[WIP] Tales & Tallows: Deathbell

[IncriminatingEvidenceInc]

http://talesandtallowsdeathbell.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/header_713.jpg

Skyrim Nexus
WIP Tales and Tallows - Deathbell

Blog

Tales and Tallows: Deathbell

About the Mod

Tales & Tallows: Deathbell is a project that will allow the player to help build Deathbell, a secret association of practitioners of the dark arts. Deathbell's symbol is the deathbell, the flower that presumably grows where unfortunate deaths have taken place. The mod aims to challenge Skyrim's oversight of players who create dark-themed characters by giving them other dark-themed characters to interact with.

The first step in the mod is to introduce the player to the organizer of the association--Lorcis Layeras, a Breton who believes he might be descended from Dremora--and to the recurring opposing force, the Order of Arkay and their Knights of the Circle.

Lorcis and his collaborator, a Nord-raised-Imperial named Calberus Hallebarde, have taken over a secluded Temple of Arkay in Winterhold to stage an open source of learning for practitioners of the dark arts, but the Knights of the Circle have tracked them down and seek to reclaim their place of worship.

Adrithel, the witchhunter Bosmer in charge of the Knights of Circle expedition, and her Knights have constructed a camp overnight and have created a blockade at the temple entrance. With supplies to the temple cut off, Lorcis’ annoyance and desperation grows.

The mod will include retextured meshes and custom items, new locations, player rooms, and NPCs who offer services, give quests, and can be followers or be married.

Future add-ons to the mod will involve other necromancers, warlocks, witches, vampires, and werewolves as they lend their services to and require services from Deathbell.

 

Visit the blog, linked at the top of this post, for more information, screenshots, and the latest updates.

 

About the Modders

 

http://talesandtallowsdeathbell.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/logo_300.png

 

Phantom Incubus, formerly known as Incriminating Evidence Inc., consists of two shady sisters who have fond memories of the feel of mysticism and camaraderie that was present in Daggerfall factions.

We've been modding mainly followers and homes for our own use in Morrowind, Olivion, and Fallout 3, and now we're trying it again in Skyrim. This is the first time we're making something on a larger scale that we're planning to release to the public, and we'd like to have community input. We welcome constructive comments, suggestions, and concerns, and we'll gladly answer questions regarding the mod.

Edited November 26, 2013 by IncriminatingEvidenceInc

[elricshan]

it sounds fun. every mod that wil make my char darker i suport

[Esteris]

This looks interesting. I usually wuss-out whenever I try to play a darker character (I'm such a fluffball at heart... ;<) , but I know there are tons of players who could love this to death 6_6 .

 

I'll keep an eye on this thing anyway, because I'm curious how it may progress. It's definitely a fancy idea you've got going on here :>

[6Domino6]

Looks very interesting, I usually go the 'neutral' route on my characters...doing as much crime as I do good deeds if not a little more. Murder wasn't a frequent one, but it was definitely on the list...but I'm sure that my dunmer warlock could find time in her busy schedule to assist Lorcis :D

 

Good luck, looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

[IncriminatingEvidenceInc]

Thanks for the interest and encouragement! It's good to know we have support from players who play mainly neutral characters, too.

 

We're wondering what "dark" entails for some people, so let us know what it could be. Your ideas might influence our work, and maybe we can sneak in some of what you want out of the mod.

 

For us, being dark is not so much about committing crimes or calling up the undead for evil's sake, nor is it about being a jerk to random people we meet, although those aren't particularly good things to do. "Dark" isn't always synonymous to "evil," either, but they are closely related.

 

Lorcis has had a privileged life, so he tries to be civil when he can because there are times when he views certain events, like murder, as unnecessary, but there are also times when he enjoys psychologically tormenting his specimens in part because he learns about behavior--his specimens' and his own--and in another part because he does enjoy it. If you look at it one way, he's a researcher seeking to open up knowledge to those underprivileged masses that the player is usually slaughtering by the dozens in caves and tombs all over the province (because of the way Skyrim is built, not necessarily because the player wants to).

 

In short, we fully support the idea that darkness or evil does not equate chaotic stupid. The vast majority of quest villains in Skyrim seem to fall into the chaotic stupid category, which is one of the reasons that prompted us to start up this mod for the public.

 

We're wanting to bring depth into all the major characters through various means, such as the environment they're in, what's in their inventories, their idiosyncrasies, and so on, so that they develop beyond being "just the bad guys" without us telling players that. You can also choose to help the Knights of the Circle--and they aren't without their own quirks and vices, which aren't because they are part of the Order of Arkay, but because they are people in general.

 

Now, the mod isn't going to be on a colossal scale. We just want to share a few stories and let the player feel like a part of them. But the idea behind it all is a prime candidate for being too long to read :)

 

If all goes well, there might be something in our mod for everyone.

[Esteris]

Hmm. Okay, I'll bite!

 

The kind of dark *I* like, is actually a non-evil dark. Moral dilemmas, some events that force one's hand to pick "the lesser evil" while still really being a good person. Interesting twists - a super lousy example could be some illusion that later turns out to be completely different than what a player has imagined at first - they wanted to do good, but road to hell is paved with good intentions, isn't it? But amongst things like that there should still be some positive outcome, otherwise I'd feel like grabbing a keyboard and mashing my head with it if after all my efforts and swimming through that darkness or another all of it was vain. I think you'd get what I mean ;D It might be far from your mod's intention, but you asked.

[elricshan]

well we have chaotic stupid but that does not go under dark does that gues just under stupid... but a dark person i think is a person who dont care about others and does what he wants when he wants and (s)he think about consecvenses anddoes not stupid things like the chaothik stupid. he can save that person but only if he can get something out of it. i play dark caracters but i dont kill randomly (that is not fun :P). at the end a what a dark char is diferent because veryone has diferent opinion about it. but i think it comes down to his/hers moral and etic Edited March 29, 2012 by elricshan

[6Domino6]

Hmm I suppose my Dunmer is dark then...but she's more Chaotic-Neutral if you want to go with D&D types. The way I decide what she does is a combination of will it benefit her and how it could potentially change things for better or worse.

 

For example:

 

 

She would join the dark brotherhood rather than obliterate it because she sees the potential in shadowed allies. She would side with Cicero not because Astrid is wrong, but because Cicero is easier to predict as an ally despite him being a little bonkers.

 

 

But I consider a dark character's priority to be themselves. They would let the weak die if there is no benefit to them but not because they particularly enjoy death but because protecting the weak and risking their own being isn't something they find smart. They would stop at almost nothing to get what they want but perhaps try 'gentler' methods first like stealing, move up to bribery or intimidation, and then finally bash in a skull if they don't get their way. If a 'dark' (read: chaotic-neutral) character were to start a war (most likely one that was already brewing) by pulling the strings it would be because they hoped to get something out of it. Evil is...well...generally less calculating.

 

My characters in TES are normally more Chaotic-Neutral or Dark...but in Fable (first one) my character was evil :D I killed people to get their houses! I killed people because I didn't like their faces! And...well..I killed people generally because I could.

[nivea]

Very interested in this, I always enjoy darker themes and there just is never enough interesting npcs in Skyrim so this sounds awesome! Very interested.

[SinderionsBones]

Sounds great. New faction, quite a few new places, looks like either new armor, or newly wearable armor. Even quite a few quests.

 

It could really be popular. What stage of development are you in? Parts of the description made it seemed ready for release, others just past planning stages.

 

I hope you're putting this in a bunch of forums because this is the one you'll get the least feedback in. Maybe up there in quality, but the least in quantity :D

 

I like playing through darker quest lines for the story. I can't (I try) suffer truly evil reckless hatred cold blooded murder sociopathic role play very well lol But I still like to go through the quests usually. I keep wanting to do even the dark brotherhood but can't get myself to kill people... even video game people... that are just hangin out... I killed the old lady fine, but yeah...

 

Dark in my mind, when it comes to video games especially, is the callous disregard for anyone else. This is both in action, thought, and feelings. The stereotypical evil scientist guy that's always abusive to his subordinates, calculating his acceptable loss percentages on live subjects really high. Even delving into oblivion and searching for new sources of power, when done with good intentions could be, from a roleplaying/gameplaying standpoint, good, it's got to have that repulsive malicious borderline disgusting feel about it to approach true evil. Much below this and the part can be done easily enough by someone more in the middle.