#tyrword | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

golarion · 3 years ago

Text

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.”

#oc: zelyares #pathfinder wrath of the righteous

14 notes · View notes