Companion NPCs

There are five companions to choose from in the first campaign. Any will stay with you until the end of thew campaign unless you do something to make them leave or fire them. All are voluntary. Two are mutually exclusive. You can take them all, or leave them all. The companion you don't take with you will wait at your "house". If you "fire" them, you cannot hire them back. Firing them is an option you get five times in the module, so don't expect to be able to fire them when you want to. You can fire them politely if you want to as well. Whenever they go, they will take some gold with them, so be careful.

Each of your companions have interjections and personal stories. ALL of them have subquests though it may not be immediately apparent with some of them.

Three of your companions are those you knew when you were young, so expect some history. Two of your mutually exclusive companions meet you for the first time in chapter 2, so they don't know much about your past.

Manav & Chaitanya:
Duing one of your quests, you will be making a choice between the two of them.

Chaitanya: The son of the headman of Hasthi, Chaitanya is a rising star in the Central Provinces militia and is considered to be a shoo-in for joining one of the King's elite units one day. He was raised in the Lawgiver faith and tends to see the world as pitch black and pure white. He has his own subquests. If you don't take Chaitanya into your group, you will still meet him later in act 3 of the first module.

Chaitanya is not romanceable. At least not in this campaign. In Tamas: The Axe of Parashu, he may be. But for this chapter- he is not.

Chaitanya will not approve of any nookie and most romances. He is most scathing about Sundari as he thinks all female elves are of questionable morals. If you are female or male, he will be okay with your romances as long as you have 30 influence with him and you are not engaging in "sinful" behavior. Most of your companions will not get along well with Chaitanya, but having him in your party boosts your reputation significantly. You will also find that Lawgivers are less inclined to be mistrustful of you if you take him along.

It is easiest to gain or lose influence with Chaitanya. If you gain too many points in the Mitraa faction, he will leave the party. He will also leave the party based on your decisions in a key event in chapter 3.

Manav: A man ostracized for loving another man, Manav is in search of his beloved. He is not romanceable by male or female NPCs as his heart strongly and totally belongs to another. Manav is mostly silent, unless the subject of Lawgivers come up when he lets it rip because he has been subjected to so much tumoil on their account. But even his mistrust of the Lawgivers does not compare to the hatred he feels for the Pavitra who kidnapped his lover.

Manav becomes chatty only after you have acquired a lot of influence with him. Do not expect him to trust you until you have proven that your acceptance of him is total and that you are dedicated to his search. Manav has his own subquests and is a spirit shaman. If you gain too much lawgiver points he will leave. He will also leave the party based on your decision in a key event in chapter 3.

Most of your companions like him well enough because he minds his own business. If you date outside the party, you will find that your females either loathe him, or ask him for shopping advice- something that often bewilders him because he is not in any way artistically inclined. Lawgivers will be less inclined to trust you if he is part of your party. If you are female PC- who is usually viewed with mistrust, keep this in mind. However, most quests have alternative paths- so remember if you lose some- you gain others.

Manav, if treated well will eventually become interested and devoted to PC as a person, and not in a romantic or sexual way. However, it is very hard to gain that level of devotion in a man who doesn't trust anyone easily.

Aditya: Your best friend as a child, and now almost pathetically glad to see you- the awkward pudgy boy turned into a strong, capable Paladin. But alas the mischievous streak in him remains intact. Aditya is like a puppy dog, boundless in his enthusiasm, and with a vast open heart.

Aditya does not seem to completely comprehend that both of you are grown up now, and he continues to treat you like both of you were 10 and harassing the ashrama cows all over again. While his enthusiasm and desire to tilt at windmills may be annoying, Aditya's devotion to you- male or female is unparalleled. He will die for you without a second thought.

If you are female and good aligned, Aditya is romanceable. Kind of. Do not expect poetry. Expect some amount of clumsiness and awkwardness in the beginning as he begins to fully comprehend that he is attracted to you. And even after he does, don't expect grace. Remember the puppy dog analogy? Aditya is playful and jocular, and you can banter around with him, but his typical reaction to a pass is fumbling bashfulness. If you can look beyond his goofiness to see the sincere heart and complete devotion, it may work.

If you start a romance with Nirav, Sundari or another NPC, Aditya will rag you mercilessly- but will be thrilled for you. He will not romance you if you romance someone else- whether they are there in the party or not. If you are a guy and cheat on the woman you are dating, he will tell on you even if he doesn't like the other npc.

Sundari:Sundari is one of the Gandharva elves and a very rare creature indeed. Not only was she born to elven parents, she is a wielder of magick- something practically unheard of in Samsara. While Shamans and Clerics are relatively common (though still quite rare)- a wizard or sorceress is a creature so rare that it breeds wonder in some and extreme mistrust in others.

Sundari is romanceable by male and female NPCs but watch out- though her interest is relatively easy to get, maintaining her interest is hard. Brilliant, pretty and blessed/cursed with a biting wit, Sundari's mind needs constant stimulation. If you slack off, don't be surprised if she cools off.

You will find that she is your most honest sounding board. Unlike Aditya who is inclined to think most things you do are GREAT, and Nirav who really doesn't care what you do (but who you are becoming), Sundari is blunt- in her praise and her criticism. Her eagle eye misses nothing- a glimmer of interest in another NPC or the motivations behind your actions.

If you are romancing someone, expect her to have something frank to say about it. If you are a male romancing an out of party NPC- expect them to display some jealousy that you are traveling with a female elf- even an ultimatum. Sundari will not tell on you unless you cheat on someone she likes.

Even if you treat her badly, Sundari will travel with you unless you fire her. She is level headed enough to understand that the larger goal is bigger than the way the two of you get along. Your companions are apt to treat her partly like a kid who needs protection and sometimes like the know it all elder sister.

Nirav: Nirav as a character scared me, because he is complex and romanceable. I cannot write romances well (even Aditya is being written with the help of my husband), and I was thrilled when Melrinda said she would craft him. From what I have read, I can tell you ladies and gents have a treat in store for them- especially the ladies.

Nirav is a Ranger, though an atypical one. He is large and strong like the Barbarians of the western provinces but never thought of being anything else but a Ranger because he was rescued as a child by one. A man of few words and strong opinions, it is difficult to gain his loyalty, but once you do, it is pretty much unshakeable.

Nirav cares only about his immediate circle, and those beyond that can burn for all he cares. He seems somewhat apathetic, but buried behind that cold, cool facade is a lot of seething anger towards the cowards who slaughtered his village and murdered his parents.

Both good and evil aligned female PCs can romance him, but if you are good, note that each time you take a detour to help strangers, Nirav is likely to get annoyed. You need to have very high speechcraft skills to persuade him to accept the detour. Though you will never "change" him, you can get him to accept you as who you are as long as you do the same for him.

Nirav doesn't care who you romance, though if it is within the party, he will have something typically sardonic to say about it. If you date outside your party, he doesn't really care. If you cheat on your girlfriend, Nirav is not going to be the one who tells on you, though delay his subquest too long and he will leave unless your influence is really high. If you have initiated a romance with Aditya, Nirav will not romance you unless you fire Aditya.

If you romance Nirav, note that he is not the idealistic, we will be together come what may sort. Lose his respect and you lose the romance.