Neverwinter Lore and Symbolism: revelation or design/imagination?

roadkill

In the opening cinematic for the game, when the brown-eyed rogue (Xuna?) is caught by the blue-eyed hulk (?), a blue energy or essence (astral?) comes out of the rogue's eyes. As Valindra's appearance changes her eyes take on a blue colour also. I've been wondering what is happening to the rogue and/or what Valindra is doing to change the eye colour and also if there is an embedded revelation somehow related to the origins of blue-eyed humans or if it is all imagination/design.

There are many details that I've wondered about but will start with this example and wondering if these kinds of questions I would need to ask Cryptic Studios directly (and how if yes).

frogwalloper

Makes me think of spellplague fire.

roadkill

Another related question pertaining to cinematics, is it possible to view the various versions? After I noticed a small variation in the opening cinematic at the arcgames YouTube channel, I've been told that cinematics have changed several times since the beginning.

arazith07

I figured the blue eyes and magic swirls were just necromantic energy. Valindra was just using illusion to look like she did before becoming a Lich and let it fade.

micky1p00

There are about 2-3, one is the intro, but there is a longer version which also shows Xuna's childhood flashbacks.

Hard to find links now, but I think the first part of this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy_zPPTNyO8

The videos are made by third party company, and actually even if not, some artistic details can be passed as requirement from the source materials, but some left to the video art director to interpret and to art with. So it may not have any special meaning except "it looks good and conveys the power / magic".

roadkill

I found recording of an Acquisitions Incorported live game when Chris Perkins was the DM in which he said something to the effect "you don't think we actually make this stuff up? We are travelling the dimensions/universe, and then make merchandise in the form of adventures and novels based on what we found in our travels." He had worked into his game that the adventures somehow travelled to Earth and the WotC headquarters and meet the real Chris Perkins. I don't know if he planned that or made it up on the fly. But, that got me wondering about the details of Neverwinter productions a bit more, the cinematics and in-game design.

roadkill

I found that or a closely similar version of the video above linked by micky1p00 before starting this discussion but thanks for linking it. Strangely, that version is not the current playable version from the game client.

I may repost elsewhere specifically the following request, but in case Cryptic sees this discussion, I wish the various module cinematics other that just the Siege and Ravenloft become launchable from the game client.

roadkill

Valindra using illusion magic to conceal her undead form seems highly probable. Any other options?

greywynd

It isn't highly probable. It is a given ability that she uses in the tabletop.

roadkill

Oh, so it's a known lore that she uses illusion magic for her appearance? Okay thanks.

greywynd

Yes. And lets it drop for a "scare the HAMSTER out of you" moment.

roadkill

Her pupils in the cinematic also change to focused vertical slits just as the dracolich appears behind her, so that part confused me also if she was originally an elf. But, the foremost question remains about what is happening to the rogue. Is the hulk attacking her, overloading her with necrotic energy and the excess is seeping out her eyes and abdominal or is the hulk sucking/pulling out some essence?

greywynd

Sucking out life energy levels the way undead tend to do.

roadkill

Okay, so life energy is blue? I'm wondering how Valindra has blue glowing eyes considering her illusion image of her former self are not blue. Reminds me of Windows blue screen.

greywynd

Liches are empowered by the souls of others.

Zarifrax: I need souls!

roadkill

I think I get that liches are empowered or impowered or ampowered by the spelling of the name itself, there is some "ich". I assume also that dracoliches are also empowered by someone. Fulminorax, a dragon allies with Valindra and players can confront them in Malabog's Castle and it may be Fulminorax that influences Valindra's appearance but that is my speculation. The risen undead soldiers other than the hulk (for better lack of identifier) in the cinematic have red eyes though, not blue, so it's still mysterious regarding eye colours and colour changes. There are those with blue eyes but not dragon shaped eyes, and that's what got me considering what Chris Perkins did in that show commenting about source material for Wizards of the Coast.

greywynd

There's "lich": an undead creature type. Very powerful.

Draco"lich": an undead lich made from a dragon.

roadkill

www.acq-inc.com/portfolio/details/pax-south-2018 is the show I was referring to about Chris Perkins, who at 1:45:34 in the video says "You didn't think we make this stuff up". At 2:11:00 another synopsis begins about Wizards of the Coast.

gabrieldourden

micky1p00 said:

There are about 2-3, one is the intro, but there is a longer version which also shows Xuna's childhood flashbacks.

Hard to find links now, but I think the first part of this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy_zPPTNyO8

The videos are made by third party company, and actually even if not, some artistic details can be passed as requirement from the source materials, but some left to the video art director to interpret and to art with. So it may not have any special meaning except "it looks good and conveys the power / magic".

This video makes much more sense. Here you understand why Xuna (a rogue/assassin) take a 1 on 1 against that guy. Normally rogues don't do that. By the way the way Xuna teleports is more similar to what the Assassin does in D&D 4e (teleporting from shadow to shadow) than to standard Rogue hide-in-the-shadows.