Ign .comMysteries of Westgate Diary 1
Ossian Studios' introduces its title featuring a non-linear campaign, new companions, a sewer tile set and more

December 04, 2007 - Known far and wide across the Forgotten Realms, Westgate is a major city located where the River Thunn flows into the Inner Sea. It's home and headquarters to a number of very prosperous merchant families, each with its own warehouses and other facilities. Officially, it's governed by a council on which they are all represented. However, there are those who feel the true power lies elsewhere, in the hands of a shadowy thieves guild that, by virtue of its assassins, agents and other assorted scoundrels, has extended its reach far beyond the municipality into a vast web of nefarious influence.


Said to be the first in a series of adventure packs that will retail via digital download, Ossian Studios' Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate is approaching release, possibly within days, although a definite date has yet to be announced. Along with an open-ended campaign involving a potent but cursed treasure, the title will feature new content including three companion NPCs, a sewer tile set for module makers, additional monsters, an original score and professionally recorded dialogue. Seeking to know more, we were fortunate when the team proved willing to provide further insights through a series of diaries.


Westgate Location and Lore

Having set our previous Neverwinter Nights game, Darkness over Daggerford, in the small and sleepy town of Daggerford along the Sword Coast, we scanned through many places in the Forgotten Realms in search of a location that had a well-developed background and intriguing lore. We also made notes on the places that fans had been requesting in the community for an official Neverwinter game.

We were looking for something that was at the other end of the spectrum from sleepy Daggerford, something that bustled with danger, and that would fire up a lot of excitement at the mere mention of its name. The city of Westgate along the Dragon Coast fit the bill very well. I'll let Luke talk more about some of the sights of this locale that convinced us it would be an excellent place to set an adventure.

Mysteries of Westgate is a single-player game that starts the player off at level 8. It is very much an urban-based adventure, with a number of different districts that the player can explore within this city of corruption. Players can look forward to 15 hours of gameplay with a branching core story and, just like Darkness over Daggerford, plenty of side quests.



Alan Miranda
Producer and Co-Lead Designer, Neverwinter Night 2: Mysteries of Westgate
CEO, Ossian Studios


If anywhere embodies and embraces the cutthroat, "anything goes" nature of the Dragon Coast, it is the most powerful and infamous settlement in the region. One of the major trading powers of the Realms, Westgate revels in its status as an open city. No race is prohibited and no faith is outlawed, and on any given day, one might find drow mingling with ogres, pirates and worse in the city's dingy taverns, or else see exotic creatures that wouldn't be tolerated elsewhere hawking their wares in broad daylight.

Despite this recipe for anarchy, open conflict is not as common as one might imagine. Most of the influential and powerful citizens of Westgate are too wrapped up in their own plots or schemes to draw unwanted attention. And the endless pursuit of coin tends to keep the wheels of the city turning despite everything.

For the purposes of this adventure, the city is split into four major districts. The Harbor Loop is the grimy, rough docks area of Westgate, and the Black Eye tavern, owned by three hulking brothers, is one of the first locations players will want to visit after docking in the harbor. The most dangerous part of the district, the Warrens, is a crawling maze of alleys where the most destitute and wretched of the poorest citizens face a daily fight for survival. Unfortunately for them, nobody outside the area cares for their plight.



The Market Triangle is the bustling center of trade in the city. Here, one can find all manner of goods peddled by merchants from every corner of the Realms. One of the most notable shops is Mintassan's Mysteries: Curios From Very Far Away Places, owned by the planar-traveling archmage, Mintassan. Here, adventurers can find magical goods obtained from the farthest reaches of the planes. At the center of the district is the Tower, Westgate's center of mercantile and hence political power.



The Arena District is named after the Quivering Thumb, a gladiatorial enterprise recently arrived from Unther. This sandpit arena is a popular spot for adventurers looking to win gold and infamy by testing their mettle against other combatants. A number of temples can be found in this area, the largest of which is Morningstar Haven, dedicated to the god Lathander. The priests there spare no expense in their lavish displays of devotion to their deity, and it has been said - although rarely... this is Westgate after all - that perhaps such wealth might be put to better use in helping the city's poor



Even in such a city, there are certain creatures and professions that can only operate freely away from the presence of more normal folk. Undergate is the even darker underbelly to the city's shadowy surface. It is said that in Westgate, "anything goes and everything has a price," but in the case of this particular area, "everything goes for all who can afford it." It is rumored that somewhere in this vicinity, there's a tavern operated by a mysterious being. Only the most evil and depraved creatures frequent this place, and its "delights" are reserved only for those whom the proprietor considers the right - or wrong - kind of patron.

Luke Scull
Lead Designer, Neverwinter Night 2: Mysteries of Westgate
Ossian Studios


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Ign .comMysteries of Westgate Diary 2

February 20, 2008 - Known far and wide across the Forgotten Realms, Westgate is a major city located where the River Thunn flows into the Inner Sea. It's home and headquarters to a number of very prosperous merchant families, each with its own warehouses and other facilities. Officially, it's governed by a council on which they are all represented. However, there are those who feel the true power lies elsewhere, in the hands of a shadowy thieves guild that, by virtue of its assassins, agents and other assorted scoundrels, has extended its reach far beyond the municipality into a vast web of nefarious influence.
Said to be the first in a series of adventure packs that will retail via digital download, Ossian Studios' Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate
is approaching release, likely next month, although a definite date has yet to be announced. Along with an open-ended campaign involving a potent but cursed treasure, the title will feature new content including three companion NPCs, a sewer tile set for module makers, additional monsters, an original score and professionally recorded dialogue. Seeking to know more, we were fortunate when the team proved willing to provide further insights through a series of diaries.

Includes five exclusive screenshots

Major Players and Companions in a City Where Anything Goes

The Night Masks are a powerful thieves guild that operates out of the city of Westgate, although in actuality, thievery is amongst the least of the group's activities. Most commoners believe they are a nuisance the ruling council of the city manages to keep under control, but the truth is far more disturbing than that. The Night Masks have their fingers everywhere in Westgate, and no less than three of its 10 ruling noble houses are directly controlled by the evil organization.

Charissa's enemies would call her rude, condescending and arrogant. Her friends would... well, say the same thing while adding there are few they would rather have at their back in a fight.
The rulers of the Night Masks are an enigma, and all that is known by those not part of its upper hierarchy is that the undisputed leader of the organization is simply known as the Faceless. Who or what the Faceless may be is unknown, but rumor has it that several different beings have held the position over the years.

Recently, a rival guild calling itself the Ebon Claws has arisen to challenge the Night Masks' dominance of Westgate's illegal activities. Springing up remarkably quickly, this new faction has so far managed to get the better of its rivals. On several occasions, gang warfare has broken out in the streets, particularly in the Harbor Loop. This has not gone unnoticed by Obid Teltas. The acting high priest at Morningstar Haven, he is a blustering man who, despite his position, has the general manner of a used ox-cart seller. He has made a public vow to rid the streets of the evil "festering in its bowels", but as yet, his actions seem to have amounted to little more than attempting to convince a few hired mercenaries and adventurers to probe around.


Obid Teltas

Mysteries of Westgate features three fully developed companions, all of whom possess detailed histories and personalities. We wanted to keep them fairly grounded in terms of concept (so no half-dragon / half-solars!), but rich in complexity, and with well-rounded and realistic motivations and goals. They each have a role to play in the story, and ultimately, the conclusion to their respective tales is somewhat dependent upon the player's actions.

Companions
Mantides was once a champion of Lathander, a paladin in the service of Morningstar Haven whose deeds and combat prowess were renowned throughout Westgate. However, something happened to result in his dismissal from both the church and the favor of the Morninglord. Stripped of his paladin powers and tortured by whatever events led to his fall from grace, he now drowns his sorrows in the Black Eye tavern. He refuses to speak about the specifics, but it is known that he harbors a very deep hatred for the Night Masks. While he is a bit rusty due to lack of practice, he still knows how to use a sword.

Rinara is a former collector for the Night Masks who has returned to Westgate after a short exile. Unfortunately, despite her many skills, this professional criminal has never been good with disguises. With her distinctive green eyes and matching short swords, the "Lady of Shivs" is likely to be recognized by her many enemies in the city.

Charissa Maernos is the daughter of a disgraced line of Waterdhavian nobility. Convinced of her parents' innocence, she turned to the Tyrran church for a measure of justice. It, in turn, gained a warrior of singular dedication and uncompromising vision. Unsuited for a cloistered life of prayer and reflection, the Tyrrans unleashed their new recruit on the criminals of Toril. Bludgeoning first with her massive war hammer and asking questions later, she has restlessly traveled Faerun from the Sword Coast to the Dragon Coast, always on the lookout for the one man who can prove her parents' innocence. Charissa's enemies would call her rude, condescending and arrogant. Her friends would... well, say the same thing while adding there are few they would rather have at their back in a fight. "When the hammer meets the anvil," she is fond of saying, "there's never a doubt as to which side I'll be on." She has little time for those who are less sure.


Mantides

Rinara

Charissa Maernos

Edited by Cattaneo R - 23/2/2008, 22:59