Ub3rman123 needs YOU!

[ub3rman123]

I've gotten to a point in my dungeon that I've run out of ideas for quest events in it, so I'm requesting that you who are good with ideas can give me some.

 

First, I should give some background on the quest. (Spoilers) The main event of the entire quest is to be very basic, a mage wants you to go to the end of the dungeon and do something.

 

The dungeon is divided into about 3.5 parts: A pirate cavern, a ruined city, a destroyed castle, and a tomb (The .5 part). The first section is done and has all of the events done. During no part in the quest should the player leave the dungeon.

 

The Pirate cavern: When you first enter, a man with a broken leg talks to you, seeking help. After you get some medical supplies for him, he'll get up and help you to get through a door they won't open without a password. After progressing through the caverns, you and he are ambushed by a group of pirates, knocked unconscious, and dragged to a small circular cave. There the admiral of the pirates, Lord Duvalier, confronts you and demands to know who you are and why you're there. After some dialogue, he instructs his first mate to kill you. After a brief battle with the first mate and you kill him, Duvalier flees with a teleporting spell, telling the guards to kill you. After the guards are dead, you can continue further into the caverns, eventually finding Duvalier hiding in a shack cobbled together from ship parts. Once you talk to him, you have the option of a fight to the death, just stabbing him right there, or letting him go. Past that point, the pirates are under attack by strange shadow creatures, who came up through a tunnel the pirates excavated, which leads down into a ruined city underground.

Pictures of the area:

http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot46-1.jpg?t=1288866733http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot47-1.jpg?t=1288866734http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot48-1.jpg?t=1288866734http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot50.jpg?t=1288866737

 

 

The ruined city is a very large underground area, filled with shadow creatures: Immortal Liches and other unknown fiends. This is where I start needing ideas. If you have a plan of anything I can use to keep the player occupied and not just a hack 'n' slash fest, I'd love to hear it.

Pictures of the area (I used KillAll because the monsters I put in there scare the crap out of me):

http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot51-1.jpg?t=1288866818http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot52-1.jpg?t=1288866819http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot54.jpg?t=1288866879http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot57.jpg?t=1288866828http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot58.jpg?t=1288866831

 

 

The castle is next. The castle is populated by the demonic spirits of those who worked there: Knights, noblemen, and a few witches. Their spirits will not attack you, but instead possess a statue of someone frozen in time and attack you with that. Once again, I need ideas for events to put in here.

 

 

If you can think of a quest to put into it (Mainquest like the pirate one or a sidequest), I need ideas!

[ub3rman123]

Pictures of the castle (The last two are the tomb):

http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot61.jpg?t=1288866911http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot63.jpg?t=1288866914http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot67.jpg?t=1288866915http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot68.jpg?t=1288866917http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot71.jpg?t=1288866920http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/ub3rman123/ScreenShot72.jpg?t=1288867110

[WastelandAssassin]

first of all, this looks great

this looks like one hell of a project, and it's good to see more serious ones done

 

well, thinking of ideas, i only have one, but it's not much of an event (i'll keep thinking, and write whatever i got)

basically, my idea is for the ruined city

you wrote that the creatures scare you, so why not use that??

i was thinking of creepy sounds, like a lich laughing, or something creepy like that, and he appears before you, but then just isn't there, like 3 seconds of battle, so it's something that should keep you on edge all the time

and then once you are really on edge, maybe something ambushes you from behind, i don't know, it really depends on what creatures you have, and on the layout of the place

 

this is just something i thought of now

i'll keep thinking, and see what i can get

[heavywaters]

The first thing that came to mind on the ruined city (part 2)...

 

You need some premise as to why the shadow creatures are here.

 

Is it by choice or would they be trapped there?

 

Did they live there in life or were they brought there by some necromancer or the like?

 

If this is their home, maybe you need their blessing to pass, do some task that they cant.

 

If they are bound there, what would a necromancer want them to stop you from finding?

 

As for the castle...

What happened to the "King and Queen"?

 

Maybe that will give you some ideas, if not will return with whatever comes to mind...

[David Brasher]

You could have it so the player finds out that one of the bosses is indestructible unless he or she is wielding a certain weapon. So there could be a bit of a quest to find this weapon in the dungeon before you go back and face the boss.

 

I like that one Ayleid puzzle in a Mage Guild quest where you have to hit the column with certain spells in a certain order to open the way forward, but the spells would have to be things every player has, or else be available in the dungeon from spell books or NPCs.

 

I like the Ayleid puzzles where there are several buttons in one spot controlling various gates or secret doors. You stand there and push various buttons and watch the barriers until you get the right combination and your way is open.

 

You could have a door that locks with a key. But the key to the door is in a chest locked with a key. That key is in a chest locked with a key. And so on for about six chests. Only the first one can be opened with a lockpick. You would want all the chests to be in one large room, all visible at the same time, but on opposite walls, so that the player would be running back and forth and back and forth like a fool.

[ub3rman123]

I have two documents from the mod written out already. One concerns the lore of the area, and the other discusses what the player has to do.

If they'll give any help for what I need ideas for, I'll put them here.

 

History Book

 

<font face=1>

The Fall of Witherstone<BR>

Researched and Written by Scribe Valtera<BR>

<P>

In the First Era, 2843, the Empire was at war with Morrowind to gain it as a territory. Cyrodiil itself was at peace, so many of the guards were sent to Morrowind to aid in the taking of Mournhold and Vivec. <BR>

<P>

Witherstone City was one of the older cities of the empire, comparatively. During the war, a strange force invaded the city, lead by the herald of an unknown god, who called himself Leer. These were not men or mer who invaded, but demons from a plane never seen before by a mortal. Leer aimed to take Nirn for his own god, expanding his territory across the planes. It never was obvious why Witherstone, possibly one of the most properous and large cities, was his invasion point, but the decision to start there had long reaching effects.<BR>

<P>

Leer swiftly conquered the city, slaughtering its defenders as he burned down entire sections. The Eight Divines noticed Leer, and would not stand for the loss of Nirn. They decided that Witherstone was too late to be saved, so they opted to destroy the city entirely and sink it beneath the earth. As the city crumbled and fell to the depths of Nirn, Leer released his power, cursing the souls of all the denizens of the city. Now the city hasn't been seen again, and instead the swamps rose up once more and reclaimed the area. The land is now unblemished again after two eras. The closest area you could say is the original location would be Borderwatch.<BR>

<P>

Some scholars have debated over what exactly Leer was. Some state that he was a manifestation of one of the conniving Daedra, others claim him to be the creation of a vastly powerful mage, possibly Mannimarco or Galerion. However, since the city's complete annihilation, little evidence can be found anywhere to indicate what it was.<BR>

 

 

 

The instructions

 

<font face=5>

You are going to be going into Witherstone City for me, and finding a special chamber, the Chamber of Echoes. This is where Leer began his invasion, and a tenuous cord still connects his realm and ours. I want to access that chamber. This is where you come in. You are to clear out a pathway for me to go into the chamber. Some unknown force prevents me from simply teleporting in, so I have had you collect those materials for me. From those I have created a special orb that will allow you to summon me when the time is right.<br>

 

Here is precisely what you will be doing. First, you will locate the entrance to the lost path. It has been recently reopened. A large band of pirates, fleeing the authorities of Leyawiin, wrecked their fleet upon some rocks to the south of the city. They found a tunnel inside one of the ships that they had smashed open. The pirates, of course seeking treasure, delved into the tunnel and opened it more widely. Due to their help, it's likely you'll not need to do any excavation yourself. You will, however, probably need to kill them.<br>

 

Once you are past the pirates, the way to the city will be clear. I am willing to admit that I do not know what you will find within the city, but it is a crucial obstacle to the Chamber of Echoes. You'll have to find your own way through the city and the castle, but it shouldn't be too complex a path for you to follow. <br>

 

Now, the difficult part for you will come once you have reached the chamber. This is a dangerously magical place. Once inside the chamber, the first thing you should see is a great pit, filled with fire and death. Do not attempt to descend through that pit. It is the connection to the fiend Leer's realm and the home of whatever god he represents. <br>

 

You will, however, descend to the floor of the chamber. Locate a coffin nearby to the edge of the pit. Place the orb within the coffin. Push the coffin into the pit. Destroying the orb in such a manner temporarily disable the energies that prevent me from teleporting in. Once it's been thrown down the pit in the coffin, I'll teleport in. It's imperative that I do what is necessary inside the chamber. Do not attempt to touch anything in the chamber, especially a set of purple glimmering shards.<br>

 

You likely are not interested in the details, though. You want the loot. You see, in Witherstone was an armory of the empire. Along with it went many artifacts of Leer's, lost from his minions when the city was destroyed. Once my work is done, you will recieve that for your reward.<br>

 

[Deleted1217574User]

The author of the letter sounds like the perfect plot twist. You go through and fulfill his instructions only to find out that he himself is Leer, and you've just screwed over Mundus with that one, player. That'd be your final boss, I think. And maybe, though I'm not sure how you'd do it scriptwise, you can only hurt him when certain conditions apply? For example, pushing the orb into the fire or something makes him stronger but more vulnerable as his tether disappears and he becomes more mortal. Ooh, ooh, how 'bout this? What if you make the orb an actual creature, but give it no AI. It'll just stand there and take it. Orb has maybe, say, 50% reflect damage and reflect spell or something. You have to either destroy the orb or Leer, depending on which you prefer to hack at. When the orb's HP is 0, it triggers some script so as to weaken Leer, and that's your chance to finish him off. Methinks at least that he should be invincible while the orb is alive, thus nullifying what I wrote above. Perhaps just to make it fair to those without healing, have some way to restore health after the reflection. But that's just one battle.

 

One thing I thought was great about... I think it was either Return of Shadows or The Lost Spires... Was this one battle against a ton of small skeletons. They didn't do much damage individually, but swarmed and were creepy as hell. I loved the frenetic sense that gave it and wish you had a task. So, I once thought that it'd be cool if there was that sense of urgency in the face of danger. What if there were, say, a key on top of a tall pillar, and to get it you had to use a telekinesis spell? As you had to do so, there would be the army of lil' skellies nibbling your ankles. But, a few of them would be carrying scrolls with TK spells on them, so you'd have to get a scroll, not miss the key, and not get thrown off by the swarm.

 

 

Also, I loved the idea of incorporating into a story somehow Gizmodian's Shards of Light. Even the names of the swords, and their titles, made me wanna create an appropriate persona to wield them and to be in the game. I thought maybe slay each wielder and take a key or something. I'm not sure. The mod that best added suspense for me was "Dungeons of Ivellon." You should give it a playthrough if you haven't before. Great atmosphere.

[ub3rman123]

I could add to the intrigue with that. The person (Myria) who gave the player the letter and had it fetch supplies could really have been a minion of Leer all along, and the real Myria has been dead for a long time. I think I've got the final sequence of the dungeon in my head. The player destroys the orb and Myria teleports in. She's cut off during a brief word of thanks by the Herald of Leer (Leer himself won't be appearing). "You have done well, my minion!", followed by Myria getting bloody deathed by a giant axe.

 

Once she's dead, I'll see if I can find a way to make her turn into a demon or something. After that, the Herald of Leer will attack you, but he can't be damaged by the player. Instead the player has to go about the chamber destroying Memory Shards, which to destroy the player must go through a memory of the original invasion of Witherstone: A burning ship out at sea, the Imperial City Talos Plaza being invaded by Leer's minions, the demon's imprisonment in the Spine, an Ayleidic summoning ritual, and finally the destruction of Witherstone. Once all of those are gone, the Herald will be weak enough to be slain by the player.

 

As for the Shards of Light, I could use that in a previously mentioned idea of redeeming the corrupted souls in the city. I could place necromancer-type enemies about with them, and you have to collect the Shards of Light from them and purify so many of the shadow fiends. I wanted an excuse to use ZProspero's plague doctor gear.

 

I could fit in the skeletons too. How can I do that sans PlaceAtMe? It shouldn't be all that bad for just spawning 20 or so skeletons one time, right?