Video Game / The Aielund Saga

The Aielund Saga is fan module created for Neverwinter Nights. Set in the custom world of Feydwiir, you begin as a simple rookie adventurer and quickly becomes enthralled in a political intrigue. The game throws just about everything the Aurora Engine has to offer at you, including fan-made title sets, character models, equipment and art. The game is broken into four chapters and can be downloaded from the Neverwinter Nights Vault. In mid-2021, it was incorporated into the Enhanced Edition of Neverwinter Nights via a patch.

• Act I - Nature Abhors A Vacuum: It is constantly raining and you decide to leave your inn to go adventuring, not knowing the intrigue that you're about to be sucked into.
• Act II - Defender of the Crown: You're trusted with Princess Crisoa's safety and you must uncover the conspiracy to overthrow her and her father, King Seamus.
• Act III - Return of the Ironlord: The mysterious Ironlord has returned to conquer Aielund with a massive army of golems and constructs. You must gather all manners of allies and any means to defeat this implacable foe.
• Act IV - The Fall of Aielund: The kingdom Aielund is now ruled by an evil tyrant. You must not only free it from oppression, but also save the entire world from unknown oppressive creatures.

These modules have also been adapted into a series of novels.

The Aielund Saga series contains the following tropes:

• Abusive Precursors: The Saqaarin are aliens who keep 'lesser races' as cattle without them knowing it, and have Gith agents on the planets to engineer wars so as to keep the humans (and others) technologically inferior.
• Aerith and Bob: Robert Black and Maggie stands out as common names compared to Dante, Nellise or Terinus.
• Angels, Devils and Squid: You find Angels and Devils in the last portion of the game in their respective realms. You can join either factions and fight the other in exchange for powerful magic items. As for the Squid, you can open a door to the Abyss and Abyssal Nightmares, masses of black tentacles, will attack you relentlessly. Negotiation is not possible, your only option is to close the door.
• And Now You Must Marry Me: King Osric of the kingdom of Tusone agrees to help you and princess Criosa free Aielund from king Seamus who has gone insane after donning the Ironlord's armor. However, once this is done, Osric betrays you and occupies Aielund. He forces Crisoa into marriage so he'll secure his legitimacy over Aielund's throne.
• The Archmage: Terinus serves as the king's Royal Archmage and has access to epic spells.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: One senator is secretly working for the Ironlord and tries to overthrow the king and the princess.
• Awesome, but Impractical: Spartan is a dragon and one of your potential party members. As cool as that may sound, he can't wear any equipment, his large size means he has trouble passing through narrow passageways and he also charges you for hiring him. Keep in mind that he is not invincible. If overwhelmed or left unattended, he can die faster than the other party members.
• Bag of Spilling: Averted, you get to keep all of your equipment between acts, except for the last one. On the other hand, your companions have the nasty habit of losing the gear you gave them between acts.
• Barbarian Hero: Valennia Far-Eagle is a typical female barbarian and fights on your side.
• Battle in the Rain: All of the battles of Act 1 take place under a rainy weather.
• Berserk Button: Do not say that barbarians are cowards or afraid in front of them. They will react angrily at you and threaten to kill you on the spot.
• Best Served Cold: Terinus' motivation for betraying the king after he turned him into a tyrant in the first place. After the Saqaarin conquered his world, he led a failed rebellion against them. As an act of reprisal, Terinus' family was killed. He swore revenge and waited patiently for centuries to strike back. And now is the right time, as he found the perfect weapon for revenge: you.
• Big Bad: The Saqaarin Supreme Commander is the Final Boss and the true greater evil responsible for the world's troubles.
• Big Good: Salinder the gold dragon. He sealed the Ironlord at cost of his own life and even after his death, he used his energies to contain him for decades. Unfortunately, those energies are nearly spent by the time the plot kicks-in.
• Catchphrase: You the PC has one. During conversation, several of your answers start with "Smashing."
• Chekhov's Gun: That glowing piece of unknown machinery you saw in Act I? It will come handy to defeat the Ironlord in Act III.
• The Chief's Daughter: Valennia is a typical example, minus the romantic part.
• Crystal Dragon Jesus: The Church of Kylaris is Christianity, but with a female deity.
• City of Adventure: A good part of Act II is set in the city of Fairloch.
• Corrupt Church: The church in Aielund was once very cruel to the populace. One previous king made a reform of the church and it was no longer oppressive. When King Seamus goes crazy, the church goes back to its evil ways.
• Death Faked for You: Subverted. Terinus carries out your death sentence and you truly die. Nellise secretly smuggles your body out of town and resurrects you later.
• Death Is Cheap: Robert Black has a cleric under his employ whose job is to resurrect him every time he dies. Once you unknowingly slay his cleric, he can no longer do so.
• Dracolich: Two of them, fortunately not at the same time. One undead dragon (the revived corpse of a dragon) and a dracolich (a dragon who turned into a lich by magically placing his soul in a container).
• Dug Too Deep: The colony of dwarves you meet dug too deep and caused a massive collapse. Some of the survivors were trapped too far below to be rescued and the Dwarves didn't knew there were any survivors. The survivors eventually became the Duergar and swore vengeance for been abandoned.
• Eldritch Abomination: Abyssal Nightmares are nothing but hostile masses of black tentacles. They are found behind a door to the Abyss and serve no purpose in the game except to warn you not open the door in the first place.
• Evil Counterpart: Maggie is a good druid who believe in a peaceful co-existence with civilization and nature. Contrasted with the Shadow Druids who favor violence and destroy cities so nature can flourish unopposed.
• Eyepatch of Power: Robert Black is missing an eye and wears an eyepatch.
• Face–Heel Turn: Your former party member Dante and his girlfriend Mona will side with King Seamus in Act IV. Whether you kill them or not will depend on your communication skills and dialogue options.
• Fallen Hero: For your heroism in defeating the Ironlord and saving the princess, King Seamus rewards you with a title and the stewardship of Highmarch castle. These were good times, at least until the Time Skip where the king has gone crazy. He arrests you for conspiring against him and sentences you to death.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Aielund is obviously one for medieval England, and Tulsone for medieval France. In the expanded universe featured in the novels, The Grand Duchy of Kurhain is very clearly Prussia.
• French Jerk: Osric D'Avignon, King of Tulsone.
• From Bad to Worse: After the defeat of the Ironlord, things go downhill. The war drags on between Aielund and Tulsone and the king turns into a ruthless dictator. The Elves and the Dwarves cut their ties with Aielund. After Osric helps you overthrow Seamus, he seizes control of Aielund, bullies you into surrendering Criosa to him, and gains access to Saqaarin technology. After you depose him, Terinus tells you that an ancient race of monstrous aliens are about to obliterate Aielund with a space-based superweapon, forcing you to travel the planes looking for a way to defeat them.
• Golem: The Ironlord's army consists of swarms of golems and constructs.
• The Good King: King Seamus, the ruler of Aielund is a good father and a benevolent ruler. When Terinus talks him into wearing the Ironlord's armor, he changes and becomes a cruel dictator.
• Green Thumb: Maggie Fairweather is a druid and one of your party members. Shadow Druids are an antagonist version.
• Giant Spider: As regular monster, giant spiders are fought against. The Saqaarin love freakishly gigantic spiders.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Nellise is a half-celestial.
• Heel–Face Turn:
  • Robert Black is the last boss of Act 1. After Act III, he switches sides and joins you. He does it only for financial reasons, but in the end he comes to understand that the stakes are much higher than money.
  • Terinus is serving King Seamus against you in Act IV. However, once you prove to him how strong you are, he aids you and promises to reveal his reasons for betraying the king later.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Terinus stays behind in the Saqaarin's spaceship to ensure that the world is saved.
• The High Queen: In the epilogue, princess Criosa becomes the new Queen of Aielund, succeeding her father.
• The Juggernaut: The Ironlord may be slow, but it can shrug off all attacks against it.
• Implacable Man: The Ironlord is an unstoppable killing machine. He is immune to all form damage, both physical and magical.
• In the Hood: Terinus conceals his face in a hood. He can reveal his face if you ask him too. His face is a significant spoiler - he is a Gith, an extraplanar race that has been enslaved by the Saqaarin.
• Laser Blade: The Ironlord has huge two-handed laser sword yield with just one hand. The Saqaarin's guards make use of one-handed versions.
• Medieval Stasis: The entire world is trapped in eternal medieval era because of various wars or conflicts. That's because meddling aliens called the Saqaarin don't want the planet to evolve into modernity and eventually challenge their power.
• Missing Mom: Princess Criosa's mother isn't seen and died before the start of the game.
• My Country, Right or Wrong: In Act IV, Dante and Mona are opposing you when you side with Tusone. He knows the king is doing horrible things, but he will not betray his country. You can however, convince him to stand down and you wont fight him in the upcoming battle.
• The Needs of the Many: Princess Criosa loves her father. However, when he becomes a dictator because of the Ironlord's armor, she tries to reason him, but to no avail. Once she realizes her father is beyond reasoning and redemption, she decides to wage war against him to free Aielund. Even if it means siding with the enemy kingdom of Tusone. After the defeat of Seamus, King Osric of Tusone forces Criosa to marry him or he'll massacre Aielund's populace. Criosa grudgingly agree to avoid genocide.
• No-Sell: Until you can figure out the Ironlord's weakness, he'll shrug off any damage you make.
• Old Retainer: The paladin William is in his 60's. Much to his dismay, the king doesn't bring him along for the invasion of Tusone because of his old age. He can however join you and still proves to be an effective companion.
• Old Save Bonus: Playing the series with the same character and exporting it between Acts is much more beneficial than starting with a new character every time. You get to keep all that cool gear you've been gathering since the beginning. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to your companions who keep losing the gear you gave them between Acts.
• One-Handed Zweihänder: The Ironlord can wield a huge Laser Blade with just one hand.
• Our Dragons Are Different: Spartan is a bronze dragon and is one of your potential party members. During the game you'll face every type of chromatic dragons, along with a shadow dragon and a prismatic dragon. Best of luck, you'll need it.
• Our Elves Are Different: Elves are powerful and arrogant. Nether Elves are this world's Drow and are equally evil.
• Our Liches Are Different: Throughout the game, you'll face at least two lich bosses. You'll also need to destroy their Soul Jar or they'll come back to kick your ass.
• Our Vampires Are Different: In this game, vampires aren't necessarily evil. Some of them are benevolent and offer you aid.
• Our Werewolves Are Different: Some werewolves have infected villagers and you have to slay them. Don't underestimate them, they have Epic Dodge (meaning they'll always dodge your first attack each round), health regeneration and damage reduction.
• One-Winged Angel: The Final Boss, the Saqaarin Supreme Commander fights you with his armor. Once you defeat him, he discards his armor and he shows off his more dangerous abilities.
• The Paladin: William Bryce-Clifton is a paladin. Nellise has a few paladin levels alongside her cleric levels.
• Politically-Active Princess: Princess Criosa is very active indeed. She's one of your party members.
• Point of No Return: The game has quite a few parts where going forward will prevent you from going back:
  • Act 1: Princess Criosa is kidnapped.
  • Act 2: Leaving Fairloch to look for Scepter of Transcendence for the third time.
  • Act 3: When facing the Ironlord.
  • Act 4: Beginning the invasion of Fairloch.
    • Part 3: After entering Acheron, you can no longer return to Terinus' tower to sell equipment or enchant your weapons.
• Really 700 Years Old: Terinus has been around for many long years. He's actually not human and comes from another world.
• Rebellious Princess: Princess Criosa mentions that she sometimes snuck out of the castle to visit the city on her own. It's the reason why she has rogue levels. When the Ironlord is about to be free, his father orders her to stay in Fairloch. Instead, she joins you and prepare Highmarch for war. She rebels against her father when he becomes a mad dictator.
• Redemption Equals Death: Terinus stays behind to ensure that you and your companions escape safely from the Saqaarin's spaceship. With his sacrifice, he frees the world from the Saqaarin's grip and makes up for the countless deaths he caused throughout Aielund and Tusone, including Criosa's beloved father.
• Red Herring: Hints point to princess Criosa's uncle as the conspirator behind her assassination attempts. It was actually someone else.
• The Reveal:
  • After his defeat, someone emerges from the Ironlord's carcass, as it was actually an extremely powerful suit of armor. And that someone happens to be the First King of Aielund, who everyone thought dead centuries ago.
  • Terinus reveals his obscure reasons for driving King Seamus insane and turning Aielund into a dictatorship. An ancient race of Scary Dogmatic Aliens called the Saqaarin have ordered him (and many others like him) to create conflict to ensure that the world never moves past its Medieval Stasis, as the Saqaarin are extremely paranoid and fear any race that may challenge their supremacy.
• Romance Sidequest: You can flirt with some party members and it will blossom into romance.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something:
  • Princess Criosa acts as your party's rogue and wizard.
  • King Seasmus personally led the invasion of Tusone and clashed against the Ironlord himself.
• Samaritan Relationship Starter: Criosa really starts to consider the male player character in this manner if you take the heroic dialogue options when helping out the dwarves at the start of chapter 3.
• Sanity Slippage: After King Seamus starts wearing the Ironlord's armor, he becomes progressively more evil and irrational.
• Save the Princess: More than once, you have to save princess Criosa in the course of the saga: kidnapping from the Steel Tigers, protection from an enemy vessel, hired assassins, a throne usurper and a forced marriage.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: The Ironlord is bent on conquering Aielund. When they couldn't stop it, it was sealed in a pocket dimension.
• Sex Slave: After princess Criosa is forced into an arranged marriage with King Osric, you come to her rescue. You find her imprisoned in a cold dungeon with only a bed and a whip is seen hanging on a wall.
• The Siege: Once the Ironlord is set loose, you must defend the castle of Highmarch against an army of fearsome golems.
• Smoking Is Cool: Robert Black love smoking cigars between fights.
• Take Your Time: None of the quests and sidequests are timed, so you can complete them at your own pace. Subverted during your assault on the Saqaarin citadel - at one point, Terinus tells you you have ten minutes to stop the citadel from firing its doomsday weapon on Aielund, and he absolutely means it.
• Time Skip: Two years pass between Act III and Act IV.
• Tomboy Princess: Criosa is a princess and the heir to the throne of Aielund, and is also a wizard/rogue of a level on par with your character and runs around in pants with a sword more often than not.
• Treacherous Advisor: Terinus is this for King Seamus. He convinces him to wear the Ironlord's armor and causes the monarch to descent into madness.
• Trippy Finale Syndrome: The game takes place in a typical High Fantasy setting with magic and fantastic creatures. The final dungeon is a spaceship orbiting the planet.
• Updated Re-release: The mod has an Enhanced Edition. The visuals are updated and the new version will work on both the NWN vanilla version and NWN:EE. Dialogs, alignment choices and new music are also added. One of the more notable changes is giving the Saqaarin a unique appearance, rather than merely being renamed illithids.
• Vestigial Empire: Terinus outright states that the Saqaarin are an empire in decline, due to rebellion, time, and severely overextending their forces. Indeed, when you arrive on their citadel, large parts of it are abandoned, several mechanisms are broken, and it's implied that it used to have a significantly larger crew. Despite all of this, they are still incredibly dangerous and the citadel is the most difficult area in the entire saga. It's because of their decline that you're able to confront them at all.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: After you free Princess Criosa from King Osric's custody, he teleports away. Your party agrees to hunt him down later. However, you never get the chance and the epilogue reveals that no one has ever found him. You can only have the satisfaction that he is no longer king because you've exposed his illegitimacy to the throne, thanks to some classified documents you found.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The final scene of the game reveals the final fate of all the major characters, including your party members.