[WIP] The Forever Darkness Project

[kayinv]

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/792/foreverdarknesslogoskyr.png

 

Welcome to the official Forever Darkness WIP thread for the Nexus community! As you all can see, I'm working a rather large project involving two separate mods which are part of a larger series. There will also be a third and final mod if...I ever get through these two. First thing's first, the current project is in two halves. The first half that most people are familiar with is Forever Darkness - Ashes of Eris, which involves the nefarious and evil Eris. The second half - which you just saw above - is Embers of Valkyries, where the companion and race in that mod are good, honorable, and generally tailored to those who make righteous-type characters. Allow me to give you a brief synopsis of the project so far...

Forever Darkness - Ashes of Eris:

 

- Special companion character named Eris Beolfag - the elder sister of the infamous Lamae Beolfag, the first pure-blood vampire in the current TES lore.

 

- Special arch-vampire race included who will be far less weaker then normal vampires

 

- Unique dialogue for a vicious and malevolent Eris played by the talented Marcy Edwards (voice talent for Interesting NPCs - check out her work!)

 

- Full-length short story included showing a new twist on the TES vampire origin story, something that was sorely neglected in Dawnguard

 

Forever Darkness - Embers of Valkyries:

 

- Special companion character named Gavriella Corvain, the heroine and protagonist of the project who becomes the legendary Valkyrie.

 

- New race called the Einherjar, based of the same mythological heroes in Norse myth - except that these are heroes who were turned into vampires against their will!

 

- Unique dialogue and hopefully a talented voice actress to go with it!

 

- Full-length short story showing how Gavriella was cursed by Eris and then found salvation from a source of power thought to be lost - The Aedra!

 

 

Forever Darkness: Embers of Valkyries Official Trailer -

 

 

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4796/valkyrietitlenexus.png

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She took everything from me, my home, my kingdom, and the most precious freedom every living thing owns - life. My people were quiet, honor-bound, and just happy to be alive. We were worshippers of Shor and Kyne, we sought no lands beyond what our gods gave to us, we were not a threat. So why did this newly crowned queen of death seek to destroy such a small land? What threat to her power could we possibly gather? I have asked these questions for centuries. Once you have lived as long as I have, you tend to ask the same questions in different ways, but it never helps you find an answer.

 

The irony is that by destroying my people and my lands, that she ended up creating what she feared the most. Her reason for destruction is simply to stamp out life in any form. It doesn't matter if it's a powerful kingdom or the moss on a tree; it must be destroyed because it lives.

 

But now we find new life flowing in our veins. No longer is it the passive flow of existence, but now it is the righteous wrath of creation itself. Light and life burns inside us, and instead of a simple soul, now a flame of salvation blazes wildly. Once we were meek, now we are strong. Once we were silent, now we roar. Once we sought peace, now we seek war. This isn't a war for honor, for land, or even revenge. We fight because we no longer have a choice but one: life or death?

 

Dragonborn, I write to you because whatever she has promised she will not keep. She takes what she wants, and she destroys what she no longer needs. You can not under estimate her power. Eris is far more then just an ordinary vampire, she has become an aspect of death itself. In time, I will explain to you what she is, but first I wish to show you that there is hope in defeating her. She probably said you had no choice, that your destiny was hers to control. It is this arrogance and pride that proves how wrong she is and how I know that you're nothing like her.

 

Your importance to her is unquestionable. If you do not go to her willingly, she will take you by force. I hope this letter comes to you in time, because my protection is the only sanctuary you have. I have marked a safe location for us to meet, so you have to hurry!

 

Without you, darkness will reign forever. Life will be erased, and death will stand as the only remaining absolute. Allow me to prove to you that from the ashes of death come the embers of life. We do have a chance. We have hope, and we have faith.

 

- Gavriella Corvain

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Music - Globus: Preliator

 

Software Used: Adobe Creative Suite 6.0 - Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects & Premiere Pro

 

Forever Darkness - Ashes of Eris - Trailer 1

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/rslYI.png

 

Once I was mortal just like you...once I sought sun light instead of shadow.

 

Allow me to share with you, a history never told. I hear your questions, even though you do not speak them. You wonder who I was, rather then who I am now. Do not fear, these questions do not anger me. Your curiosity may still be innocent, for now.

 

So I'll tell you my story, and only you. Be aware that my past can not be used as a weapon against me. Instead, my past is what fuels the wrath you now share with me. My legacy has now become your destiny.

 

Ages ago, I was a powerful sorceress, and the eldest daughter of a High King of Skyrim. I looked much the same back then, elegant, beautiful, and feared. I was born with amber-colored eyes and hair as black as night. This was strange in a clan filled with blonde hair and blue eyes, so while my parents proclaimed it to be a sign of power, others thought it a curse. Little did they know how right they were...

 

My clan were worshippers of the moon, so from birth I had a affinity with the night. I do remember the warmth of the sun, but the cold light of the moon always brought me the greatest comfort. It was another sixty five full moons until I was given a sister. Her hair was blonde, much to my father's relief, but like me, she had amber eyes as well. The curse of whispered dread began anew, which my parents quickly silenced. I remember one soothsayer that said we were damned and would bring death to Skyrim. My father was quick to remove anything that threatened his power, so the man was gutted in public, and driven onto a pike for everyone to see. His corpse stayed there for over a month, and the whispers went back to the holes they crawled out of.

 

Despite my father's success in keeping his people tamed, I could see that those whispers tainted his heart. Not only was he denied a boy to inherit his thrown, he was given two daughters that destiny sought to marry with death. It was this poison in his soul that began it all. Perhaps if I was shown trust instead of suspicion, and love instead of fear, maybe I would be bones long turned to dust. But when it comes to destiny, as I've come to know it, it's the greatest monster of them all.

 

Music - Two Steps From Hell - Dark Ages

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MORE VIDEOS:

 

Eris Voice Clip Sample 1 -

 

 

WHAT IS STILL NEEDED:

 

1) Talented modelers who may want to contribute new armors based on the armor mixes/mashes I'm already working on, or are willing to help repair issues with the current mashes.

 

2) Voice talent, voice talent, voice talent. Right now I mostly need an actress for Gavriella, but there will be other characters for download later on!

 

If you think you can project a voice like Hrist from Valkyrie Profile, then send me some samples of heroic lines!

 

Sample:

 

 

I need Gavriella to sound like a strong warrior female who leads with honor, tact, and strength. She can't sound meek, cute, etc. Gavriella is compassionate as well, so try not to imitate Hrist's arrogance, but just the tone in her voice.

 

3) Both Eris and Gavriella will need unique bases of operation. Perhaps not upon immediate release, but definitely for future updates. Please contact me if you're interested in making them special player homes.

 

4) Scripting is NOT my strong-suit, so any advice and assistance will be greatly appreciated. I already have a lot of support with this project, and everyone involved will be THROUGHLY thanked and praised.

 

5) Spells, skills, animations - I have ideas for making these characters truly unique with their powers and abilities. If you're talented with making spells, powers, skills, etc. - please contact me!

 

And that's it! Let me know what you think about the project. Endorse the teaser images so the project gets greater exposure before release. Keep an eye on the project and my profile for updates. And last but not least, let me know if you want to join Team Forever Darkness!

 

IMAGESHARE LINKS TO IMAGES AND TRAILERS:

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/images/179583

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/images/161869

 

Links:

http://kayinvanderkill.deviantart.com/

http://tesadventures.com/forum/index.php?topic=4424.0

 

Note: Armor designs will rely on permissions from original authors and are subject to change depending on concurrency of permissions from the original authors. All armors are mixes done in NifSkope and all texture work is done in Photoshop. Original authors will be throughly thanked in the description page with a lot more emphasis then just a line of text. (Think big, pretty graphics with big letters for the names...which you've already seen on this page - but better!) I'm sharing this mod because I want too, so while honest critiques are welcome, troll garbage will be ignored. Permissions will be explained upon release.

[Oubliette]

Seems... interesting. Though I must admit the character most likely to play this has equally low interest in being someone's pet or in carting around a goody goody, she has little objection to playing with them both for a bit before she rips the armor from their dessicated corpses and moves on. Good luck with your project :thumbsup:

[tyrannynexus]

Aw man once the trailer started feeling epic at the intro i was hoping there would be some badass talking in the background in stead of just reading the text, i think it would add a lot to it!

[kayinv]

The ultimate goal is to make a companion character you care about, or in the case of Eris - fear/hate. There will be new factions, new races, other companion characters with their own background stories, love triangles, etc.

 

That being said, I want to make one thing clear: NEITHER ERIS OR GAVRIELLA CAN BE MARRIED.

 

Seriously, making lame spouse companions that marries you on the spot is not on the list. Other companion characters tied to the main two will have those options, but not Gavriella or Eris.

Edited December 26, 2012 by kayinv

[Oubliette]

A more interesting companion is always needed but I'm afraid I'd not be interested in marrying either of them anyway :huh: I prefer a partner for marriage options, you know someone on my side and only mine, not someone who thinks they can inspire loyalty through fear or who's going to give me grief every time I stab a puppy.

[kayinv]

There was similar praise and distaste with Serana, so it's impossible to please everyone with these characters. There is plenty of "please me" companions out there already, so I guess I want to have characters who should receive some attention outside your PC godhead character. ;) The story behind Forever Darkness doesn't revolve around just the dragonborn and his/her exploits, but aims to show that those you enlist to destroy the world, or save the world can do so with or without your help.

 

Who you side with will depend on which character you like, and neither Gavriella or Eris are completely black and white. Gavriella isn't afraid to do what's necessary to stop Eris or her kind in general. Nor will Eris be just an evil killing machine, she will also be a victim of bad decisions and tragedies that shaped her into what she eventually becomes. Monsters always have a past, and heroes will always make mistakes. The question will be if you support the consequences for their actions, because consequence is the only audience without emotion - just reaction. You may sympathize with Eris and work with her, or you may decide that tragedy or not, her fate was decided when she turned evil. For Gavriella you might see a woman who truly cares about life and want to help her holy crusade, or you could be suspicious and claim to see her as someone following a course of vengeance and nothing more.

 

And this is how it fits with Skyrim - choice. The winners and losers are your choice to make. You help them, they help you.

[Oubliette]

Yes, choice is a good thing. The game can always use more of it.

[WLionheart]

I simply loved both the trailer and the Promo video , i'm really looking forward to this project . The posters are simply amazing and i can't wait to see how this will turn out. I must say you've already done an outstanding job

[AgainstAllGods]

I wait for Forever darkness more then i wait for the dragonborn dlc :P. It looks really awesome and i can't wait to try it out

[elricshan]

this sounds like a realy great mod ^^ but one question. are you following the lore that bethesta has given us around vampires, changing the lore or just making a new lore? if the later you can just clame that it is a vampire clan that has managed to keep itself hidden from the others and so are unknown by all :P