[WIP] The Dead God's Dream

[alephnaught]

"Morrowind lies in ruin, the great houses scattered to the wind. You once-proud Dunmer now huddle in corners, begging for scraps in a land which barely tolerates your presence. Wretched creatures you are, as hopeless for your future as you are oblivious to your past.

 

But there are those of us who have not forgotten.

 

There are those who remember their ancestors, slaughtered like cattle at the hands of the arrogant Nords who thought to take old Resdayn as their own.

And there are those who remember how, in the Chimer's darkest hour, they rose like a phoenix and exacted bloody vengeance upon their oppressors, rending their flesh until they fled in horror to the sanctuary of their far-off mountaintops.

 

There are those who remember when, betrayed by the our clanfriends the Dwemer, Sharmat and Hortator stood together and utterly annihilated the blasphemers from the face of Mundus. And then again, they were betrayed by their closest allies, who not only stood upon their corpses but used the unholy tools of Kagrenac to achieve immortality - surely, the ultimate victory? But yet, through all of this, both Sharmat and Hortator transcended death itself to return to us and cast the false Gods from their cursed thrones.

 

These are your ancestors! Do you think they look upon you with pride?

Oh no, my friends. Across the dream-sleeved veils of night, I have heard their shame. But also, their hope.

Yes, hope - that the lost children of Resdayn will remember who they are. That they will remember that we Dunmer do not cower in the face of adversity! That we do not run from our enemy, but pluck out his eyes and eat his heart!

 

That we will honor our ancestors once more, and Resdayn will rise again!

 

Trouble is brewing in Windhelm. The disaffected Dunmer of the Grey Quarter grow restless and agitated. Compounding matters is a shadowy figure, fueled by feverish nightly visions, who promises sweeping social change under the banner of 'Muth-Resdaynia". In the street he shouts of equal treatment and greater sanctuary for the dunmer, and behind closed doors (so rumor has it), whispers of a glittering empire reborn.

 

Meanwhile, high in the Velothi mountains, the isolated villagers of Hjoldir's Fast have also had their slumbers disturbed. Some weeks ago, an old eccentric showed up in their town, frantically muttering of long-lost treasure and paying an exorbitant sum to the young men of the village as guides and assistants. Working day and night, with constant din, they have dug a massive hole in the mountainside, but thus far, found nothing. In his frustration the old man has become ever more demanding, moving from site to site and making an eyesore of the pristine surroundings.

 

Passing through the village, the innkeeper tells you of the recent nuisance, and begs you to persuade the old man from his delusions of treasure. Speaking to the old man yields little but the ravings of a madman. He thrusts his notebook at you, waving a crooked finger at his scribblings. You recognize them as rough tracings of paintings by the 3rd Era artist Sadas Indoril - a Dunmer, often associated with the Dissident Priests. The old man has covered the tracings in lines and symbols; he believes he has deciphered a hidden message in the paintings, and that message has led him here. You ask him what he expects to find, and his answers are as incoherent as they are enthusiastic. You catch fragments - "King", "Saint", "Herald", "Dumac's bane".. but what could it all mean? Realisation dawns upon you as the last rays of light fade from the dying sun. Had the old man really located the final resting place of one of the greatest legendary heroes of the First Era? Frowning, you look around you at the now heavily-cratered landscape. Shrugging his shoulders in resignation, the old man hands you the notebook.

 

Thus ensues an epic tomb-crawling, puzzle solving adventure inspired in part by Morrowind, Holy Blood Holy Grail, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. It is up to you to follow the secret trail set by Sadas Indoril and head off the rising threat of the Sixth House reborn before it is too late.

 

This project is very much in its conceptual stages and is naturally going to require a lot of work. I have a view to releasing it episodically to break it down into manageable chunks. Once production has started I'll need to seek assistance from some talented folks, particularly around the mesh and texture side of things (Dunmer tomb architecture and such).

 

Really keen to get thoughts/feedback on this as I haven't done any modding on this scale before - particularly keen to know if there's anything in my synopsis which doesn't work lore-wise (though no big spoilers please - I haven't finished Skyrim yet!). :P

 

Also I should give credit to Aramdryn's wonderful piece here which inspired the title.

 

Cheers 8)

Edited February 10, 2012 by alephnaught

[Silentdagger]

This seems really cool. I would be down helping with writing/story/a little bit of scripting. Lemme know if you need help.