LE Castle of Fallen Glory

[kaindjinn]

This is a castle I very literally dreamed about so I apologize if this turns into a dream journal.

 

The castle has some history to it: Perched between two mountains, this castle was the center of the kingdom's honorable reign. The denizens and royalty around and within the castle were particularly honorable and noble, exemplars of human righteousness. Magic and knowledge were highly prized, especially within the castle, and a large portion of it was dedicated to its study and practice. One day, however, a young wizard found a lost tome that described a ritual to summon a great and powerful "spiritual being." Assuming this being to be good through naivete, the wizard carried out the ritual in what used to be a holy chamber. As these stories often play out, the "spiritual being" the wizard summoned was not a kind nor holy one; no, the wizard had in fact summoned a very powerful and very, very evil demon. The demon captured the wizard and immediately began to corrupt the castle, possessing the knights and wizards he deemed useful and turning them into an army, and wiping out every other living soul. The castle's former glory had vanished, leaving behind an evil keep that no wise soul will ever approach.

 

And that's where the Dohvakiin comes in!

 

That's a quick background I put together based on the things I already "knew" from my dream. While writing it I came up with some other ideas, but first I want to describe the architecture since that's what I know a lot more clearly.

 

In my dream I saw that the castle was indeed set between two mountains. The path leading up to it was hilly but a wasteland - dry rock, dead grass, sand, etc. - but littered with signs of its former glory. Specifically, it was littered with magic runes and small traces of destroyed buildings. Runes aren't in Skyrim so I guess it could be filled with tattered spell scrolls. Anyway, getting through the tall portcullis leads to a large open center square. Naturally this would be filled with monsters and perhaps a few evil plants running wild. If you take a side path you enter the holy chamber I mentioned.

 

It's a fairly small room, about 30 feet by 20 feet, with two entrances. It sits under a tall ceiling (about 50 feet) with small windows near the top to provide natural light. A small alter sits in the middle, and on which rests a basin. Formerly a holy room, it has since been corrupted with evil. A pentagram is located around the alter and no more light shines in. The walls have been blackened as though burned. Besides these things, the room is completely empty.

 

After exiting the north door you travel a hallway that leads to a demolished wall. You climb over the rubble and enter the Hall of Doors. This is a very large room that is completely covered in huge wooden doors - both walls and the floor. The room has no ceiling or roof, but the sun never shines above it these days. In the past the door would lead to various parts of the castle, but after the demon showed up they are all gates to various parts of hell. Since I often have video gamey dreams, all that came out of these doors were wraiths from the Skyrim Monster Mod.

 

http://oi48.tinypic.com/2q9i0i0.jpg

(Seriously)

 

After battling a large horde of these monsters (they keep coming out of doors kind of like how Draugr keep coming out of their coffins in waves) the gate in the northeast corner opens. This leads to a big chapel-like room. Imagine a church, a regular old church, with pews and a gate surrounding the altar, but nearly everything is demolished. In my dream there was a priestess distributing healing potions (I don't know how she got there, it was a dream) and plenty of healing tomes. This is the final respite before confronting the demon head-on.

 

Unfortunately I've never gotten further to saving the castle in my dream, but I did have an idea for fighting this demon. You go through another hallway or two and find yourself in the throne room to face the demon mano e mano. Naturally it'd be a daedra, but it would be invulnerable. Strong. It's an impossible demon to beat, save its one weakness: the wizard. The wizard is trapped in a coffin, feeding the daedra energy and serving as its only link to our dimension. Defeating this monster is as simple as killing the wizard. But, of course, it's not that simple. The demon knows of its one fatal flaw, so it uses its magic to persuade you not to kill the wizard. The wizard will take the form of the character's spouse, but if the character doesn't have one then the form of another important character to the player's story. Ulfric, the Jarl in Solitude (I can't remember her name), the Blades lady, the monk guy who teaches you how to shout (I haven't played Skyrim in a long time. :\ ), etc. Anyway, killing this innocent, living, breathing human shouldn't be as simple as cutting down a bandit, at least morally. The wizard will plead to have his/her life saved, but there is no alternative: Kill the wizard or die.

 

After destroying the demon's link to our dimension, you have to seal it away you can purify the castle if you want. You go back to the room with the basin to seal the demon, then to the chapel to purify the castle. Purifying the castle will remove all evil traces (but either way there shouldn't be any more monsters), but it will not bring back the people. The castle will always be empty because people had known for eons to avoid it, and that will never change.

 

As far as video game things go, traveling through the castle would be a winding path. I would like this to eventually be a possible house for the Dohvakiin, but one the player's spouse could never visit. The knights and mages should be demonic or noticeably possessed. And they shouldn't be scrubs, either. The knights should all be very heavily armored (full Ebony, for instance) so they are intimidating both visually and in terms of gameplay. The mages should be very powerful and capable of spells that could easily devastate the player if s/he charges in blindly. These sentries do not make a sound, either. Whether swinging their swords or axes, casting spells, taking damage or ultimately falling, they should be completely silent. When defeated they should disintegrate. Nobody should leave this castle with thirty sets of Ebony armor.

 

If the player ever goes into a dungeon (this castle isn't Heaven; real people still lived there) it should be filled with Draugr, but not the armored kind. Mostly women, as the demon didn't see them as useful. I already mentioned the Wraiths in the Hall of Doors, and that really should cover all the monsters in here. There could be some loot, but nothing that will turn the player into a walking tank or anything. Mostly potions, spell scrolls, and a few books to give the player an idea of how great the castle used to be.

 

I understand that this is a pretty lofty idea for a mod. It would involve a lot of architecture, scripting, and spoken dialog (at least from the demon, whoever tells you the tale of this castle, and the wizard), but I'd love to see it happen. I have absolutely no modding skills, nor do I have very good recording equipment, so I couldn't provide a whole lot of help besides direction and maybe some writing. Let me know if you're interested! I'd love to see my dream become a (virtual) reality!

Edited August 26, 2012 by kaindjinn