Nalia de'Arnise/Quotes

Nalia de'Arnise's quotes presents lines spoken by Nalia, together with the associated sound files.
==Dialogues==
===With Aerie===
:Aerie: Nalia?
:Nalia: Yes, my dear?
:Aerie: How come you care so much for people?
:Nalia: It has to start somewhere, Aerie.
:Aerie: What has to start?
:Nalia: Love... justice... the rights of people to choose their own destiny in this world.
:Aerie: But don't the gods choose our destinies?
:Nalia: Oh, Aerie, with the exception of Gond, our gods are not clockmakers. They have made us living, breathing creatures with minds, emotions, desires.
:Aerie: Only birth and death are destiny; all else is choice and consequence... Come, the sun is setting, and it casts long shadows on our thoughts.
When Aerie has less than 25% HP :
:Nalia: Could we get a bit of help over here? Someone in the party is injured and needs attention. Aerie, are you all right?
:Aerie: Ugh! It—it hurts, Nalia.
:Nalia: We need a cleric here! She's injured!
:Aerie: It's all right, I can—I shall heal myself.
:Nalia: All right, Aerie... but be careful out there.
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Aerie: Nalia, I've noticed that you've been very quiet as of late. Grim, even. Is something wrong?
:Nalia: Just because I don't feel the need to express every thought that crosses my mind, this is supposed to mean something is wrong?
:Aerie: Well, no... it's just that you used to be friendlier.
:Nalia: I've got a lot on my mind, Aerie. I'm not the same girl desperate to save her castle. I'm an archmage now... I could have handled those trolls myself now if I needed to.
:Aerie: That doesn't mean you have to change, Nalia. You're still the same person inside, aren't you?
:Nalia: When you have the power to disintegrate someone with little thought, it means you have to be more careful, Aerie. You should know this just as well as I.
:Aerie: There's no need to talk down to me like that. I know what you mean... you just used to care more.
:Nalia: I do care. Whining about how things should be better will not improve things. Attaining the power to make real change might, however. But enough... we've things to do.
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Nalia: Aerie? Do you remember anything about your home?
:Aerie: Faenya-Dail? A... a little bit. I remember my mother, mostly. I remember missing it so much in the circus that my heart ached.
:I remember that the avariel used to make these open-aired buildings with great columns of marble. There were sculptures of glass that would burst with colors when the sun broke from the clouds.
:Nalia: Do you ever intend to go back there?
:Aerie: That... that's a cruel thing to ask. How could I?
:Nalia: There's no reason you couldn't, Aerie. You're a powerful mage and cleric both. Finding it would be no trouble now, and you deserve their respect, wings or no wings.
:Aerie: It's not like that, Nalia. The avariel... they would never accept me like this. I wouldn't be one of them.
:Nalia: You could make them accept you. It isn't right. You've been through so much...
:Aerie: I... wouldn't want to make them do anything. I don't belong there anymore. I belong down here, as I am... accepting that was far harder.
:Nalia: I wouldn't feel the same way... but then, it's not my home. As long as you're happy, Aerie.
===With Cernd===
:Nalia: I have a philosophical question for you, Cernd. If you're willing, that is.
:Cernd: A challenge, Nalia? Why, certainly... I have nothing against more intellectual pursuits, although I do not claim anything like your own acuity.
:Nalia: Don't worry... this is your territory. I was simply wondering on your own feelings about <CHARNAME>'s place in the balance.
:Cernd: Ah. I have given that considerable thought, actually.
:Nalia: And? What are your conclusions? Does <CHARNAME> threaten the balance or not?
:Cernd: (if Player's alignment is evil) Our stalwart leader may be evil, it is true... but this does not mean that <HE/SHE> threatens the balance. The balance may be served in the end, even unknowingly... it is too early to say for certain.
:Cernd: (if Player's alignment is not evil) Our stalwart leader may not be evil, it is true... but there is a significant potential for destruction in <HIS/HER> taint. The balance could be served... or harmed... unknowingly, even. It is too early to tell.
:Cernd: But either way, I would say that the potential for chaos is far greater than I would like. Hopefully, we can influence the amount of chaos with our presence... that is my hope, anyway.
:Why? What are your thoughts on the matter, Nalia?
:Nalia: I've a few thoughts on the matter, but I choose to keep them to myself for now.
:Cernd: That hardly seems fair.
:Nalia: I mean no offense, Cernd. Thank you for your insight, however.
===With Dorn===
:Dorn: Do that again, girl, and I will cut your tongue from your wretched mouth! You will never cast again!
:Nalia: Wh-what?
:Dorn: I require no assistance in battle.
:Nalia: Fine then! Next time I'll just let you get hurt!
:Dorn: Just watch your own back rather than mine. We'll both be happier that way.
===With Edwin===
:Edwin: Nalia, you are aware that adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which otherwise would have lain dormant? What are yours, pampered one? Those talents lay abundantly inconspicuous...
:Nalia: Edwin, I was not pampered, cajoled, or spoiled! True, I wanted for little, but yearned for more than wandering about estates. Is it not true that you're of noble birthright yourself? Calling the kettle red, wizard?
:But that sort of comment coming from you is not any surprise, he who would rather live on his knees than die on his feet.
:Edwin: Ha ha ha... I see the soft spitfire does have a streak of wild child running through her. Keep living in your sanctified ignorance, Nalia. It is part of your charm.
:Nalia: Nothing in this world is more dangerous to me, Edwin, than your stupidity.
If Edwin has been turned into a woman as part of his quest :
:Nalia: An interesting little situation you've found yourself in, Edwin. I trust you'll use it to better learn how others think and feel?
:Edwin: No, my dear little wench, I will spend no more time in this body than I must. You think me a fool?
:Nalia: But you could do so much more. How can you throw away this opportunity to really walk a mile in another's shoes? I would love such an...
:Edwin: Would you now? I would wish it on you if I could, but you do not mean what you say. You could do as such now, but you do not.
:Shed your wealth and harvest the fields. You no more walk in the shoes of those you pity than I would, and I pity everyone. The only shoes I wish are mine own!
:Nalia: But I just thought...
:Edwin: You thought I would desire to know the thoughts of others, but you were wrong. I have no such desire. Whatever the rest of you think is irrelevant. 
:My own thoughts, my own shoes, my own BODY! These are all that matter! 
If Edwin has been turned into a woman as part of his quest :
:Nalia: Edwin, you should learn to walk a little more dignified... carry yourself in a better manner.
:Edwin: And exactly WHAT is wrong with my "manner"?
:Nalia: You... well, the way you walk about, some might think you were... of little moral fiber. You should present a more wholesome image if you are to remain like this.
:Edwin: I will not remain like this! I will not "present a more wholesome image," nor will I acknowledge this form in any way! I will not be this way for long!
:Nalia: Very well then, but if we get too close to the docks, you might find the less upstanding members of society getting more... familiar than you would like.
:As well, I would suggest you treat the party with civility lest someone arrange for such an occurrence to happen. Perhaps nearer the zoo.
:Edwin: (When the time comes, I must kill her first. Slowly, but first.)
===With Haer'Dalis===
When in a city :
:Nalia: I can't stand seeing all these taverns around the city. They exist simply to drain the poorer classes of their money and throw them into such a stupor that they can't even realize their oppression.
:Haer'Dalis: Aye, my darling loon, drink is to the poor what theater is to the rich: a costly chance to play out fantasies that never shall come true.
:Nalia: Don't patronize me, Haer'Dalis, for I have never done the same to you.
:Haer'Dalis: Ha, my dear, 'tis true, for had your family patronized me while I was still with the theater, I would be far wealthier than I am today!
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Nalia: Haer'Dalis, you are a playwright... maybe you can answer something for me.
:Haer'Dalis: Ask, my pretty lark, and I shall do my best to satisfy your burning curiosity.
:Nalia: Why is it that so many of the great tragedies have royalty as their central characters, but the great comedies focus on the common people?
:Haer'Dalis: Ah, that is truly a question for the ages and the sages. Perhaps tragedy is the noblest of dramatic forms, and as such demands a noble subject?
:Nalia: Maybe it's because most playwrights are common folk, at least in the class structure sense. Maybe they resent the abuses of the rich and powerful and see their art as a way to symbolically destroy the upper class.
:Haer'Dalis: Your explanation lacks the soaring wings of poetry, Nalia, dear. It is far too rooted in the troubles of the real world. The stage is our escape from mundane life.
:Nalia: But shouldn't art be more than an escape? Can it not also be an instrument of social and political change? Isn't that more valuable than mere escapism?
:Haer'Dalis: Nalia, escapism has its place—as does dramatic social commentary. But attempting to determine their relative worth is an argument that will last far beyond our own lifetimes.
:Nalia: True enough, I suppose. Very well, we shall leave this conversation for now. Just as well... we are lagging behind the others.
===With Hexxat===
:Hexxat: May I have a word, Nalia?
:Nalia: Of course, Hexxat. What can I do for you?
:Hexxat: You can stop looking through my things when you think I'm too preoccupied to notice.
:Nalia: I don't know what you're talking about.
:Hexxat: Did you know vampires have a highly developed sense of smell?
:Nalia: I did know that. I forgot about it temporarily, but it was something I was aware of, at one point.
:Hexxat: Is there something you'd like to say to me?
:Nalia: ...
:I'm sorry I went through your things.
:Hexxat: What did you hope to find? You must know I'd keep anything of true value on my person.
:Nalia: I wasn't going to ROB you.
:Hexxat: You weren't?
:Nalia: No! I just wanted to—see what sort of things you carried. I wanted to see if they were as, as—exotic as you are.
:Hexxat: And?
:Nalia: They weren't. It was just a normal pack.
:Hexxat: I'm sorry to have disappointed you.
:Next time you would know something of me—of anyone, really—just ask. To do otherwise is just... rude.
:Nalia: Rude?!
:I mean—I'm sorry. Next time, I'll do as you say.
:Hexxat: Good.
:Hexxat: You remind me of an old friend. She was much like you... naive, optimistic. Altruistic.
:It did her no good in the end.
:Nalia: You're an evil woman.
:Hexxat: Not evil, Nalia. Just realistic.
:Nalia: You know, you talk as though the world has done you some great wrong, and the women you killed somehow deserved what you did to them. Do you know what I think?
:I think you're lying to yourself. Because it's easier than facing the truth of your own existence. I think you're pathetic. And this conversation is over.
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Hexxat: You've become quite the archmage, Nalia.
:Nalia: What do you want?
:Hexxat: To offer some advice. You are powerful, but do not—
:Nalia: I can do without your advice, thank you.
:Hexxat: Nothing good comes of hubris, mage. Remember that.
===With Imoen===
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Imoen: Nalia, do you intend to go back to your castle once all of this is over?
:Nalia: I don't know. Perhaps. If I do, though, things will have to be different.
:Imoen: Different in what way?
:Nalia: There'd be changes in the laws and taxation... and some real alterations to the system of land ownership. There's a base inequality amongst people that I can begin to address in my land.
:Imoen: Wow. Sounds like you've given this some serious thought.
:Nalia: Making changes in my father's duchy wouldn't be enough. I'd have to get onto the Council of Six as well... although that plan is a bit more complicated.
:Imoen: That'd be a neat trick, bringing change to all of Amn. Wouldn't those Roenalls still be a thorn for you, though? And what about the Cowled Wizards?
:Nalia: I'm an archmage, Imoen... just like you. The Roenalls won't stop me from doing what I know is right. And I could always join the Cowled Wizards... how many of them are as powerful as I?
:Imoen: Okay, somebody's getting a little scary...
:Nalia: Nonsense. It's called growing up. I have a responsibility as a noblewoman and a mage both, and eventually, I will have to live up to them.
===With Jaheira===
If Nalia has less than 10% HP :
:Jaheira: You are quite unused to the pain of battle, are you not? I can see it in your face.
:Nalia: It shows, does it? I hoped I would be of some help to those less fortunate, but I seem to be quite prone to bruising.
:Jaheira: You will learn many harsh realities out here, but you will also learn to deal with them. Or you may die. One or the other. 
:Nalia: Thanks for your support... I think.
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Jaheira: Well, little Nalia, it would seem you have grown quite accustomed to the power you now wield.
:Nalia: Why do you bring this up now, Jaheira? You have that tone in your voice again.
:Jaheira: "That" tone? I do not understand what you mean.
:Nalia: Yes, you do. It's that "time for an unnecessary lecture" tone that means you are about to caution me on the use of the power I have earned.
:Jaheira: I see. And what do you think the outcome of such a conversation would be?
:Nalia: Well, I believe that I would tell you I have found my true calling, that you should probably butt out, and that I would really prefer you to refrain from calling me "little Nalia."
:Jaheira: Determined to do good works no matter what the world thinks, is that the gist of it?
:Nalia: Yes, that would be the gist of it.
:Jaheira: Then I agree that the lecture would be unnecessary. I need say nothing.
:Nalia: You... what? Thank you, Jaheira.
===With Jan===
:Nalia: All this traveling is beginning to wear on me... I can't remember the last time I walked so much in a single day. Haha haha... it's something my aunt should try, I think... instead of being hauled about in her gilded carriage.
:Jan: Nalia, dearie, you remind me so much of Cletus Bifflelips, my second cousin, thrice removed. 
:Nalia: I don't think that I could be very much like a person named Cletus.
:Jan: You wouldn't think so, yet here we are. You see, Cletus had a propensity for bouts of violent projectile vomiting. We'd call him, Cletus the Room Clearer Bifflelips.
:Nalia: Please, Jan! This is too ridiculous, even for you!
:Jan: Now just bear with me for a moment, Nalia. You see, it was after one such bout that Cletus, feeling quite ill, took a painful stroll down to the local witch-woman, in the vague hope that she might have a cure for his problem.
:After paying the 1,000-gold-piece consulting fee and vomiting in the proffered bucket, the witch gave Cletus an herbal tea, which he was to drink twice per day for a score of days.
:Drinking it everyday on schedule, yet failing to notice any change in his condition, Cletus began to worry. Upon finishing his final cup of tea, Cletus vomited.
:Nalia: This is disgusting, Jan.
:Jan: No need to force your ridiculously high standards onto poor, deceased Cletus.
:Nalia: I'm sorry. His illness killed him, did it?
:Jan: Actually, he's not dead. I made that part up. Well, needless to say, Cletus was somewhat angry, so he went back to confront the witch. She had, of course, taken the money and left town. But in her haste to escape the vomiting wrath of Cletus Bifflelips, the witch left her belongings behind.
:Cletus, at the height of his anger, swiped her entire collection of novels written by noted folklorist Nalia de Bouche. I'll be the first to admit that revenge was not Cletus's forte.
:Nalia: Honestly, Jan, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
:Jan: Well, they can't all be gems. 'Tis one of my favorites, however.
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Jan: Nalia, my dear, you've been positively morose as of late. Probably from studying all those scrolls. You remind me of Golodon... prior to his addiction to poppy seed muffins, of course.
:Nalia: Jan, I'm really not in the mood for any silliness. We're here for a purpose.
:Jan: Exactly! And I've been recording <CHARNAME>'s adventures in a suitably epic story. Ending's not clear, but the rest is dynamo. Maybe you can help me come up with a title?
:Nalia: *sigh* Why not just call it "The Adventures of <CHARNAME>" or something like that? I'm no writer, Jan. I probably can't help you.
:Jan: Nonsense! You just need the proper inspiration. Hmm... maybe "The Bhaal Cabal"? How about "Fall of the Bhaal Cabal"?
:Nalia: Yes, fine. Use that.
:Jan: How about "Fall of the Bhaal Cabal Hall"? Oo! I know! "Fall of All the Bhaal Cabal from the Tall Wall of the Hall"! Yes! Yes, perfect!
:Nalia: *giggle* You're incorrigible, Jan.
:Jan: Now *there's* the smile I like to see!
===With Keldorn===
In the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart building :
:Nalia: So *this* is the guild house of the infamous Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart, is it?
:Keldorn: Infamous? Miss Nalia, we servants of the Radiant Heart pride ourselves on bringing a little good into this dark world.
:Only the brightest, most upstanding knights of all the Holy Orders are granted the privilege of membership.
:Nalia: Such as yourself, Keldorn?
:Keldorn: Humbly, ma'am, yes.
:Nalia: And the Order pays for your estate?
:Keldorn: My lady Nalia, understand this: Any soul of any social rank may join the Holy Orders and therein be judged by the purity of their heart, male or female.
:...unlike some who take it upon themselves to criticize, we were not born into wealth and luxury.
:Nalia: And yet these halls and all your sacred vows are reserved only for us humans... Believe what lies you wish, Keldorn, but it shan't make them any truer.
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Nalia: Keldorn, tell me—you've served in the Order for a very long time. Do you still truly believe that what they do is relevant? That it's worthwhile?
:Keldorn: Of course I believe that is the case. I could not serve if I lacked the faith that that was so. Why do you ask such a thing?
:Nalia: It... just seems so pointless to me. I don't mean to offend, but it seems no matter how much evil gets vanquished, there is still so much horror in the world. It doesn't get better.
:Keldorn: Aye. Sometimes it is enough to make the soul weary, child, just to think of it.
:Nalia: And some of the worst acts are committed by those people who aren't even considered evil. Nobles and clergy, for instance... gross injustices against people who don't even know any better.
:Keldorn: True. The Order can only do what it can, Nalia. We try. And perhaps the fact that we try and do not give up is just as important as the good we do accomplish.
:Nalia: I... I suppose. It just seems hopeless sometimes. Like nothing will ever change.
:Keldorn: 'Tis only the impatience of youth, Nalia. Things will change in time. But only if truly good folk such as yourself do not despair and give up completely. The world needs your courage.
:Nalia: Th-thank you, Keldorn. I think I needed to hear that.
===With Korgan===
:Korgan: Nalia, ye're overtall, beardless, long-limbed, and lack strength. Ye disgust me.
:Nalia: What provoked this hostility, Korgan?
:Korgan: Ye deserve the full wrath of my ire, weakling! Ye deserve it because ye're a coddled, privileged imbecile, a sad, little nobleman's offspring!
:With what grout ye've left, never question what I've to say, else each night upon the morn ye awake screaming for fear of what I may do to ye! 
:Nalia: I'm sorry, Korgan. I seek no conflict and wish only to be left alone. Forgive my slights, if I made any.
:Korgan: Ye quiver and wither like all the others. Ye're a gutless coward. And so ye'll stay.
===With Mazzy===
If in a city :
:Nalia: Look how these people squander their wealth. Children lie starving in the street while the wealthy concern themselves with acquiring the latest Calimshan silks.
:I'm sure that, as we speak, the nobles argue over the relative benefits of white and red Evermeet wine, merely 1,000 gold pieces per glass. 
:Mazzy: You are angry, my friend. This I understand implicitly. Injustice and indifference have always been the banes of our society. I often suspect that these sins pose more of a danger to us than any dragon ever could.
:But with all things there are two sides. Oppose injustice, but do so wisely. Some rich may act as they do because in their lives they are told or even forced.
:Nalia: Ignorance has always been a convenient excuse for the rich to live out their lives in comfort.
:Mazzy: The trappings of one's family and past are not easy to throw away. It takes more than a glimpse of poverty to bring an epiphany to someone.
:Nalia: It can be done. My noble birth does not affect my actions today, but I do agree that most nobility will not understand poverty until they suffer it themselves.
:Mazzy: That may be true, but by casting the rich down, are we not merely creating a new impoverished class?
:Nalia: For a time, yes. But the poor understand what it's like to be trampled upon. They would show compassion.
:Mazzy: Nalia... no offense, but you are not poor; your children will not starve. You empathize, but you may be blinded by the romance of saving the impoverished.
:Allow me to tell you a tale. In a distant barony, there was a village, lorded over by a cruel baron given to excesses of body and spirit.
:Comely lasses of the village were taken for his personal harem, and he taxed heavily to pay for his pleasures. His guards kept order under threat of death.
:Now, it came to pass that a man named Kalos fell in love with a woman named Dana. A marriage was set for after harvest. Kalos and Dana were filled with joy.
:Soon after, the baron came to the village collecting taxes. He saw the beautiful Dana, and he had his guards take her so that he could possess her.
:When Kalos heard Dana was gone, he and his friends took up what arms they could. They stormed the baron's manor unthinking, like men gone berserk. 
:Kalos himself killed the baron, and holding Dana, his rage passed. Then he saw the richness of the manor, and thought of how unfairly and poorly he had lived.
:He took the golden chain of rank, placed it on his own head, and sent his young men out to collect his taxes, for was not he now the baron?
:Anyone can be weak, Nalia. We like to hope that the oppressed never become the oppressor, that we would behave better than those above. Alas, it is not always so.
:Nalia: Perhaps this is something that I should think upon, but I still say there is no excuse for the actions of some.
:Mazzy: That is all I can ask, Nalia. In the meantime, as I have heard it said: We be adventurers; let us adventure.
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Nalia: Ow! What was that for, Mazzy? Why did you bump me?
:Mazzy: To remind you to keep your eyes on the road ahead. You were far away from here, Nalia, and in our current life, that can mean death in an instant.
:Nalia: I was *not* daydreaming, Mazzy. I was considering several spell incantations... spells which might serve to save you someday, I might add.
:Mazzy: I didn't say you were daydreaming. But there is little difference.
:Nalia: There is *plenty* of difference. I am no longer the dreamy, pathetic girl that could barely put together a cantrip. I'm an archmage!
:Mazzy: You needn't prove anything to me, Nalia. You were never pathetic, and I know how powerful you are now.
:Nalia: It takes a lot of work! I have to be careful with spells of this magnitude!
:Mazzy: I know. But do you know, Nalia, that you aren't responsible for the death of your father? Just because you weren't powerful enough then?
:Nalia: I... I *wish*...
:Mazzy: So do I. But there's nothing to be done. I am a much greater warrior now... I might have saved Patrick had I been greater then. But it wasn't to be.
:Learn to reconcile that. Keep your eyes on what lies ahead... it's the only way to find peace with yourself.
:Nalia: I suppose you're right. You're a good friend, Mazzy.
===With Minsc===
:Nalia: Minsc, I wanted to take a moment to say something to you.
:Minsc: Boo and I always are having time to speak with our friends. Yes, no, Boo?
:Nalia: Eh, yes. Well, I just wanted to say that your unwavering fight for goodness has been a great influence on me.
:Minsc: And now you would like a hamster.
:Nalia: What?
:Minsc: Just a guess.
:Nalia: Well, no, I just wanted you to know that I'm thankful for your example... perhaps excluding the hamster part of it.
:Minsc: As you wish, but I couldn't imagine a Minsc without a Boo. We are two peas in a pool, two fists in a face, two feet on the floor, and too much for most villainy.
===With Neera===
After Neera finishes her quest :
:Nalia: Neera? Can you spare a moment?
:Neera: I have plenty of spare moments. Of course you can have one!
:Nalia: I just wanted to say I—I'm very sorry for what happened to your sanctuary. I know how it must have felt to see your dreams go up in smoke, to have your ideals shaken like that.
:Neera: It wasn't just my dream—it was a dream for everyone else, too. A little grove where we could be ourselves. Don't worry about me, though—I'm feeling better now that the Order's out of the picture. And I wouldn't say my ideals have been shaken.
:Nalia: Oh? You weren't quite yourself until the enclave was destroyed. An eye for an eye, of course. There's a kind of primitive justice in that. But you must still be disappointed things went—the way they went.
:Neera: It wasn't my fault. Hayes was responsible.
:Nalia: Of course, of course. All I'm saying—
:Neera: What are you saying? I can't figure it out. You noble types sure know how to beat around the well-trimmed hedge.
:Nalia: I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know I understand how it feels to have the grim realities of the world challenge your ideals. It's happened to me, too. It KEEPS happening to me, in fact.
:Neera: I'm sorry to hear that. Let's move on, shall we?
:Nalia: Yes. Pardon. Of course.
Throne of Bhaal only, if the previous conversation took place :
:Neera: Hey, Nalia. I wanted to say sorry if I was a little short with you a while back. Not halfling short. Abrupt, you know?
:Nalia: You mean about what happened in the Hidden Refuge? 
:Neera: Yes. It was... a sensitive topic for me. 
:Nalia: I know. You can blame me too: I was presumptuous to bring it up. 
:Neera: No, no. Looking back now, it all seems so small and quaint and unreal. With all the death and war we've seen, I don't know if there's really any such thing as safety. There's no utopia, that's for sure.
:Nalia: So your ideals were shaken after all.
:Neera: Yep. And every day they get shaken a little more. Soon, all that's left will be ideal soup.
:Nalia: If it's any comfort, I feel the same way. Maybe we could share. We could become old women together and live on ideal soup.
:Neera: The world's grim realities still challenging your ideals, huh?
:Nalia: Every day.
===With Rasaad===
:Nalia: I admire you, Rasaad. The Sun Soul order has done great things for the poor.
:Rasaad: It is our duty to spread light wherever we can. There are few who appreciate receiving light more than those whose circumstances have left them in darkness.
:Nalia: The destitute do appreciate the little things more than the noble class.
:I sometimes wish I'd been born to a lesser rank. Their lives are hard, but they have meaning, wouldn't you agree? There's a nobility inherent in struggle.
:Rasaad: All lives have meaning. And bringing light to the darkness is always a struggle, no matter the circumstances of one's birth.
:Nalia: I guess you're right. I was born to a high station, but I try to make a difference in the lives of those unfortunate people I meet.
:I care about them. I want to help them.
:Rasaad: I'm sure they recognize it.
:Nalia: Some do. Some are just—well, rude.
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Rasaad: You are always impeccably dressed, Nalia, yet I rarely see you shop for clothes.
:Nalia: I've always been good with a needle—one of the few skills Aunt Delcia managed to successfully impart, much to her chagrin.
:Rasaad: You sew your own garments?
:Nalia: Do not sound so surprised. Sewing relaxes me. It keeps the hands busy while letting the mind work. It's really not all that hard, once you get the basics down. The rest is just practice.
:Rasaad: And a little magic, I presume?
:Nalia: Here and there, Rasaad. Here and there.
===With Sarevok===
:Nalia: Keep your eyes off me, Sarevok. I don't know what you are, but I don't want you near me.
:Sarevok: Ahh... So the sorceress can sense the difference in me, can she? Do I alarm you, girl?
:Nalia: I know that you're not truly alive, and not undead. You're flesh, but not truly alive no matter what <CHARNAME> did to you. So keep away.
:Sarevok: You show curiosity in every other matter related to magic, and yet I make you nervous? Are you sure it is for the reasons you think?
:Nalia: What do you mean?
:Sarevok: I mean that, to you, I am evil. I am powerful and forceful and authoritative... and you fear these qualities within yourself.
:Nalia: That's not true! I... I'm a good person!
:Sarevok: And where has it gotten you? Have you vanquished evil yet? What gets results better, from all that you've seen?
:Nalia: It... it isn't like that. Results aren't everything.
:(if Sarevok is still evil:)
:Sarevok: You mouth words you don't understand. Once you get over this delusion, you shall see things as I do, girl. As they truly are. It is called "reality."
:Nalia: You can't fool me. I know what it's called, and I know where your path ends! So stop trying to play mind games with me!
:Sarevok: As you wish. You shall see the truth soon enough.
:(if Sarevok is no longer evil:)
:Sarevok: Hm. Perhaps you are right, girl. But the doubt you show tells me you should watch yourself carefully. I've known many who started as you did... and died as I did.
===With Valygar===
:Valygar: I wonder, Nalia... Why is it that you struggle to be so different from what your family asks of you?
:Nalia: I am uncomfortable with their wealth, Valygar. There are so many who live in squalor, and yet we are supposed to hoist ourselves above them because we are nobles?
:Valygar: You cannot solve all problems with wealth, Nalia.
:Nalia: Tell that to a starving peasant.
:Valygar: I do not think they are as unhappy as that, really. Was your father a cruel man, then?
:Nalia: Well... no, of course not. But that has—
:Valygar: My family was afflicted by our curse; I knew little affection or care. I would have given up all our wealth for the sane, loving parent your father was.
:Nalia: I... I suppose...
:Valygar: Believe it, Nalia. One day it will truly be too late.
Throne of Bhaal only :
:Nalia: I feel your steely gaze upon my neck, Valygar. Does my presence still anger you so much?
:Valygar: I would be lying if I said I was not wary around you, Nalia. You have become far greater in the arcane arts than all but a handful of mages who have walked the realms.
:Nalia: I thought you had learned to set your unfounded prejudices against mages aside, Valygar. I am sorry to see I was wrong.
:Valygar: I have learned to accept that magic may be used for both good and evil, Nalia. But I have not forsaken my belief that such power can corrupt if a mage is not constantly on guard.
:Nalia: I know who and what I am, Valygar. Magic cannot change that. And I refuse to spend my entire life "constantly on guard" against this corruption you feel is so inevitable.
:Valygar: That is why I am wary. I must maintain a vigil against the corruption that you refuse to acknowledge as even possible.
:Nalia: And if you see signs of this corruption in me? What then, Valygar?
:Valygar: We must both pray it never comes to that. I will leave you be, Nalia. But my eyes are ever watching.
===With Viconia===
:Viconia: So, Nalia, saved any poor from their impoverished status lately? Your concerns for those in destitute poverty, something you would have little insight into, is rather... charming.
:Perhaps that peculiar urgency of yours could be put to better use passing out noonmeats to vagabonds and coins of the realm to every cutpurse, hmm?
:Nalia: Viconia, it's simply a matter of even distribution of goods. There are those whose consumption is a crime against nature, and that injustice should be corrected whenever possible.
:Viconia: Your egalitarian streak is an affront to determinism. The poor remain poor because they are lacking in the self-will and determination to seek higher stations.
:Your pity and endowments only serve to perpetuate their condition and diminish their motivation to improve their lot.
:Nalia: My kinship with the disenfranchised is my own affair, Viconia. To deny the need to help our fellows is cruel arrogance. And I am simply not that type of person.
:Viconia: That bleeding heart of yours must cost you a small fortune in laundering. Child, you're adrift in denial.
===With Yoshimo===
When in a dungeon :
:Yoshimo: Young lovely, you must be wary here... any traps we encounter, it is up to us to find and disarm them before they bring harm to the rest of the party.
:Nalia: I think that goes without saying.
:Yoshimo: But I have seen many traps intricate enough to fool even the most able. I remember one I encountered long ago... it worked as a pressure plate via springs set into wood.
:To disarm it, you need to pull the wood back just enough to slip a dagger between the plate and the springs. It requires finesse and patience, my young one.
:Nalia: If I had wanted your tutelage, surely I would have asked for it!
:Yoshimo: I cannot bear to have you angry with me. I just do not want to see you hurt. A friend can do no less.
:Nalia: I know, Yoshimo. I'm not angry with you, really... I'm just nervous. I would feel very guilty if I set off a trap by accident. 
:Yoshimo: You will not, Nalia... I have confidence in you!
:Nalia: I will try not to disappoint.
Category:Companion quotes