Nkaanmykiunsuns

Nkaanmykiunsuns is a mysterious stranger holding a table at the Shining Pearl. Not much is known about her; before meeting her, the player can only gather from Punflen that she is waiting for 'her sister' and that she's very particular about others pronouncing her name, which she showcases by chucking a knife or two at the hapless offender.

Background
Nkaanmykiunsuns is an assassin who mostly focuses on killing warlocks and other potentially magically dangerous folk. She has come to Taodal for another murder contract, but she is waiting for someone else too, an unknown person apparently very close to her romantically, and definitely not a family member like she claims to people who are curious about her.

She is skilled in a variety of areas that help her with her dirty job - the weak points on the bodies of her victims, sneaking, silent and quick ways to kill people, and the knowledge of poison, to mention a few. She is addicted to Kratenex, a hallucinogenic drug she uses after each hitjob. It doesn't seem to affect her 'normal' behaviour negatively, but due to her only taking a shot after a job and not carrying or using it otherwise, her condition is, in a Pavlovian fashion, worsened by her body getting used to a shot of the drug only after killing someone.

She recalls one of her previous assassination jobs in a village of Haleum, where a warlock she was supposed to murder instead died right in the middle of a dinner, probably from eating too much. Still needing to get his head as a proof of his death, she claimed to know the local priest and arranged the body to be towed away for 'burial'. While she was carting the corpse through the village, the body suddenly exploded into tendrils, gluing people and corpses together into a large ball of flesh before it set off to possibly absorb the rest of the town as well. Nkaanmykiunsuns rallied the surviving villagers, and they managed to slow the monstrosity down and destroy it with fire. She cites this event to be the reason why she focuses on assassinating witches and warlocks as she sees them as ticking bombs.

Player interactions
The first interaction with the player happens during their talk with Punflen. Upon first asking about Nkaanmykiunsuns and subsequently mispronouncing her name, she throws a knife at the wall right next to Punflen's head (taking this knife has no effect on her scenes). With Will 6 or above, the player can then tease her more by deliberately mispronouncing her name again and get another, more expensive dagger thrown at them. Depending on their Agility level, they can catch it (and also keep it), slap it away, or get their hand stabbed cleanly through.

After hearing Punflen's perspective of her, Nkaanmykiunsuns can be approached directly at her table. She will ask the player to return the second knife, if they have it. They can give it to her for free, for 2 or 4 adats, or for a kiss. They can also keep it. Upon asking her if she'd stab them if they were to mispronounce her name in front of her, she answers by pouring a vial of poison into a cup and offering it to the player. She doesn't expect the player to actually drink it, but with Will 8 or above, they can do so, causing her some distress and force her to quickly administer an antidote. If the player drank the poison, she buys them a drink as an apology.

The player can then ask her questions. They have two opportunities (both with an Intelligence 8 check) to pique Nkaanmykiunsuns's interest and make her believe that they really are from out of town. When that happens, upon asking who she's actually waiting for, she doesn't lie about waiting for her 'sister' but rather, eventually, tells the player she does intend to murder someone; not a villager, though. The player can accompany her to the mission right away, put it on hold, or decline it outright.

The hitjob
As the evening falls, Nkaanmykiunsuns and the player leave the village and set out towards their target, who turns out to be none other than the Witch. If the player stays silent about their familiarity to the to-be victim, they're given a small gadget and instructed to keep watch for anything unusual – in case of something happening, they're to press the button to alarm Nkaanmykiunsuns. Luckily, nothing happens, and the job is successful. The player can look in Nkaanmykiunsuns's bag to confirm the Witch's death by witnessing her lifeless severed head.

If the player confesses that they know the Witch but don't try to prevent Nkaanmykiunsuns from doing the deed, they're either hogtied with ropes to a tree and, after the murder, are released with the same ending as above, or a combat sequence ensues; if the player loses, they're hogtied, and if they win, they make watch like above.

If the player decides to not let Nkaanmykiunsuns do her dirty work, they engage in combat. If the player loses, they're hogtied like before, but with the option to try and break the ties. This requires Strength 10 and Will 6 to be successful. The player then runs up to the hut and interrupts Nkaanmykiunsuns, and she escapes after being tossed out by the Witch. The Witch then begins quickly gathering her things in the same way she would when the player announces Nkaanmykiunsuns's attempt to kill her in the outcome where she's unaware of the attempt at her life (see below). If the player doesn't manage to break the ropes, Nkaanmykiunsuns releases them after the deed, but quickly disappears into the forest, never to be seen again.

If the player wins in combat against Nkaanmykiunsuns, there are several things they can do with her, including rape. They can let Nkaanmykiunsuns go under the condition that she doesn't attempt to kill the Witch again. The player can also decide to kill her with her own knife. After the first two stabs at her throat, if the player has second thoughts, they can help her, and she survives. If the player doesn't stop the assault, even if they do try to help her afterwards, she dies, wanting to say her last goodbyes to Ean. The player can then loot her dead body and/or bury her.

If the job is successful, the house gets enveloped in fire and burns to the ground. Unless the player was trying to defend the Witch, Nkaanmykiunsuns accompanies them back to Taodal where they part ways.

The aftermath
When meeting Nkaanmykiunsuns in the tavern after the 'walk to the woods', the player finds her with a very different attitude compared to her first encounter. She confesses to the player that her psycho knife-throwing girl manners were just a façade to keep people (mainly Punflen) away from her. She explains why she focuses on killing witches and recalls her story regarding Haelum (see above). After recounting her tale, when the player tries to leave, she stops them. If the player isn't interested, they can just leave (after which Nkaanmykiunsuns leaves Taodal without telling them), or, if they are, they can sit back down and pry answers from her. She will ask the player if they want to cuddle with her, therapeutically. They can decline (same result as just leaving) or follow her to her room.

Here, they comfort each other, possibly in explicit ways. Afterwards, Nkaanmykiunsuns brings up another thing. She has a shot of Kratenex that she's willing to share with the player. The player can agree, getting a vivid, colorful trip, or they can decline, either watching over Nkaanmykiunsuns while sober or flat out leaving. After the drug trip and a good night of sleep, Nkaanmykiunsuns leaves Taodal, but not before telling the player where to find her - in the village of Haelum, the one from her story.

If the hitjob goes badly for the two, and she is still alive, Nkaanmykiunsuns may pay a visit to the sleeping PC at the market's communal quarters. Upon waking up, the player may find her signature tools of the trade, the wooden mallet and a long nail next to them. The assassin herself can't be found anywhere nearby, and the Witch seems to be safe from her for the foreseeable future.

Trivia

 * She was born with the split symmetry syndrome due to which she has a deep, symmetrical, vertical ridge across her entire body in addition to several duplicate organs.
 * Her cranial horns (or antennae) seem to be a major erogenous zone for her, which she's not aware of until the player possibly discovers that.
 * She prefers rolli over meirolli.