< Neverwinter Nights 2

Neverwinter Nights 2/Characters


The cast of Neverwinter Nights 2, Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir, and Mysteries of Westgate. Not related (mostly) to the characters of Neverwinter Nights.

Neverwinter Nights 2 Party Members

The Kalach-Cha / Knight-Captain / Spirit Eater (Player Character)

"Know this name our enemies have draped upon you -- this Kalach-Cha -- its sound travels far, even reaching the ears of my people."
—Zhjaeve, Resident Obi-wan

The player character of the first two installments of NWN2 is at the beginning of the story just a Farmboy/Farmgirl who is, for all intents and purposes, completely insignificant. The only unusual thing about your character is that regardless of what race your are, you're an orphan who was born during a climactic battle between the forces of Neverwinter and demons that destroyed in which their mother died. Your real father, unknown, the character is raised by a particularly grumpy half-wood elf, with whom you don't particularly get along. Sounds like the perfect setup for Hero's Journey? You'd be right.

Shortly after the village festival that's part fair, part coming of age ritual, your swampy hometown is obliterated by a sudden attack out of nowhere by githyanki and duergar. While everyone is dumbstruck by the seeming randomness of it, your father knows a little something about what's going on and without informing you on all the details, tasks you with removing a single silver shard from the swamp and taking it to Neverwinter, where his half-brother -- who you've never heard of before—lives. Along the way you encounter allies and enemies and eventually discover that you yourself are more intricately tied to the events going on in the Sword Coast than your adopted father let on.

Later on, in Mask of the Betrayer, after being knocked unconscious and dragged to Rashemen away from your friends and allies following the climactic Final Boss of the previous game, you discover yourself possessed of an ancient 40-year old curse that drives you towards eating other people's souls. Curing yourself or embracing the power of the "curse" is up to you.

Associated Tropes:

  • Abusive Parents: To a certain extent. Daeghun isn't implied to physically abuse you, but several characters call him out on emotional abuse and neglect. As it turns out, it's deeply related to how you came to be his foster child.
  • A God Am I: In the evil ending of Mask of the Betrayer you let the curse take you over and in the process become a god-killing abomination. Even in the good ending it's possible to use the curse to snuff out the remaining life force of Myrkul, the god who created the curse.
  • The Call Knows Where You Live
  • The Casanova: As a background trait, though this has no in-game effect beyond a few comments in West Harbor and giving you a few skill bonuses.
  • Character Alignment: In-universe, it is a game based on Dungeons & Dragons after all. Any, although non-evil is at least implied for the original campaign given that the King of Shadows is canonically defeated by the time Mask of the Betrayer starts. But then again, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Evil Versus Evil resulted.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Optional, of course, given the medium, but this option certainly exists.
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: A number of examples from the King of Shadows to Kelemvor's paragon, but the standout example has got to be the very casual, easy way in which you can take out Myrkul in a truly epic example of both Ironic and Karmic Death.
  • Doom Magnet: In both the first and second games this is entirely justified. In the original campaign, you possess a shard of the Silver Sword of Gith in your chest, which the githyanki and Ammon Jerro both want but which cannot be removed without killing you. And of course, the King of Shadows naturally wants to take you down as a threat. In Mask of the Betrayer, your ability to eat souls makes you a target for both those who see you as an abomination as well as for those who want your ability for themselves.
  • Fan Nickname: KC, which has the advantage of being an abbreviation for both titles by which characters frequently refer to you in the first campaign.
  • Genre Savvy
  • Hello, Insert Name Here
  • The Hero: You WILL save the realm, regardless of alignment. Motivation, attitude and collateral damage, however, are largely up to the player.
  • Karma Meter: Added bonus in that it's got two axes, incorporating both Good vs. Evil and Law vs. Chaos rather than just the former, as in traditional D&D. Fan consensus is that the former is implemented well in the original campaign but the latter is not, with some (but not perfect) improvement in Mask of the Betrayer.
  • Large Ham: A lot of the potential character voices seem to be channeling Brian Blessed. Even the female voices.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: Surprisingly averted in spite of his mysterious identity (one character notes that your mother didn't want to talk about him) and the otherwise trope-heavy nature of the game.
  • Multiple Endings: Somewhat sloppily in the first game, with you either defeating the King of Shadows only to experience a Rocks Fall Everybody Dies situation or joining up with him to kill your former allies. In Mask of the Betrayer, most fans think this was done much better, though some still wish you could have destroyed the Wall of the Faithless for real.
  • The Reveal: That you have a piece of the Silver Sword of Gith in your chest.
  • Super-Powered Evil Side: The Spirit Eater mechanic if you're evil is meant to be this if various characters are to be believed, but unfortunately it ends up living to its name as a curse all too well, becoming Blessed with Suck. On the other hand, if you're good (in which case it's supposed to be bad), it ends up being Cursed with Awesome, since you can get most of the benefits while reducing the negative impact significantly.
    • In summation, the difference between indulging the hunger itself, or using it pragmatically is also the difference between Blessed with Suck and Cursed with Awesome. Hedonistic self-indulgence against practical restraint? Deep stuff.
  • The Un-Reveal: In Mask of the Betrayer it's pretty obvious early on that you've been cursed with something that requires you to eat souls, though you aren't told this in no uncertain terms until the end of the first act. More significant might be the "revelation" that Akachi's punishment by Myrkul is the source of the curse - which a reasonably intelligent player can figure out pretty quickly from the various hints dropped through the game.

Bevil Starling

"We were risking life and limb for that? None of this make any sense."

Bevil Starling is either your best friend or an implied crush, depending on which gender you are. Either way, he doesn't stick with you for long, serving as the obligatory Guest Star Party Member at the beginning of the game to help you run through the basics of how to play the game. For the most part, Bevil's an upstanding, if somewhat dense, young man with no particular interest in leaving the swampy home that you and he live in.

Later on, you discover he survived the third destruction of West Harbor and you can hire him as a captain in your own personal army, though he doesn't join your party. He also shows up in Mask of the Betrayer as a manifestation of your/Akachi's psyche during The Very Definitely Final Dungeon located within your soul.

Voiced by Jason Griffith.

Associated Tropes:

Amie Fern

"Fool girl."
—Tarmas' estimation of his apprentice Amie's role in the story

The other Guest Star Party Member at the beginning of the game, Amie is a wizard's apprentice, the only one in West Harbor (unless you choose a magic user as your base class). Considered a bit odd but pretty, Amie bonded with both you and Bevil early on and, if you're a woman, is your best friend and, if you're a man, is implied to have romantic feelings for you (particularly if you take the Lady Killer background trait).

She dies within the first hour. However, she does reappear in Mask of the Betrayer as a taunting aspect of your persona during The Very Definitely Final Dungeon.

Voiced by Stephanie D'Abruzzo.

Associated Tropes:

Khelgar Ironfist

"Some take pride in craftsmanship, or in hunting, or in haggling for the best price on a blade or other piece of steel. Me? Talking with my fists is my art form."
—Khelgar Ironfist

The first potential party member you run into, Khelgar is a dwarven fighter originally encountered not far from West Harbor. After helping him out with a gang of roughnecks (by beating them all to death and/or unconsciousness) and the first wave of githyanki, Khelgar decides to tag along with you because you seem to attract fights everywhere you go, and he wants in.

Despite being more than a little thick-headed and stubborn, Khelgar is still incredibly loyal and has his own reasons for being off on an adventure with some random Chosen One from the swamps. Khelgar was kicked out of his clan for abandoning them during an attack by fire giants, and they haven't forgiven him yet. Aside from wanting to rejoin his clan, Khelgar also aspires to be a monk, since the first people who ever beat him in a fight were a group of traveling monks.

He survives the final battle of the OC by way of being pure Badass. In Storm of Zehir, he has joined the Neverwinter Nine and watches over Crossroad Keep in the Knight Captain's absence. Later on chronologically, in the best ending of Mask of the Betrayer he is present at the Captain's wedding to either Safiya or Gann alongside Neeshka or Aldanon.

Voiced by Adam Sietz.

Associated Tropes:

  • Badass: In Game. Attention all Noobs: THIS is how you build a tank.
  • Bald of Awesome
  • Bare-Fisted Monk: What he becomes if you complete his quests.
  • Blood Knight: He's probably the most fight-happy of your entire party, fitting for the first character you recruit.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: Post-Character Development
  • Character Development: All the party characters undergo this of course, but Khelgar's personal quest is tied up in it. In order to become a monk, Khelgar has to overcome three trials. They involve overcoming his Fantastic Racism, making good with his family, and developing a sense of justice. Passing all three trials and talking to the priest of Tyr changes his alignment to Lawful Good and resets his class to monk.
  • Fantastic Racism: He doesn't mean anything by it, but he takes umbrage with Elanee and Neeshka... because they're an elf and a tiefling respectively. You can help him realize that he's not giving them a fair chance.
  • Luke Nounverber
  • Lawful Good: In-universe, if you change his class.
  • Neutral Good: In-universe, his starting alignment.
  • Oh My Gods: His "swear" emote is "By Tyr's right buttock!"
  • Our Dwarves Are All the Same: With the exception of having an American accent instead of a Scottish brogue.
  • The Other Darrin: In Storm of Zehir.
  • Took a Level in Badass: He was always pretty badass, but Storm of Zehir shows that he's become one of the Nine.

Neeshka

"Someone who doesn't play the odds doesn't last too long in my experience. Well, except me."

A Tiefling Rogue that the Captain and Khelgar encounter being threatened by a group of corrupt soldiers. After helping her fight them off, she agrees to tag along, mainly for the thrill of adventure.

Neeshka is fiery, feisty, and more than a little fun loving. She takes the Fantastic Racism she often gets in stride, barely letting it get to her. However, her fiendish blood makes her vulnerable to certain dark magics, Which Black Garius tries to take advantage of in the final battle. Whether or not he succeeds in this depends on Neeshka's influence.

Neeshka canonically survives the original campaign's final battle due to her great agility. In the best ending of Mask of the Betrayer, she is seen attending the Captain's wedding along with Khelgar.

Voiced by Robyn Kramer.

Associated Tropes:

Elanee

"I don't know. She's got pointy-ears but doesn't smell of the Lower Planes, so she's probably not a tiefling. And she's too tall to be a halfling -- and too thin. Plus, the hangs out with animals, so she's an elf."
—Neeshka, asked to describe her companion.

A young elf that is part of the Mere of Dead Men's Druid Circle. She follows the Knight Captain during the early parts of his/her adventure, and ultimately reveals herself by helping the party fight off a group of Bladelings and Duergar. She then explains how the Mere has of late become corrupted and barren and that her Circle has been decimated, and believes that joining the Captain is her best bet to find out the cause of it.

In Chapter 3, she learns that her Circle has actually survived, but have, with a single exception, become twisted and corrupted by the King of Shadow's influence. After being forced to kill them, Elanee will either continue to stay with the group, or decide to leave with the survivor in an attempt to find a new home, depending on her Influence.

Her fate at the end of the official campaign depends on the PC's choices. If the PC has low influence with her, then she leaves with the only other survivor of the Circle of the Mere earlier in Act III (you can kill her or let her go). If the PC is male and romances her, she sacrifices her life to save him from the Collapsing Lair. Otherwise Ammon mentions that he last saw her pinned by a chunk of debris, not moving, and whether she dies is left ambiguous.

Voiced by Ursulla Abbot.

Associated Tropes:

Qara

"My problem is people keep telling me what to do, and I don't need to hear it anymore. I can handle myself. I know my powers, and I don't need somebody telling me how to use them."
—Qara

A vain, arrogant sorceress that the party encounters picking a fight with two other mages. After resolving the situation one way or another, Qara accidentally burns part of the Sunken Flagon, and is forced to join the party by Duncan in order to pay off the damages.

Qara is self-obsessed, arrogant, and more than a little psychopathic. She genuinely believes that she is the most powerful magician in Faerûn, and expects everyone else to treat her as such. Her overinflated ego, along with her general disdain of wizards, causes her to frequently butt heads with Sand.

She canonically died in the original campaign's final battle, either having been killed by the party after betraying them (either due to low influence or automatically if Sand stays on the good side), or by having her head split open by a falling rock.

Voiced by Jenna Lamia.

Associated Tropes:

  • Black Magician Girl
  • Chaotic Neutral: In-universe.
  • Deadpan Snarker: She gets a few fantastic hits in on other characters.
  • Kill It with Fire: Her preferred method of problem solving.
    • Which can be annoying considering her pyrotechnics have a tendency to destroy loot chests.
    • It should also be noted her patron deity is Kossuth, the elemental deity of fire.
  • No Pronunciation Guide: Most characters pronounce it "kwar-uh", but some say "kar-uh".
  • Small Name, Big Ego
  • Sociopathic Hero
  • Spoiled Brat: Her father is the headmaster of the Neverwinter Academy. In fact, it's implied in cut content that one of the reason Sand hates her is that her father fired him.
  • Unskilled but Strong: As a Sorcerer, she naturally has incredible magical power but she refuses to use it for anything other than destructive purposes.
  • When All You Have Is a Hammer: Qara's preferred solution to her problems is to blast everything in sight. This works about as well as you'd expect, even having a hand in her being drafted into the party.

Grobnar Gnomehands

"'Kalach-cha' . 'Kalach-cha' . Well, it's not Gnomish, Elvish, Dwarvish, Orcish, Goblin, or Draconic -- well, unless the 'k' is silent, but that would make it "gizzard stone" or the equivalent."
—Grobnar demonstrating a surprising command of language.

An... eccentric gnome bard the party encounters shortly after arriving in Neverwinter. He is a self proclaimed writer, mechanic, and general story teller. He decides to join the party because he believes they're on a grand adventure.

While not very good in combat and having an annoying personality, Grobnar actually is a mechanical genius, as he is the one who repairs the Construct and makes it functional.

He canonically died in the final battle, in a futile attempt to save the Construct from a falling pillar.

Voiced by Andy Pang.

Associated Tropes:

Casavir

"His aura makes my skin itch!"
-- Neeshka, trying to talk the Knight-Captain out of letting Casavir join the party

"I do not have faith in a city or a nation, but the people within it."
—Casavir

A Paladin who was formerly part of Neverwinter's paladin order, but left in frustration over the order's inability to help the commonfolk. Since then, he has taken it upon himself to protect the innocent, and has formed a tight knit band of mercenaries to help him in this. He first meets the party when they are investigating orc activity in the region, and offers his help in this. After the orcs are routed, he decides to stay with the party. He doesn't like Bishop very much.

Mask of the Betrayer suggests that he died in the final battle of the original campaign. However, Storm of Zehir strongly implies that he managed to survive the Collapsing Lair, albeit severely wounded. His current whereabouts are unknown, but it is suggested that he has been captured by Luskan.

Voiced by Paul Schoeffler.

Associated Tropes:

Bishop

"If you aren't willing to kill for it, how important can it be?"
—Bishop

A sociopathic ranger that the party first meets in the Sunken Flagon. He is initially a typical, if very assholish patron, but after Shandra is kidnapped by Zeearie, Duncan convinces him to help the party track them down by calling upon an old deal they made. Reluctantly, Bishop agrees, and afterwards stays on with the party for his own reasons.

Bishop is an ... interesting look at what it means to be Chaotic Evil. He genuinely believes that the concept of civilization and culture is a total sham, and is convinced that everyone, even him, is just a rabid animal waiting to strike. He despises being ordered about, but will grudgingly admit he respects the Knight-Captain if your influence with him is high enough.

Ultimately, Bishop's beliefs and free spirit are his undoing. During the siege on Crossroad Keep by the King of Shadows' army, he betrays the party by sabotaging the keep's gates and allowing the undead entry. He later shows up at the site of the final battle. If your influence with him is low, he will assist Garius in the battle, and will attempt to take control of the Construct. If influence with him is high, the Captain can appeal to his hatred of being someone's servant, and he will agree to leave in peace.

No matter what path is taken, Bishop ultimately dies, either by the player's hand or by being crushed by the collapsing castle. He makes an appearance in Mask of the Betrayer in a dream, where it is revealed that he has been bound to the Wall of the Faithless. After giving some last few snide remarks to the Captain, he is fully absorbed into the Wall, but not before giving them the final mask fragment.

Voiced by Asa Seigel in the original campaign, and Dave Walsh during his postmortem cameo in MotB.

Associated Tropes:

  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: He is immensely popular amongst the female fanbase.
  • Don't You Dare Pity Me!: One of his core principles. Bishop despises practically anyone who does not share this sentiment.
  • Chaotic Evil: In-universe. Type 3, to be specific.
  • Child Soldier: Implied to have been very young when conscripted into Luskan military.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: So very much. The developers intended for you to be able to help him with it, but, well...
  • Deadpan Snarker: Count yourself lucky to say anything in his presence without getting a sarcastic drawl in reply, usually followed by a quick, half-assed Hannibal Lecture aimed at just about anything in the immediate vicinity, and god help any companion who tries to intervene.
  • Did Not Do the Research: Unlike Zhjaeve, Bishop has no plausible excuse for taking the ranger class and not having a patron deity.
    • The one semi-plausible theory (that one of the gods, Malar perhaps, has chosen to grant him spells without direct worship) is Jossed by the fact that he would've ended up in the plane of Fury's Heart after death rather than the Wall of the Faithless.
  • Draco in Leather Pants: See All Girls Want Bad Boys.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: As evil as he is, he openly hates Luskan.
  • Foreshadowing: His cryptic conversation with Grobnar about the Construct's capabilities hint at his true motives.
  • Freudian Excuse: Subverted. He does have one, but not even he considers it valid.
  • Jerkass: The most triumphant example in the game.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: If you pinch real hard the remnants of his romantic dialogue can arguably come off as this, though "gold" may still be overstating it. The premise has spawned much Fanfiction.
  • Lack of Empathy
  • Perma-Stubble
  • Psychotic Smirk: Though NWN2's facial animations are fairly limited, you can hear it in his voice every time he taunts the Player Character or makes lewd comments toward female Companions.
  • The Nicknamer: A very sarcastic and condescending example. If you're lucky he'll simply call you "Captain", as if its interchangeable with "Idiot".
  • The Other Darrin: In Mask of the Betrayer.
  • Social Darwinist
  • Token Evil Teammate

Sand

"A hedge wizard, somehow set up a shop in the Docks, but it's telling enough he can only run a business down here in the crack of Neverwinter. Got a dry wit, and he'll always rub you the wrong way, so his name's well-chosen."
—innkeeper Duncan Farlong describing Sand

A skilled, but somewhat haughty elven wizard that runs a magic shop in Neverwinter. He first appears when the Knight Captain tries to learn the secret of the shards, but Sand is unable to give much help aside from pointing them in the direction of someone who can help them. Later on, when Garius' henchmen accuse the Captain of slaughtering the town of Ember, Sand is chosen as their assistant and lawyer. Once the Ember Trials are resolved, he decides to assist the Captain in their quest.

Sand canonically survives the final battle by transforming into an iron golem, rendering him impervious to the falling debris of the King of Shadow's lair.

Voiced by Fred Berman.

Associated Tropes:

  • The Cameo: Makes an appearance at the Knight-Captain's wedding in some versions of the MotB epilogue.
  • Deadpan Snarker: In a game filled with these, Sand stands head and shoulders above the rest.
  • Lawful Neutral: In-universe.
  • Properly Paranoid: He believes Qara to be a potential threat. In dummied-out content, it's revealed that she really is holding back a majority of her power.
  • Squishy Wizard: Serious artillery (and less prone to destroying loot chests than Qara), but keep him away from anything sharp.
    • Also somewhat subverted by his School of Specialization. Transmutation specializes in buffs, and he can potentially armor himself well enough to compete with the group's tanks.

Shandra Jerro

"Well, if it had been the Captain doing it, the cat would be lost, the tree burned down, and the old lady would be traveling with us now."
—Shandra remarking on the "adventures" of the Knight-Captain's self-appointed |apprentices.

A simple farmgirl from just outside Highever, Shandra Jerro at first seems like just another NPC, until the githyanki abduct her to use her in the search for her grandfather's Haven. Having lost her farm thanks to getting caught up in the Knight-Captain's business, she joins up with the Knight-Captain's party as a fighter.

For a time she acts as a free extra party member , but during the assault on Ammon Jerro's Haven, she realizes that the man they have been chasing is in fact her grandfather, and that her blood is the key to undoing the spells that make Ammon Jerro nigh-invincible. After undoing the spells, he kills her in a fit of anger, not realizing who she was.

Voiced by Rachel York.

Associated Tropes:

Zhjaeve

"Know that I am Zhjaeve, one who carries the knowing Circle of Zerthimon in mind and hand. Know that I aid the Kalach-Cha in shielding your community from the doom that comes."
—Zhjaeve introduces herself

A githzerai cleric and zerth that was imprisoned in Crossroad Keep while it was under Garius' control. She is one of the only people who truly knows what is happening, and helps the Knight Captain learn about the King Shadows, its origins, and how it can be stopped.

Whether or not she survived the destruction of the King of Shadows' lair is completely unknown. Not even Ammon Jerro knows what happened to her.

It's commonly theorized that her lack of a patron deity indicates she's actually a psion, not a cleric. Or that since she's part of the Circle of Zerthimon, she worships the githzerai god-king.

Voiced by Lisa Emery.

Associated Tropes:

Ammon Jerro

"Ammon Jerro? Oh, he was a court wizard of Neverwinter decades ago."
—Aldanon's woefully inadequate description of Jerro

A former court wizard of Neverwinter, Ammon Jerro first became aware of the King of Shadows twenty years before the story starts. He tried to warn people about the threat that it posed, but to no avail. Unwilling to let the threat grow unchecked, he vowed to stop the King of Shadows... no matter what.

In a climatic battle twenty years before the story begins, Ammon Jerro battled the King of Shadows in West Harbor at the head of an army of demons, and wielding the Silver Sword of Gith. While his demons fought the undead, he dueled the King of Shadows. He managed to win, but the explosion of power released by the King of Shadows' death throes shattered the Silver Sword and sent Ammon Jerro to Hell.

Having made his way back to the Prime Material Plane, Ammon Jerro again plans to fight the King of Shadows by seeking out the shards of the Silver Sword, and binding demons to his will. The party encounters some of his demons and manages to track down his Haven thanks to his granddaughter, Shandra. When the party and he finally face off, he kills his granddaughter in a rage at her unbinding his demons. After realizing his mistake, Ammon Jerro agrees to join the party to defeat the King of Shadows. If the player character's influence with Shandra was high enough, it is possible to make Ammon Jerro admit that his methods of combating the King of Shadows were flawed, and beg Shandra's forgiveness.

Ammon Jerro survives the end of the original campaign, and potentially has a minor role in Mask of the Betrayer. The party encounters his body at the Academy of Shapers and Binders, and with a bit of clever dealing can recover his soul and restore him. He explains that he managed to follow the player character during his kidnapping, and is the one to provide details about the fates of your companions from the OC. He joins the player for a small amount of time in chapter two, and also sends demonic reinforcements to aid the player in the final chapter of the expansion.

Voiced by Murphy Guyer.

Associated Tropes:

The Construct

"Oh my, this is a marvelously constructed... er... construct. To think of the enchantments that must have been inscribed on its core... fascinating!"
—Grobnar squeeing

A Blade Golem that was sent by Garius' followers to dispose of the party while they were investigating Githyanki activity in Neverwinter. The party manages to drive it off, severely damaging it in the process, and later come across it during the assault on Zeearie's lair. Grobnar, fascinated with the machine, convinces the Knight Captain to confiscate it in hopes of repairing it. Once Crossroad Keep is reclaimed from the Shadow Priests, and after a rather lengthy sidequest, Grobnar is able to repair the construct and make it better than ever.

In the final battle, if Bishop fights alongside Garius and Grobnar's influence is low, Bishop will sabotage the Construct, making it turn against the party. With a high enough influence however, Grobnar reveals that he found a way around that.

Canonically, the Construct was destroyed in the final battle when both it and Grobnar were crushed by a fallen pillar.

Associated Tropes

Neverwinter Nights 2 Non-Party Characters

Lord Nasher Alagondar

A former adventurer and the ruler of the city-state of Neverwinter.

Voiced by Gregg Martin.

Associated Tropes:

  • Bald of Awesome: Has lost the remainder of his hair between games.
  • Big Good: Reprises his role as such from the original Neverwinter Nights.
  • The Good King: Though he's not actually a king, per se.
  • Idiot Ball: Minor case in Storm of Zehir. Making Khelgar Ironfist a member of the Neverwinter Nine? No problem. But putting him in charge of Crossroad Keep? Surely there were more politically adept candidates. The Knight-Captain's seneschal Kana, for instance, or maybe Sir Neville.
    • Khelgar himself notes that it was a bad idea in Storm.
  • Lawful Good: In-universe.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure
  • Retired Badass: Used to be a member of the Northern Four Adventuring Troupe before he became ruler of Neverwinter. The Troupe's history is detailed in the in-game book of the same name.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: In addition to laying various intrigues and magical preparations against invasion by Neverwinter's northern rival Luskan, he personally leads Neverwinter's main army in the Battle of Highcliff in Act III, and is badly wounded in the process.

The King of Shadows

An ancient being of pure magic and top contender for the title of Worst Threat the Sword Coast Has Ever Known.

His history can be found here.

Associated Tropes:

Black Garius

Black Garius when he was human.

The Dragon to the King of Shadows, he is a Luskan mage and the Master of the Fifth Tower.

Voiced by Chris Murney.

  • The Dragon
  • Humanoid Abomination: After being turned into a Shadow Reaver.
  • Mind Rape: Tortures Neeshka, then abuses her diabolic blood to magically bind her.
  • The Starscream: His plan was to harvest the King of Shadows' power for his own gain. His death at the hands of the Knight-Captain threw a wrench into the plan; he was revived as a Shadow Reaver under the King's direct control.


Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Party Members

Safiya

"If you enjoy tense situations, my affiliation with the feared magocracy of Thay should prove endlessly amusing."
—Safiya

A Red Wizard that appears to help the Knight Captain when he/she awakens in Rasheman, and the first party member gained. She claims to have been sent by her mother, the leader of a prominent Thayan academy, to help the Captain for unspecified reasons, but there may be ulterior motives to her task that not even she is aware of.

Unknown to her, she along with her mother and aunt are three fragments of the soul of Akachi's lover, now the Founder. She was planted in the Knight-Captains party as part of the Founder's plan to end the Spirit Eater curse.

Voiced by Julianne Grossman.

Associated Tropes

Gannayev-of-Dreams

Better known as Gann, this young hagspawn is a Rashemi Spirit Shaman that the Captain encounters while searching for allies against Okku. Abandoned by his parents at birth, the wild spirits of Rasheman raised him as their own. Interestingly and unusually, Gann is quite Bishonen, a trait he takes great pride in. As a Spirit Shaman, he is capable of walking in the realm of dreams, which can come in handy at various points in the game.

It is later learned that her mother actually truly loved him and his father, and was forced to abandon him by the Slumbering Coven. Upon discovering this, he implores the Captain to kill the Coven in retribution.

Voiced by Crispin Freeman.

Associated Tropes:

Kaelyn the Dove

A half-celestial cleric of Ilmater that the Captain recruits for the struggle against Okku. The party meets her in the Shadow Realm version of Mulsantir, attempting to discover secret information on Kelemvor and Akachi the Betrayer. In exchange for helping her obtain this information, she agrees to aide the Captain.

Kaelyn was originally a devout servant of Kelemvor, god of death. As time went on she began to question her faith, specifically regarding the Wall of the Faithless. No longer able to shepherd the souls of the dead to a Fate Worse Than Death, she left the Kelemvoran faith and attempted to forcibly tear down the Wall. Though she failed and was cast down into Faerûn, she still wishes to see the Wall destroyed.

Voiced by Cat O'Connor.

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Okku

"I am a god of bears... what is there not to understand? ... I jest, little one. You smell of distant lands... no doubt the spirits of Rashemen are a puzzle to you. In life, I was a bear of flesh and bone. In death, my bond with the land has called me back."
—Okku, asked to describe himself

A powerful bear spirit that is the sole guardian of the Spirit Barrow. He first appears attempting to stop the Knight Captain and Safiya from escaping the Barrow. Although driven off, Okku soon afterwards amasses a spirit army outside Mulsantir, demanding that the Captain face him in combat. Despite the Captain's attempts at peace, Okku strangely insists that the Captain must die. After a heated battle, Okku is defeated and begs that the Captain kill him before the Curse consumes him. If the Captain chooses to suppress the curses' hunger, Okku will be shocked that they have not given in to their hunger, and offers to help the party as part of a compact he made with a previous Spirit Eater long ago.

Okku's clan barrow is the prison the Knight-Captain awakens in at the beginning of the game. To ensure the curse never threatened the world again, the previous Spirit Eater crafted the prison and spent his last days there in the hopes that once he died the curse would be trapped in the prison and never spread to another person. Okku, out of respect to his friend and a sense of duty to end the curse, remained within the Barrow to watch over and guard the prison against interlopers. The curse had disastrous effects on his clan members, most of whom went feral or mad due to the curse's influence.

Voiced by Darryl Kurylo.

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One of Many

"Here is a soul so old, so broken and fragmented... it is not even worth devouring. One would gain more sustenance chomping at the air."
—One of Many

A mysterious spirit entity actually made of many souls in a Hive Mind. If the Knight Captain chooses to devour Okku, you can offer Okku's pelt as a shell for this creature in the Dead God's Vault.

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Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Non-Party Characters

Araman

A mysterious Red Wizard who usurped Safiya's mother as leader of the Acadamy of Shapers and Binders for unknown reasons. He seems to have a vendetta against the Knight-Captain.

Araman is actually the brother of Akachi the Betrayer. Centuries ago, when Akachi chose to rebel against Myrkul for the sake of his lover, Araman chose to stay loyal to his god. As a "reward", Myrkul made him immortal and gave him the task of hunting down the Founder and killing her. His takeover of Thaymount was so he could access a portal that would lead him to the Founder's Sanctum. Before he can reach her, however, the Knight-Captain's party confront him and Araman is ultimately killed. He is later seen on the Fugue Plane, defending the City of the Dead.

Araman is a jaded, depressed man. To this day, he believes firmly that Akachi's betrayal of his god for his love was madness, and believes that no good could come of upsetting the order of the Planes. He takes no pleasure in what he does, instead seeing his actions as necessary evils to maintain balance in the world.

Voiced by Fred Tatasciore.

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The Slumbering Coven

A coven of Rashemi hags who gather dreams and ancient knowledge. While undeniably evil and depraved, most of the people of the nation grudgingly accept their presence due to their wealth of ancient knowledge. The Knight-Captain's party is directed to visit them as a source of information about the Spirit Eater curse, but the Coven, fearing that the Captain will lose control of the curse and devour them, betray the party and dump them in a prison under the lake.

The Coven turns out to be directly responsible for Gann's childhood abandonment. When it was discovered that Gann's mother had sired a child with a human, and worse, loved both the man in question and the child, the Coven offered her a choice between the lives of her child or her lover. She chose to spare her son, and was forced to eat her love alive, the act of which drove her completely insane. Needless to say, Gann is less than pleased to discover this, and insists that they be killed. The Coven attempts to dissuade the Captain from this, claiming that killing them would rob the world of priceless knowledge and beauty, but ultimately the Captain decides whether they live or die. In either case, the Coven do end up telling the party their next destination: Thaymount Academy.

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The Faceless Man a.k.a. Akachi the Betrayer

The embodiment of the Spirit-Eater curse, dealing with the Faceless Man is the only way for the Spirit-Eater curse to be ended. Its origin is a mystery that drives much of the backstory, and discovering it provides the key to freeing the Knight-Captain.

Akachi was once the high priest of the now-dead god Myrkul, who once was god of the dead. When his lover, the Founder, died without pledging herself to a god, her soul was condemned to the Wall of the Faithless and Akachi chose to rebel against his god to save her. This became known as the First Crusade, and earned him the title, "The Betrayer". His Crusade failed, and as punishment he was bound to the Wall himself. However, Myrkul seeing an opportunity to spread misery (and alive-in-death by exploiting the Forgotten Realms' early God Needs Prayer Badly system) decided that Akachi had not suffered enough, and so inflicted a real Fate Worse Than Death on him. He was stripped of his mind, his humanity and everything that had made him a person, and left with an insatiable hunger for souls: the Faceless Man. The Spirit Eater curse is his parasitic ravenous remnant, attaching itself to people and condemning their souls to the Wall in his place. Over time, his victims are slowly "digested", devouring more spirits to hold off the encroachment of the curse, but needing more and more spirits to hold off the hunger.

At the end of the game, the player character recovers the stolen soul from the Wall of the Faithless, but must then battle Akachi for control over it. Depending on what whether or not the three fragments of the Mask of the Betrayer were recovered in the game, the Knight-Captain can choose to restore Akachi and end the Spirit-Eater curse, subdue Akachi and spend eternity on the Fugue Plane, or devour the Faceless Man and become a power to shake the planes.

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Myrkul, the Lord of Bones

Myrkul, or rather what's left of him.

The former god of the dead, and creator of the Wall of the Faithless and Spirit-Eater curse.

Myrkul was a member of the Dead Three along with Bane and Bhaal, a trio of evil epic-level adventurers who, centuries ago, challenged the original god of the dead, Jergal, for rulership. Ironically Jergal had grown tired of his job and divvied up his portfolio voluntarily. Myrkul came away with death, Bane with tyranny, and Bhaal with murder, while Jergal chose to simply be the archivist of the dead.

Fast forward several hundred years (we'll skip Akachi's rebellion since it's described above), and the Dead Three get back together in 1358 DR (the Year of Shadows) to steal the Tablets of Fate from the Overgod Ao. An infuriated overgod casts the entire pantheon down to Toril, only allowing them back if the Tablets are recovered. During this period, Myrkul is killed by Mystra, and Bhaal is slain by Cyric. (Bane is killed by Torm, but gets better about ten years later.) As happens with all dead gods, Myrkul's corpse was set adrift in the Astral Plane, which holds the multiverse together.

The Knight-Captain runs across his decaying corpse during his/her escape from the Academy of Shapers and Binders via the Astral Plane. After interrogating Myrkul on various points to the player's satisfaction, s/he is given the opportunity to serve up an Ironic Death with the Spirit-Eater.

Voiced by S Scott Bullock.

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Kelemvor, the Lord of the Dead

The Forgotten Realms' incumbent god of the dead, ruler of the Fugue Plane and unwilling administrator of the Wall of the Faithless.

His backstory is available in numerous sourcebooks, a novel series, and on the Forgotten Realms wiki.

Voiced by Rodger Bumpass.

Associated Tropes:

  • BFS: His favored weapon is a bastard sword called Fatal Touch.
  • Cool Mask
  • Deity of Human Origin: Kelemvor started out as the mercenary Kelemvor Lyonsbane, and replaced Cyric as god of the dead only six years before Mask of the Betrayer.
  • Don't Fear the Reaper: In stark contrast to his predecessors Myrkul and Cyric, Kelemvor and his worshipers work to ensure that the dead rest peacefully, and that the living understand that death is not to be feared.
    • This is at odds with the architecture of many of his temples, since most (including the one in Mulsantir) are repurposed temples to Myrkul.
  • I Have Many Names: Again, from being a god. His other titles include "Lord of the Crystal Spire" and the somewhat inaccurate "Judge of the Damned".
  • Lawful Neutral: In-universe.
  • Narrator All Along

Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Characters

The Main Party

An individual, or group of up to four adventurers, who sail on the ship The Vigilant from the Sword Coast to Samarach. Shipwrecked after a storm, the party must work quickly to arm themselves with whatever is at hand to defend against a mob of batiri enraged at a linguistic mistake made by the famous Volothamp Geddarm. After defending themselves, the survivors are captured by Samarachan soldiers, but fortunately are freed by Sa'Sani, the owner of the merchant who commissioned the vessel. She suspects the Vigilant was sabotaged, and hires the player to investigate.

Thus begins a lighthearted tale of adventure, discovery and merchant finance, set in both the familiar Sword Coast and the exotic Chultan penninsula.

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Volothamp Geddarm

Volothamp Geddarm, or Volo for short, is the most famous traveler in all the Realms, as well as a powerful wizard and the author of a number of travel guides to all the Realms. While some of his exploits are certainly exaggerated, if not outright fabrications, Volo is nevertheless VERY well traveled, and boasts a wide array of knowledge about, well, everything, even as he constantly thirsts for additional experiences and knowledge.

A fellow passenger aboard the Vigilant, after the ship was wrecked Volo attempted to negotiate with the batiri who came to investigate the wreckage. When negotiations inevitably failed, Volo bought the main party as much time to prepare for their attack as he could. After the battle, he is taken into custody with the survivors until freed by Sa'Sani. He stays in the merchant company's headquarters, presumably to stay near Sa'Sani, and hands out a few small sidequests in the first part of the game. Volo also asks that the player report to him about the locations the party visits to use as material for his next book.

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Sa'Sani

The owner of a fairly new merchant company, Sa'Sani is the one who hired the Vigilant, the ship that the player party sailed south on. When the ship is wrecked off the coast of Samarach, Sa'Sani decides to use the player party, indebted to her for saving them as they are, to investigate the odd circumstances and coincidences building up around her. Later, after accusations of consorting with the Yuan-ti are leveled at her, she moves her base of operations north to Crossroad Keep.

As it turns out, Sa'Sani is not guilty of working with the yuan-ti, she is one. Her original goal was to place agents in key positions in Samarach and the Sword Coast, but Zehir and his House Se'Sehen supplicants derailed those plans. Her ultimate fate is left up to the player to decide; if she is not killed she can either fade into obscurity if the company does poorly or become either a harsh businesswoman suspected of arranging "accidents" for competitors if allowed to follow her natural business instincts or a celebrated engineer of change and social progress if a promise to not harm anyone during her reconstruction of the Sword Coast.

Associated Tropes:

  • The Atoner: You can make her into this.
  • Cute Monster Girl: Volo is attracted to her, even after he finds out what she really is.
  • Good Feels Good: If the player extracts a promise from her, she can realize this and come to regard her human identity as her true self.
  • Lawful Evil: Presumably her original alignment.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: She is a princess of the Yuan-ti House Sauringar.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Sa'Sani makes a point of explaining her actions to the main party, and trusts them with a huge amount of discretionary powers in her company after seeing how capable they are.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Cohorts

Umoja

A Chultan druid with a deinonychus for his animal companion. Found in the Samargol market.

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Inshula sar Mashewe

A Tashalan ranger staying at in Samargol while her sister recuperates from wounds sustained in a hunting accident. You can hire her, or you can let her read tarot cards (possibly stacking the deck) which will convince her to join you for free.

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Lastri Kassireh

A lightfoot halfling Swashbuckler, and captain of the ill-fated Vigilant. You can recruit her after rescuing her and her second mate from the batiri.

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Chir Darkflame

A svirfneblin[1] wizard being held captive by mind flayers in the Underdark Market in Samarach. You can recruit her by killing the illithids, then freeing the captives.

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Finch

A half-elf bard found in taverns throughout the Sword Coast. You can recruit him after clearing him of trumped-up theft charges in Neverwinter.

Associated Tropes:

  • Chaotic Good: In-universe.
  • Clear Their Name: He's wanted for theft in Neverwinter. Turns out a nobleman thought Finch was getting too close to his wife, and accused him of stealing a priceless Lantanese timepiece.
  • Call Back: The OC referred briefly to a bard named Finch who kept losing his hat. This is him.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: A half-elf.
  • Spoony Bard: Thankfully he's nowhere near as annoying as Grobnar was.

Soraevora Aeravand

"Follow me, as an arrow from Sehanine's bow!"

A sun elf favored soul of Angarradh. You meet her in the throne room on your first visit to Crossroad Keep.

Associated Tropes:

  • Blade on a Stick: A divine spellcaster who favors spears? Perfect recipe for the Stormlord Prestige Class if you build her right.
  • Chaotic Good: In-universe.
  • Large Ham
  • Mission from God: Traveled overseas from Evermeet on orders from her goddess. Angarradh saw the rise of the Zehiric cult and, being a good deity, decided to intervene.
  • Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Par for the course with elves, but subverted in that she's old enough to show it on her face (looks to be maybe in her forties or fifties if she was human).

Grykk Bannersworn

A half-orc paladin of Torm, currently staying at the Wailing Wench Tavern in Neverwinter. He'll join you if he likes you (which requires good party members and/or party members that worship Torm), or if you pay him 1000 gp to "prove your sincerity".

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Belueth the Calm

An aasimar rogue, and a member of the Shadow Thieves of Amn, staying at the temple of Waukeen in Neverwinter. She'll join you upon receipt of 3000-5000 gp.

Associated Tropes:

  • Cool Mask: Wears a jet-black domino as a symbol of her devotion to the thief-god Mask.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: Aasimar are humans with a good-aligned outsider (typically an angel) as an ancestor.
  • Neutral Evil: In-universe.
  • Stereotype Flip: She's an aasimar. Beings such as her are usually known for being good because of their angelic heritage, while she's Neutral Evil in-universe.

Septimund

A human doomguide of Kelemvor, the god of the dead whom you may remember was the narrator of Mask of the Betrayer. Septimund is found in Port Llast, where he is investigating nightly incursions by undead from the nearby graveyard.

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Quarrel

A half-drow warlock found in West Harbor. You can recruit him after a sidequest.

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Ribsmasher

A human monk whom you can find imprisoned in a secret shrine to Shar. Batshit insane and utterly hilarious.

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Ribsmasher: WRONG TURN! HA!

Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate Characters

Rinara

A half-elf rogue. You'll meet her at the start of the campaign.

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Mantides

A human fighter. You'll meet Mantides in the Black Eye Tavern in the Harbor Loop. Regardless of what you say to him, he'll offer to join your party.

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Charissa Maernos

A human cleric of Tyr. You meet her the first time you enter the the Morningstar Haven in the Arena District.

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Sir Peregrim

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Elandra

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Tasheni

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Zymena

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Orbakh

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  1. ↑ a.k.a. deep gnome
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