definitely her mom: she has Alase's upturned nose and eye shape, though Agria never quite achieves her mother's air of sophistication. On the other side, she distinctly shares her dad's square jaw and face shape.

🎂: Has your OC have any contradictory interests or traits to the first preception people have of the? How do they surprise people?

Agria has both an intense desire for self-improvement and an absolute, burning hatred of being criticized in any way. The nicer you try to be about it, the stronger the hatred becomes. She begs for constructive criticism then chews you out when you give it to her. Eventually, she will quit being a baby about it and apply the critiques, but you have to have thicker skin than she does. Regill Derenge, you are braver than any paladin of Iomedae, and she will never forgive you for it.

🍩: What's a crime your OC is most likely to commit? What's a crime they're most likely to get arrested for?

I answered here that I think Agria would send Hulrun anthrax (not a secret, he is supposed to know it was her), which is true, but I think there are really a number of crimes she could get in trouble for because she is so used to getting away with things. She would get so many parking tickets.

[silversiren1101]

Do tell us: ⚔ : Does your muse have any specific kinks? 👀 (for Mino!)

[Prompts from here] Yesss oh this is such a good one for her

⚔ : Does your muse have any specific kinks?

Praise Kink and Following Orders: Both ways. Look this girl is a lifelong soldier in the most regimented and strict knighthood in all Golarion. She lives to fulfill orders and loves to be praised for it, just as there's a small part of her that enjoys giving orders and making her subordinates feel appreciated for their own good work. You call Mino a "good girl" in bed and she's gushing even harder than usual. You give her very specific things to do or not do and she succeeds (don't come/don't make a noise/come for me/swallow it) and you cup her jaw and say what a good job she did and it's all over. She knows Regill has a bit of the same in him, though not nearly as much. A well-placed "good boy" is a critical hit which she uses sparingly to maximum effect when she's the one taking charge.

Vocal Kink: She absolutely needs to hear her partner enjoying themselves. She really can't come easily unless she knows they're into it as well. Regill moans or groans or gasps or grunts and it's like a sweet music to her ears and pushes her ever closer to the edge.

Size Play: Something she was pretty damn embarassed about at first but she's so very into it and not shameless at all with him. Take a potion to make her small or make him big. It just adds so much to the bedroom and while it's definitely not an everyday thing (maybe 10%) it's frequent enough for them! She very much likes being picked up and manhandled about and held down :3

Blowjobs: Oh to be a girl with very sharp fangs that loves making her male partners tremble and weak in the knees... Even careful as she reassures them she is, it was rare anyone braved the offer from her. Lucky for her, Regill has full trust in her and, honestly, the added danger turns him on a little bit even lol. Added bonus, her tongue has rougher pads on the side to protect it from her fangs, which adds quite the sensation to whoever she lavishes it upon. She also loves to swallow.

And the most risque one of all...

Anal: This one was discovered as a bit of an accident. She figured out early on that there's a soft spot on the underside of her tail right where it connects to her body that is extremely sensitive and feels good to knead and touch. A partner grabbed her there in the middle of things and it surprised them both how she responded. Slipped thumbs or misplaced grabs later on then told her she was into more.

She has a hard time admitting it or asking for it, but nothing else gets her face redder and entire body trembling than anal play. Even just a thumb pressing against her hole and rubbing makes her a mess. Full on anal will turn her into a pliable puddle (and leave them in one, given how much she drips during with no friction in that area to dry any of it up). Discovered on accident also by Regill, and carefully exploited when he can tell she's in the mood for it but much too self-conscious to ask for it. Requires additional aftercare, and she usually wants it when she's overly stressed and really needs to be shut off and taken care of.

[dmagedgoods]

🥊, 🛡, 💔 please!

🥊 best part of combat? worst part of combat? Best part? Uh, the dialogue in between? 😅 I’m kidding, I started to enjoy it eventually, it just took me some time to understand it. I had lots of fun with the powerful angel spells, able to eliminate even the strongest enemies ridiculously fast. And of course, the nicest thing of combat may be the feeling of actually seeing a strategy work out after spending that much time learning the details of the game. (Oh! And when the enemies explode. So satisfying.) Worst part: I wasn’t aware I have to study a new rulebook when I started playing. It’s hard to enjoy it on a casual level. And even after all this time, I’m not fond of the need for all the buffing. 🛡: favourite build, or party setup? Whatever is going on with Daeran is absurdly strong and useful in so many ways. Therefore one of my favorite builds I actually looked into more deeply may be oracle. I try to play Sal as a cavalier/sword saint mix this round and so far I love it. Still not sure if I’ll switch to Eldritch Knight eventually though. My favorite party set up was Regill and Cassius in the front, Woljif doing demage, Daeran a bit removed from the heat healing like crazy and doing damage, Arue from behind with her arrows, and Sal summoning a small army, doing angel spells and eventually joining the front rows. 💔 : any hated npcs? Let me think, who else … I can’t stand Horgus, but in a way that’s almost entertaining again. Oh, Elan! Not for criticizing the commander but for not criticizing him enough! Why doesn't he stay more consistent in it, sharper? He is the voice I missed in the game, the one pointing out that the queen appointed someone commander who came out of nowhere. - In Salvadore's case at least a noble with a cavalier background, but a foreigner no less. Sadly, Elan does a bad job of making this a point and quickly disappears into insignificance.

[quenthel]

don't go here at all but 🛡💍? :-)

Hiii Jon thank you!! :^)!! 🛡: favourite build, or party setup? Honestly I just love having Daeran (blonde cheekbones guy) with me because he can heal people and unleash swarms of spiders from his hands that can kill everything (esp if Seelah's around w her Mark of Justice) On my current run I have Regill, Woljif, Daeran, Wendu and Greybor with me and it works pretty well with my Eldritch Archer commander (on core). I like having lot of melee hitters and then stacking weapon specializations and critical focuses so they deal 100-120 dmg a lot with single attacks hehe 💍: favourite magic item?

There's a belt that summons a shadow demon every time you cast a high spell to be your buddy that one is very fun. I looted a ring also that activates and aura that summons a big spider every time somebody gets reduced to low health so i usually end up having a million of them in hard fights which is also very fun

[teddybaeran]

Mix loves the hellknights

Do you remember when I said Mix doesn't like the spotlight? How this game forces him to be in it and it's uncomfortable but cute to watch him be forced? Well. Here. This. I found where he would be in the game if not the Commander, I think. He would be a hellknight, and definitely at least this same rank.

Well, he really feels like he gets Regill. He is honored to have him by his side. And it is not lost on me that he specifically respects people who remind him of himself. This is doubled and tripled later when Regill assesses Mix's very reaction to everything he does, studying him, testing him. As that's exactly what Mix is doing.

OOH GOD AND THEN THIS HAPPENED

Mix audibly "hnnnngggg"s

Mix really fucking loves regill oh my god. They could be brothers. someone he sees as a brother and not in a way that he needs to protect him??? Is this possible? Hello?

Then later, circling back to reprimanding Regill for reprimanding Daeran:

Mix follows this up with "And that includes any sort of criticism, which you are not permitted to give to my advisory unless he specifically requests it."

Mix even appreciates his disapproval of the queen.... fuck, move over Sosiel, Mix has a new bestie and this one feels SO RIGHT.

GOD HE RESPECTS HIM SO MUCH HOLY FUCK

HHHHHHHHHH

[bimney424]

Ok ok ok ok. So confession time. Here it goes. I miss these characters. A lot. There is no question that I miss them. I have been watching episodes over & BYsupercut videos & looking at art. Miss the awkward moments between Beau & Yasha. The moments with Jester & Marion. The back & forth with Veth & Fjord. The slow drawl of Caduceus. *sigh* Just miss the Might Nein in general. And until we get a one-shot rewatches of C2 will have to do. Just wish a one-shot would hurry the hell up.

** art by Max Dunbar. Color by Malkamok**

[bimney424]

I am sure I will write my own thing, but knowing from both Ashley & Marisha that they are both awkward individuals in real life & in the game & yet felt safe enough with the others at the table to RP the fuck out of this date is one of the greatest things. Everyone let them have their time & no one interrupted or said anything until they kissed. The respect & love they all have for one another it beyond reproach!! Truly.

putting aside the wonderfulness that was beau and yasha finally getting together for just a moment, i would like to say that it was so nice to have uninterrupted rp from ashley who is such a quiet player and whose pc is one of such few words. it warmed my heart to see marisha create that space for her at the table. yasha has such a depth and warmth to her character and a backstory that’s only just barely been peeked at! and it was so nice to see a little bit more of it. i hope that yasha and beau’s relationship will give her more chances to open up like that in the future 🌹

[siennadraws]

Knight-Commander as a Companion

Taken from @dragonologist-phd 's prompt list in this post

Name: Eliana

Race: Aasimar (Angel-blooded) (later revealed as Half-Angel)

Class: Bard (Thundercaller)

Appearance:

In front of you is a tall and young aasimar. Eliana is about 2.20 meters tall (7'3) and has a solid and curvy frame.

Her eyes are solid orange, and her skin is light blue, filled with freckles. She has scars on her face, one on her right cheek, another on her lip, while those caused by burns frame it, and a stray orange lock falls in front of it. Her hair is long, shaved on the sides and styled into a high braid that reaches her hips.

You see glinting on her ears mismatched golden earrings, on her right cheek, below the eye, a golden dot and on the left side of her nose, a golden hoop.

She is wearing a poet blouse with a sleeveless green leather coat. Her leather pants are black, and so are her knee-high boots. On her neck are various necklaces made of different materials, some golden, others silver, some pendants, others simple chains or beaded necklaces.

In battle, you'd see her wearing heavy armour, coloured green. Her longsword would be a two-handed sword for an average person. Its hilt was golden, with a curling handguard and an egg-shaped pommel.

Favoured Weapon/Equipment:

Longsword, Heavy Armor

Top Skills:

Persuasion, Perception, Lore (Religion)

Alignment:

Chaotic Good (can change to Lawful Good or True Neutral)

General Personality:

Eliana is a cheerful person and an almost contagious optimist. She's flirty, confident, and someone who enjoys making fun of nobles, agents of the law and those that would take themselves too seriously.

Eli is steadfast in her defence of goodness but struggles with its definition.

Despite her worship of the Lady of Graves, or as she says, because of it, Eliana lives in the moment, not wanting to waste too much time scared of possible consequences or the future.

What traits/values do they admire?

Freedom, Goodness, Hedonism, Selflessness, Mercy.

What traits/values do they disapprove of?

Lawfulness, Cruelty, Pessimism, Lack of Critical Thinking.

Are they affiliated with any deities?

She worships Pharasma. Her self-appointed title is "Pharasma's Chosen".

What do they think of their role in the Crusades, and of sharing the Commander’s Mythic powers? What are their reasons for joining the Commander’s party?

Eliana is determined in helping the Crusades and in closing the Worldwound, by sword or by inspiring her comrades. She likes the Mythic powers given to her, as they are useful to help the cause and people. Eli hopes they weren't given by Iomedae, due to her personal dislike of the goddess.

Eliana joined the party because Pharasma sent her, but she'd like to think she'd join them anyway. The death caused by the Worldwound is unnatural and breaks the cycle of life and death in Golarion.

Who are their friends among the other party members?

Seelah, Woljif, Ember, Daeran, Sosiel and Arueshalae.

What about rivals?

Camellia, Regill and Wenduag.

Are they on any councils? If so, what sort of advice do they give?

Eli is in the War Council due to her past as a gladiator. She advises the Commander to minimize the army's losses at all costs. She hates seeing the soldiers being used or seen as pawns.

Where do they hang out in Drezen? In the Abyss?

In Drezen, she's hanging out in the Tavern, sitting next to the countertop. In the Abyss, she's next to the Herald.

What are their idle animations?

She plays with her braid or violin.

If they’re taken to Areelu’s lab, what is their dream?

Her dream shows her sitting at Pharasma's feet, she doesn't look uncomfortable, and her position suggests familiarity and trust. Pharasma fixes her braid and tells her that now she can finally understand what is good or evil.

Her reaction to this varies between her actions in her personal quest thus far and her relationships.

If Eli has been prompted to understand morality as something fluid, or at least very complicated, she'll say that her dream is tempting, but in the end cowardly.

If she's been prompted to view morality as something fixed, Eliana will laugh, saying that she's on her way to making her dream true.

If she's romancing an evil/neutral Commander, or a good Commander and Daeran, she'll say that she wishes her dream was true, because life would be much simpler.

Do they advise the Commander to abandon or keep their mythic powers?

Eliana advises the Commander to keep it, making a joke about Iomedae and Nocticula and how the powers obviously are a reflection of the Commander thus, out of control of Areelu.

How/when do they join the Commander’s party?

She joins the Commander at the Defenders' Heart. Eliana will be waiting for them to wake up at their bedroom door. Once they do, Eli will announce she's Pharasma's Chosen to help them close the Worldwound.

Describe their companion quest:

Her companion quests determine her final alignment, ending and relationship status. She can continue Hopeful (Chaotic Good) or become Stern (Lawful Good) or Paralyzed (True Neutral).

Eliana's first quest happens after Kenabres. She'll tell the Commander she had a dream. In it, she was told to go to a certain place. Eliana says she thinks the dream was sent by Pharasma and wants the Commander to accompany her. By walking through the world map, a random encounter will happen. They will find a woman crying by the bodies of Hellknights.

Eliana will question the woman and find out she fleed the order not a day before the massacre. She wanted to join them to fight demons but found that the order was filled with equally awful people. She got lost and found her group again, all killed by demons.

Eliana will tell the Commander she doesn't blame the woman for fleeing or for the deaths of her former comrades, but she wonders if the knights would be dead if the woman had remained to fight by their side.

The Commander can reassure Eliana that the woman is innocent (Hopeful), mention that the woman had sworn vows to the Order (Stern) or either dismiss the ordeal or complain the dead soldiers could have helped in the Crusade (Paralyzed).

In her second quest, she'll get a similar dream, and ask for the Commander's help again.

This time they'll find a thief about to be executed for stealing from a noble.

The thief will confess to the crime but explain that their family was hungry and the noble had enough wealth to feed the beggars of an entire city. The agents of law will mention they will join the Crusades if the Commander lets them execute the thief.

Eliana will want to defend the thief, although with more hesitation if the Commander choose the Stern option in the last quest.

The Commander can choose to fight the agents of law (Hopeful), let them execute the thief because they broke the law (Stern) or let them execute the thief because the agents will join the Crusade (Paralyzed).

In the Abyss, she'll be talking with the Herald, who will reveal that Eliana is actually a Half-Angel. Eli will be surprised but seemingly take the news well since it would explain her mother's absence.

Her third quest will happen in the Abyss. After talking to the Herald, Eliana will receive another dream that tells her to go to the Arena. A gladiator will be fleeing its doors. The man will run into Eli and fall to the ground. She will ask him what happened and he will tell her of his life as a gladiator and how he's sick of killing.

Eliana will offer him protection, having fled from the life of a gladiator too. The Commander can support her (Hopeful), tell her not to trust the gladiator and to finish him before he can kill anyone else (Stern) or tell Eliana he can't come to the Nexus since he has a target on his back (Paralyzed).

If most or all of the quests gained points to one of the endings, she'll gain her new alignment or remain chaotic good. If they were all different, Eliana will be Paralyzed. If she's Stern, and she's in the throuple route, the Commander will have to choose between her or Daeran.

In her fourth and final quest, Eliana will invite the Commander to a place she found in her travels, near Drezen. In the meadow, an indigo skinned black haired angel will be waiting. The angel will reveal she's Eliana's mother, Atropos.

Eli and her will have a conversation, where Eliana will ask Atropos why she left her father, Ezra and her. If she knew he was dead and if she cared.

Atropos will explain that despite her duties as an angel, she always watched over Eliana, helping her find strength in herself when she needed it most. She will also reassure her daughter she will always love her and her father.

If Eliana is Hopeful, Atropos will say Eliana reminds her of Ezra.

If Eliana is Stern, Atropos will say she reminds her of herself.

If Eliana is Confused, Atropos will reassure Eliana sadly that Eli is still young and can still find her way.

Afterwards, if Eliana is Confused and romancing the Commander, she'll talk to them, saying that she needs some space to put her thoughts in order. The romance will end.

Are they romanceable? Describe their romance quest/scenes if you want!

She is, regardless of gender! She can also enter a throuple with the Commander and Daeran.

Upon meeting, Eli will flirt with the Commander. Later on, the Commander can flirt with her again, either by talking to her at the Defender's Heart or through scene dialogues.

Provided the Commander flirted with her and Daeran both, Eli will overhear the Commander and Liotr talking about Heaven's Edge, and ask to help them out. She'll accompany them and see the visions.

In Drezen, she'll invite the Commander for a drink at the tavern. There, she'll flirt with the Commander and invite them to sleep with her. The romance won't stop if they don't wish to sleep with Eli. If the Commander is also romancing Daeran, she'll mention it, joking that she doesn't mind sharing, the Count she means. Daeran will also mention this in his romance.

Later on, a scene will unlock during camping, where Eli is struggling to find the chords for a song. The Commander can question her about it, and Eliana will say that the song is about them, it's coming from the heart but she can't unlock it. The Commander can invite her to their tent, to "inspire" her, or keep talking, to clear her head. (if it's a throuple romance, the song is also about Daeran, she'll mention not wanting to take the relationship as fast with him, for fear of scaring him away.)

In the Abyss, after her dialogue with the Herald, she'll ask the Commander to come with her. The couple will go to the lower section of the cave. Eliana will joke about the Abyss smelling like shit but let out a sob. The Commander can reassure her, and Eli will say that as long as they're together, they will be safe and that there's hope. She'll also insult Queen Galfrey for sending them here.

Her convo after the last personal quest, in the throuple route, will only happen after Daeran's quest.

In the throuple route, she'll appear in the conversation with Daeran after his final quest, and he'll appear in her final conversation too.

If Eli's aware of Daeran's curse, she'll be with the Commander when they talk to Liotr about setting the trap. If she's still in the throuple route, she'll be worried for Daeran's safety. After Liotr leaves, Eli will confess that she joined the Commander and Liotr at Heaven's Edge because she wanted to stop her feelings for him, and hoped to find something incriminating. Her guilt has been eating her away ever since. She's scared of Daeran's reaction to all of this but just wants him to be safe in the end.

If the Commander chooses to kill the Inquisitor or Daeran, Eliana will ask Daeran and them to talk to her in private, before making rash decisions. Eliana will say that even if the tribunal decides to institutionalize Daeran, she can still help him run away from the Inquisition and there is still hope the tribunal will decide Daeran is free to go, considering the circumstances he was in when the Other attached itself to him.

If the Commander insists on killing Daeran, Eliana will defend him with her life. If Eli is Hopeful, and if the Commander insists on killing the Inquisitor, Eliana will be hesitant but will agree on doing it if they pass a Persuasion check reminding her of the injustices of the Inquisition. Otherwise, she won't fight. She'll help kill Liotr if she's Paralyzed.

In her final conversation, she'll invite the Commander to sleep with her again. Afterwards, she'll talk to them. Eliana will explain that before meeting them, she wanted to do the right thing, but didn't know what that meant.

If Hopeful, she'll confess that she doesn't know what right or wrong really means, but maybe, no one knows, and she has hope she'll make, or try to, make the right decisions anyway. That freedom and knowledge help her.

If Stern, she'll thank the Commander for helping her find what it meant to be right and wrong. With them, she no longer feels adrift. She's secure she'll make the right decisions.

What would their ending slides be like?

Hopeful ending: After the war, Eliana spent her life helping the needy. She achieved this by the strength of her hands and the power of her words. Rumours of Eliana inciting rebellion against the nobility were never denied. Still, her fame as a companion of the Commander made her untouchable. In the end, Eliana left the world better than it was and deemed her ending satisfying.

Stern ending: After the war, Eliana decided to embody her duty as Pharasma's Chosen by becoming a judge for the Inquisition. She became known as an incorruptible person, steadfast in her values. Despite her ferocity in her fight against evil, all her executions would be as swift and painless as possible. This rule would later be implemented by the Inquisition in her honour.

Confused ending: After the war, Eliana was left more lost than she was at the start. Without a path to walk upon, Eliana walked on a pilgrimage across Golarion. Many travellers would talk about a kind-hearted bard who would try to help the needy and the angel of Pharasma who walked alongside her.

Apotheosis ending: Apotheosis didn't worry Eliana in the slightest. On the contrary, she couldn't get enough of her new powers. Despite the quickly growing number of prayers sent her way, Eliana tried her best to help every single one of her worshippers, even if in unexpected ways. A numerous army of Azatas and Devas would soon join her efforts, moved by her dedication. Thanks to their help, Eliana found time to herself. Eliana dedicated part of it to know her mother and Pharasma better. She'd often be found trying to get the Lady of Graves to laugh.

Time Travel ending: Without the Worldwound, Eliana was no longer Pharasma's Chosen. A family made up of a human, an angel, and their child would arrive in Drezen before the child was ten. Eliana grew to become a famous musician. Her most famous piece was the tale of a wounded world, its saviour and their companions.

Left behind ending: Being left out of the Crusade didn't stop Eliana from helping people affected by the Worldwound. Units of Crusaders would sometimes report hearing an inspiring melody on the battlefield. Eli's body would later be found in the middle of a deserted village where she protected the evacuating citizens from demons.

Romance ending: Despite her busy life, Eliana always found time for her beloved. In the Commander's arms, Eli would always find peace and certainty in an ever-changing world. The bard would write hundreds of songs about her lover, few of which would be heard by someone other than the couple.

Throuple ending: Despite her busy life, Eliana always found time for her beloveds. In her lovers' arms, Eli would always find peace and certainty in an ever-changing world. The bard would write hundreds of songs about her lovers, few of which would be heard by someone other than the three. Love songs weren't the only songs her lovers inspired, however. Daeran would often prompt Eliana to write irreverent songs mocking every noble either could remember, Queen Galfrey and even some gods. Those ones the public knew and became favourites of the disfranchised or otherwise impious public.

Any other fun facts?

Eliana was a gladiator from Pitax, once upon a time. Her father was already poor, so after his death, when she was ten, Eliana had no choice but to accept a noble's offer of food and housing in exchange for training and becoming a gladiator.

Sometime before joining the Crusades, Eliana was killed in the Arena but resurrected by Pharasma, who asked her to become her Chosen.

If she's asked about her beliefs on death, or why she is so cheerful and a hedonist despite worshipping a Death goddess, Eliana will reply that life and death are interconnected, there can't be death without life, but there can't be life without death either. The ever ticking clock reminds her of what's important, and that in the end all that matters is what you did, not what you wanted to do, so might as well do it all.

Provide some dialogue/bark examples!

Conversation start: Eliana grins at you while twirling a stray lock between her fingers "Hi there, came to see little old me?"

Conversation end: "It's always nice to talk!" She drops her head to the side while giving you a goodbye wink.

Selection: I can do anything you ask me to. / Did you see the fungi coming out of that corpse? So pretty!

Skill Check Success: Confidence is all that is needed. / Who's gonna give me a kiss?

Skill Check Failure: Mh, let me try again. / Well, fuck you too.

Combat Start: Who's gonna meet Pharasma? / We can do this!

Low Health: Hope the scar is worth it. / Chin up, Eli.

Knocked Unconscious: Last time I got better. / Fucking damn it!

Provide some examples of companion banter

Eliana: You know, Count, I think I could ignore my conscience for one night, just to see you in my bed.

Daeran: Just to see me in your bed? Ana, my dear, you know we could indulge in so much more.

Eliana: Ember, have you noticed we are matching? Although you have so much more scars than me. I wish I was there to protect you.

Ember: When you look at yours you seem happy, why would you be sad for mine?

Camellia: Brute, I have taken notice of how you freeze when I am near. Are you truly that much of a coward that you would fear such a gentle, inexperienced girl?

Eliana: Have you ever watched a predator hunt its prey? They don't make a noise until the time is right then... BANG! Ahahah, I've slain dragons, princess, a rattlesnake could never scare me.

[golarion]

Knight Commander as a Companion: Zelyares Tyrword (template by @dragonologist-phd)

Name: Zelyares Tyrword

Race: Half-Elf

Class: Magus (Armoured Battlemage)

Appearance: Zelyares is a muscular half-elf of about average height, with fair skin, white-blond hair, and brown eyes. She typically dresses in plain clothing with hints or scale or metal when not wearing armour. She wears plate mail like it weighs nothing, and moves with a combination of a noblewoman’s grace and the controlled rage of one who has known great hardship. Her magic tends to manifest itself in short, emotional bursts, rather than anything calculated or orderly.

Favored Weapon/Equipment: Plate armour + Falchion

Top Skills: Intimidation, Knowledge (Arcana), Persuasion. Top attribute is Intelligence.

Alignment: Zelyares begins as Chaotic Good and can shift to either Neutral Good or Chaotic Neutral over the course of the game.

General Personality: Zelyares at first appears cold and angry, distancing herself from many of the other companions after she is first recruited in Act 1. She has a dry wit and won’t hesitate to use it against others, and even herself. She has a great hatred of demons, and though she may seem aloof at first, preferring to study than socialise, it’s easy to rack up approval early on through bonding over the crusade. As for the crusade itself, she’s not fond of how much of a religious movement it’s become, and she would prefer it solve conflicts and inequalities within itself before uniting behind Iomedae’s banner.

What traits/values do they admire? Independence, Freedom, Resourcefulness, Appreciation of the Arcane

What traits/values do they disapprove of? Mercy, Hypocrisy, Religious Devotion, Ignorance

Are they affiliated with any deities? Zelyares starts out staunchly atheist, but can worship Calistria as a potential outcome of her personal quests.

What do they think of their role in the Crusades, and of sharing the Commander’s Mythic powers? What are their reasons for joining the commander’s party? Zelyares is conflicted about the Crusade- she may have been one of the first to join up, but she quickly realised that glory on the battlefield and saving lives wasn’t all there was to it. She believes the political and religious interference with the Crusade end up harming its efforts more than helping it, and argues that those who lose their heads while fighting for a cause are little better than demons themselves. She can be harsh in her criticism, but admits she does not regret joining, as she still believes it is where she can do the most good. Zelyares is particularly pleased when the Commander follows the Azata or Trickster paths, though she approves most of the Legend path. The Angel path leaves her conflicted and will have special consequences for her personal quests. If the Commander chooses the Demon path, Zelyares will leave the party.

Who are their friends among the other party members? Zelyares is closest to Arueshalae and Nenio, finding the former attractive and closely-aligned in regards to her goals, and the latter good for conversation- Zelyares may be the only other companion to take Nenio’s Encyclopaedia Golarionnica seriously. She is close to Woljif, and will often flirt with him or lightly tease him. Ember she quickly befriends, but secretly believes her attempts at mercy and forgiveness will get her killed, and attempts to steer her off-course from her child crusade. Regill she has formed a bit of an odd friendship with, and though Zelyares hates the Hellknights’ approach to personal freedoms, she admires their skill and ruthlessness.

What about rivals? Lann and Zelyares often argue, though Zelyares heavily implies through dialogue that it’s due to a frustrating mutual attraction. She can’t stand Daeran and outright refuses to speak to Wenduag, as Wenduag’s history with Savamelekh disgusts her. Zelyares tries to relate to Camellia early on, but has realised it is futile by Act 3 and begins to act more hostile towards her. Daeran is the butt of many of her jokes and pranks, though he always ends up amused himself, which annoys Zelyares to no end. She often disagrees with Sosiel, but tries to remain civil with him in conversation.

Are they on any councils? If so, what sort of advice do they give? Zelyares is on the War Council, and opts for strengthening the Commander’s army without relying heavily on outside sources. She will never advocate for joining church forces and disapproves if the Commander is obedient to Galfrey. When it comes to dealing with prisoners, she proposes a swift death, so as not to drain resources by continued imprisonment.

Where do they hang out in Drezen? In the Abyss? In Drezen, Zelyares can be found on the platform outside the Citadel, opposite the Storyteller. In the Abyss, she stands near the Hand of the Inheritor (if on Angel path) or near Nenio on the cliff (if on any other path).

What are their idle animations? Her idle animations include dusting herself off, pulling out a scroll and ink to take notes, and conjuring a small ball of lightning before letting the spell fade.

If they’re taken to Areelu’s lab, what is their dream? Zelyares will dream of herself in bed with a book, a man, and a woman, with arcane servants tending to her every need. Upon her wall is a portrait of herself leading an army into battle, sword in one hand and spell in the other. If the Commander looks closely at her bedside table, they will find a broken symbol of Socothbenoth.

Do they advise the commander to abandon or keep their mythic powers? Although Zelyares is eventually the most pleased with the Legend path, she advises the Commander to keep their power if on high approval, reasoning that all the good they have done is of their own will, and not Areelu’s. If neither particularly high or low approval, she will joke that everyone loves power and still ask the Commander to keep it, at least so she could study it further. On low approval (or if on the Angel path), she tells the Commander to get rid of it, saying they’re wasting their power and don’t deserve it (low approval) or that she distrusts the way the powers manifest (Angel).

Describe their companion quest: Zelyares’s companion quests mostly relate to her past before she studied magic and her relationship with her family.

Act 1: Zelyares is first encountered at the Gray Garrison, protecting the Storyteller. When approached, she attempts to persuade (and if that doesn’t work, intimidate) the Commander into finding a way to kill the cultists without harming the Storyteller’s notes. She explains she’d been searching for him, trying to find an explanation for what was going on with the Wardstones, since she knew it’d be suicide to go study them on her own. Zelyares automatically signs on after that, and can only be dismissed through dialogue. Her Act 1 quest involves going back to the square (she was present in the introduction, standing near the training dummies) and searching the bodies of the demons and civilians alike. Near the rift in the ground, she will find a “guard” with a symbol of Socothbenoth. She pockets it and doesn’t comment on it, unless pressed, in which case she says she’s going to take it back to the tavern to burn it. Much like Camellia’s amulet, it cannot be unequipped from her inventory, and remains in one of her quick slots. The holy symbol gives any user of a chaotic alignment a +1 to the DC of all enchantment spells and a +1 to melee damage rolls. Unlike many magic items, it will stack with other bonuses.

Act 2: Zelyares will be found ruminating over the symbol one night at camp, and should the Commander ask about it, she snaps at them and stalks off. The Commander will then follow her to the outskirts of the camp, where Zelyares has been cornered by an incubus wearing the same symbol. He will begin to weaken her by casting Crushing Despair, but she will still threaten him, even in her weakened state, and a fight will commence. After the incubus is killed, she takes back the symbol, spits on the corpse, and walks back to camp on her own. The Commander can find her there and either persuade her (no approval change), intimidate her (disapproves), or allow her to open up on her own time (approval). Regardless of the option that’s chosen, she will reveal that she had a bit of a history with that incubus, and that he took the form of a man she loved in order to coerce her into evil acts when she was a teenager or young adult. If the Commander asks about the significance of Socothbenoth, she’ll make a self-deprecating joke and change the subject.

Act 3: Zelyares will ask to meet with the Commander in the War Room at the start of Act 3. She says she has a potential lead on why there was an agent of Socothbenoth at the fair, considering it was Deskari and Areelu who actually sent demons. She and Anevia have discovered a secret cult of Socothbenoth-worshippers to the west of Kenabres. When camping along the way to the cult, Zelyares will have a nightmare and the Commander (or, if the Commander refuses, the companion Zelyares likes the most in the party- the order being Arueshalae, Woljif, Nenio, Ember, Lann, etc.) will jolt her awake. She’ll say she dreamt of the incubus again, and the man he took the form of. Zelyares will finally explain that the man she loved, an aasimar named Ilaimron, was supposedly a priest of Iomedae that she could not be with because of his job and her social status. She prayed to Iomedae one night that the goddess would set him free, and in her own words, Ilaimron came to her that night and revealed himself to be an angel. In reality, it was the incubus who’d heard her and decided she would be a good target to corrupt. Zelyares slept with “Ilaimron” and due to the incubus’s charms, fell even more in love with him. In her words, she became drunk on her love for him, and began to waste her family fortune on him, leading to her being disowned. When her money was cut off, she would steal and kill for the incubus. In return, he taught her some magic, just enough to make her steal and kill for more. Eventually, Zelyares broke free of the incubus’s charms, due to his own arrogant belief that the magic he gave her would never be enough for her to actually resist him. Not knowing who else to turn to, she ran to the real Ilaimron, who was disgusted by her actions and threw her out of the church. Her heart broken by the two men in her life who claimed to be angelic, she is wary of Iomedae and most angels. After telling her story, Zelyares will ask the Commander to continue to the cult’s hideout without her, and will ask them to find a way to fully destroy the symbol (which becomes available for any quick slot after that conversation). The Commander can destroy the cult in Act 3, but cannot deal with the symbol until later on.

Act 4: Zelyares’s Act 4 goal is simple- find the incubus in the Ten Thousand Delights, and kill him again. The confrontation is straightforward- the incubus attempts to charm Zelyares again, fails due to her arcane abilities, and she will start the fight. The fight ends up damaging the symbol and making it unusable, instead marking it as a quest item.. On his corpse is a list of instructions that are only decided at the beginning of Act 5. Arueshalae will have extra dialogue with the incubus that implies she knew about what was being done to Zelyares and found it genius when she was still a demon. Strangely, Zelyares is quick to forgive her, demonstrating how she’s become less rigid since her introduction in Act 1.

Act 5: The start of Act 5 has Zelyares and the Storyteller finish decoding the list, which turns out to be instructions for repairing the symbol of Socothbenoth. This will lead the party back to the hideout from Act 3, and once again, Zelyares will have a nightmare before the group reaches their destination. This time, she cannot be woken from her dream, and begins to sleepwalk in the opposite direction of the hideout. The Commander follows her to a ruined temple of Iomedae that none other than Ilaimron has begun to restore. Upon reaching the temple, Zelyares wakes up and slaps him. Ilaimron will grit his teeth but concede that he probably deserved it. The real Ilaimron turns out to be a bit of a jerk and not only patronises Zelyares but will insult several (non-mercenary) party members personally. Ilaimron reveals that he knows how to destroy the symbol. Zelyares, angry and betrayed, will walk off and leave the decision to the Commander. If the Commander is on the Angel path, they have the chance to call out both Zelyares for being a bit unreasonable and Ilaimron for acting badly towards her, instead of trying to understand the woman he supposedly loved. On the Angel path, Zelyares will automatically get the Good Ending, but her alignment will not shift, regardless of the commander’s decision for the symbol. If the Commander destroys the symbol, Zelyares will shift to Neutral Good and become more merciful as a result. She forgives Ilaimron for letting her face consequences for her actions but says she doesn’t want to see him again, instead deciding to try and reconcile with her family, who will give her a family crest that can be equipped to a quick slot (+4 INT, +2 STR, +1d6 DMG to all spells with the lightning/electrical descriptor, and a +6 bonus to persuasion checks). If the Commander restores the symbol, it will become stronger, giving Zelyares a stacking +4 INT, +2 CHA, +2 STR bonus and increases the DC of all enchantment spells by 3. Her alignment will shift to Chaotic Neutral and she will become more vengeful, but also more accepting of religion, converting to the worship of Calistria. In order to free herself from her past, she kills Ilaimron with Lightning Bolt- one of the spells the incubus taught her. The Commander also has the option, regardless of their decision in regards to the symbol, to advise her on her love life. If neither are romanced, Zelyares can be advised to romance either Lann or a risen Arueshalae. If the Commander does not comment on her love life, or if Lann or Arueshalae’s requirements are not met, Zelyares will laugh and say her love life’s been so messy she should probably take a break.

Are they romanceable? Describe their romance quest/scenes if you want! Zelyares is not romanceable by the Commander, but can romance (with the help of the Commander) either Lann or Arueshalae.

What would their ending slides be like? On the Good Ending on her own, Zelyares will stay by the Commander’s side to help run Drezen for a time, though she will eventually leave to open a magic shop in a poorer village, in order to do the most good with her enchantments that she can. On the Good Ending with Lann, she spends the rest of his life adventuring by his side, and although they never are able to have children, they both feel content with the (small) family they have created. On the Good Ending with Arueshalae, she stays with Arueshalae at the cottage, often helping travellers and animals that pass by, both finding that their nightmares don’t hold them back from who they want to be. On the Bad Ending on her own, Zelyares will quickly become bored with the running of Drezen and form a mercenary company. The mercenary company is compared to the Hellknight Order of the Pyre in its persecution of religious extremists- except for Calistrians, of course. On the Bad Ending with Lann, they stay together for a time, but philosophical differences drive them apart. Zelyares only returns to Drezen for Lann’s funeral, regretting how they left things, and quickly leaves after the procession has ended. Only Woljif has contact with her after that. On the Bad Ending with Arueshalae, Zelyares becomes absorbed in her research of the symbol, but fears the demonic turn her research has taken will make Arueshalae fall again. Zelyares refuses to give up on her studies and leaves Arueshalae one night, never to be seen again. If Zelyares’s personal quest is not completed, she will leave Drezen in order to better understand the symbol and goes to study at an academy in Cheliax.

Any other fun facts? Despite Zelyares’s distrust of angels, she notes in banter that she finds the Hand of the Inheritor attractive. Like Wenduag, she will flirt with almost every companion in banter, with varying results. If asked about it, she’ll joke and say it’s an experiment for Nenio’s book.

Provide some dialogue/bark examples!

• Conversation start: Zelyares puts down the book she’s reading and sizes you up with a smirk. “Look what the cat dragged in. Now, what can I do for you?”

• Conversation end: Zelyares nods in acknowledgment and returns to her research.

• Selection: “Hm? Did you need something?” / “Let me guess- you need a scholar to sort this one out.”

• Skill success: “I’d say easy as pie, but I don’t bake. Easy as cantrips?” / “What can I say? Magi do it better.”

• Skill failure: “I wish I’d studied this in school.” / “Everyone must work to their strengths- unfortunately, that’s not one of mine.”

• Combat start: “Through knowledge to victory!” / “Oh, they’ll be meeting the angels soon.”

• Low health: “It’s not often I say this, but I need a cleric over here!” / “Damn it! Someone, help before I bleed on my spellbook.”

• Knocked unconscious: “Ilaimron? It’s been too long…” / “Note to self- not every problem can be solved with Lightning Bolt.”

[dujour13]

🛡️ ⛺ 🎼 please 👀

🛡: favourite build, or party setup?

I was overwhelmed with the mechanics and got into the lazy habit of Casual mode, so not proud of my build skills. In my most recent playthrough I tried to make Siavash a little less useless in melee by giving him higher Str and the azata power Heroic Might, but this is going against my RP instincts – I just don’t picture him coming in swinging? The things that are more in line with my image of him are Skill Focus – Persuasion 😏, Lingering Performance, and Metamagic Heighten with Believe in Yourself. He has Abundant Casting for buffs like haste and blur and Ever Ready for those AOOs.

I stuck with Eldritch Scoundrel for Woljif and gave him all the AOO feats and talents along with two-weapon fighting and improved critical and he’s in there stabbing everything that moves, it’s great. Love that “I didn’t know I had it in me!” moment. I use him for a lot of buff spells so he’s not casting in melee combat.

My party comp is also boring – never go anywhere without Woljif of course, but that’s pretty much true of Seelah, Lann and Daeran too. Mostly the last slot goes to Ember starting in Act V, but before that it varies, with a preference for Regill this time around because he’s hilarious.

⛺️: what’s your favourite camp banter?

People have posted a bunch of my favorites already but here are a few:

Daeran: "If you dressed up a little and scrounged up some saucy impudence, you could be a kept man in some noble's house. Easy work with very little risk. I hear they pay a premium for curls." Woljif: "What's that, sit in a house all day waitin' for the lord or lady to swan in? No way! I may be a cur, but I ain't house-broken!"

(PS in my headcanon his Gran was an anarchist so that spirit runs in the family)

Woljif: "You're just as dumb as you've always been... but I'm not embarrassed to be seen talkin' to you anymore. Actually the opposite, I'm embarrassed I turned my back on you. And now I've got this weird ache inside." Ember: "I'm happy it hurts, that means your heart that froze from loneliness is starting to thaw."

And the infamous cherry roll incident 😡

Woljif: "Looks like it's just you and me, cherry roll, alone at last! I've had to hide you from everybody for so long, but now I can finally enj… hey!" Wenduag: "Such a tasty treat you stashed away for me, runt. Today I'm going to act like you don't exist. You're welcome."

🎼: opinions on the ost?

Superb! There’s obviously a special place in my heart for Starward Gaze / the azata theme (it had me sobbing at Threshold), but some of the other mythic path themes are frankly better – angel, demon, aeon… well, I could go on. As I’ve mentioned before the mythic transformation theme still gives me goosebumps after all those listens on repeat. Some of the ambient dungeon music is just awesome too.

[thesolemnhour]

agria just doesn't like that regill stoutly refuses to tell her how great she is. she cannot forgive him for this. she is not accepting constructive criticism at this time (or any other)