Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir

Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir is an expansion pack for the role-playing video game Neverwinter Nights 2, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari Interactive. It was released in late 2008 in North America, Europe, and Australia. Like previous entries in the Neverwinter Nights series, Storm of Zehir is based on the paper and pencil fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and uses the game’s 3.5 edition ruleset. Storm of Zehir was inspired by older video games like the Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale franchises. The storyline foreshadows the events of the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons and follows the adventures of a group of merchants in the Samarach and Sword Coast areas of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Storm of Zehir received mixed reviews from critics. Reviewers were pleased with new features introduced in the game, like more options for party customization and an overland map, but were not impressed with the game’s storyline and technical achievements.

Gameplay

Storm of Zehir is an expansion of Neverwinter Nights 2 and continues the formula of a role-playing video game played from an overhead third-person perspective. Players first create a character along the lines of the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 rules by selecting a variety of traits, such as race, class, and feats. New character creation options include the yuan-ti pureblood and gray orc races, the swashbuckler class, and the hellfire warlock and doomguide of Kelemvor prestige classes. The rest of the player’s party can also be created, unlike Neverwinter Nights 2, but pre-made characters are available if the player is not interested in complete customization. The party can then explore several regions on the Forgotten Realms continent of Faerûn. The game provides an overland map that is used to move between different areas like towns and dungeons. While on the map, characters can use various skills to identify treasure, monsters, and other points of interest, such as side quests and secret locations. The party can rest while on the map, but doing so puts them at risk of random encounters in the form of wandering monsters. In combat, players have access to a variety of abilities and magic spells, based on the makeup of the party. Storm of Zehir uses the dice-based d20 System of Dungeons & Dragons and each action requires a random number generated by a die roll. The player can control a character individually by selecting specific actions to be taken against enemies, or allow the game’s artificial intelligence to fight by using a pre-selected set of behaviors for each character. Defeating monsters and completing quests bestows experience points on the party, which are used to gain levels and become more powerful. The player character can engage in other activities outside of combat, such as completing quests and interacting with non-player characters. While in conversation with other characters, the player character can influence them by using several skills, such as “Intimidate” or “Diplomacy”. The entire party can assist in this process if they have the appropriate skills. Characters can create weapons, armor, and other goods with raw materials through a system of skill-based crafting. Storm of Zehir also includes a regional economy whereby players can establish trading outposts in various towns and create caravan routes between them, providing merchandise to consumers along each route. The caravans can be personally observed and managed by the player, such as providing security if attacked by bandits.

Plot

The plot events and characters are described, below, using in-universe tone.

Setting

Like other games in the Neverwinter Nights series, Storm of Zehir takes place in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, on the continent of Faerûn on the planet Abeir-Toril. It is set mostly in the Samarach and Sword Coast regions, with visits to locations featured in previous games such as Crossroad Keep and the city of Neverwinter. Since the Shadow War depicted in Neverwinter Nights 2 and the subsequent disappearance of the game’s protagonist, the Knight–Captain, Neverwinter and the surrounding area have been declining economically. Several merchant companies have been attempting to establish a foothold in the region, with limited success.

Story

Storm of Zehir’s story begins with the player character escorting a ship called the Vigilant, sailing from the Sword Coast to Samarach. Halfling captain Lastri Kassireh quickly advises the party to go below decks in anticipation of an impending storm. The violent storm, coupled with a possible act of sabotage, culminates in the Vigilant becoming shipwrecked on the shores of the xenophobic nation of Samarach. The captain is missing, but the party quickly sets to work organizing the survivors, such as finding defensible positions nearby and salvaging equipment from the wreckage. Before long, a tribe of goblins discovers the group, and their leader issues a challenge in an unknown language. One of the other passengers of the Vigilant, the bard Volothamp “Volo” Geddarm, claims to speak the goblin tongue but inadvertently insults the goblins and instigates a battle. After the goblins are defeated, a group of humans approaches and arrests the party on suspicion of treachery, escorting them to the Open Palm market in the nearby city of Samargol. There, a local merchant named Sa’Sani intervenes on the party’s behalf, revealing herself to be the recipient of the goods traveling aboard the waylaid Vigilant. She subsequently recruits the party to investigate the ship’s demise and the whereabouts of Captain Kassireh. After rescuing the captain from goblins, investigating the wreckage of the Vigilant, and recovering some of Sa’Sani’s goods, the merchant offers the characters employment in her trading corporation. The party undertakes various missions throughout Samarach for her, establishing trade routes through the jungles of Chult and protecting caravans along them. As the group continues to expand their trading operation, they eventually discover a large plot involving followers of the new yuan-ti god, Zehir. They learn that the yuan-ti, evil serpentine humanoids, have been infiltrating human settlements from their temples in the jungles of Chult and posing as merchants. After Sa’Sani commits an act of murder at Crossroad Keep, the party learns that she is a yuan-ti priestess of Sseth who has adopted this guise. The characters are given the option of aiding Sa’Sani against a powerful yuan-ti House Se’Sehen that shifted its attention to the new god, Zehir. In order to stop the House Se’Sehen’s plot to conquer Sword Coast, the party has to infiltrate the House’s stronghold, the Temple of the World Serpent, and assassinate N’Safa, the high priest, and a powerful being called the “Herald of Zehir”, which is a gift from the god himself. Afterwards, the party has the opportunity to slay Sa’Sani as well.

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