Glad you're making progress. That modding stuff is a lot of work!

The shrine looks great! I guess a portable bedroll on the floor of the smaller houses would always leave someone pouty. Congrats on the progress.

I love the shrine. Very nice.

If you haven't already, you should check out companion Vilja. She makes comments based on location as well so her script could be helpful if you are having issues.

Holy thread necromancy Batman!

I just added a bit more to the mod, and thought I'd get an opinion here. Since I didn't really want the father, Jak'l, to be the Silencer, I had the idea that the merchant's brother was the DB member. When he gets the contract, he just knows it's his crazy paranoid brother behind it, and decides to end the idiocy by offing his own kin. He tells the sisters to get out of town, in case he fails and someone else takes over the hit. He's already a vampire at this stage, having caught the disease while dropping off Diabla's Crystal Ball (and Angela's Hourglass, just for symmetry) at an Ayleid Ruin - I chose Nornalhorst as a decent-sized one that doesn't have an existing quest. His vampirism is one reason for feeling less connected to his brother, the other is the increasing insanity. Combined, he'll be better off without him.

The glassware items were enchanted with a shield spell to make them unbreakable, because clumsy Diabla kept dropping glass objects. That made the merchant doubly sure that they were extra-powerful magic spy devices aimed at him. In reality, a Crystal ball with an enchantment on it already would be hard to enchant again.

My take on how Crystal Balls work as spy devices is that you'd take the ball to the location you want to "bug", cast a spell, and the reflection seen in the ball would "stick". You could then take the ball elsewhere, but you'd continue to see in what was going on at the point where you cast the spell. The "detect life" spell actually detects the magicka associated with life, so it will reveal the ghost image of a crystal ball at the bugged location when such a spell is in effect. The merchant has seen that in his shop, so he assumes he's bugged.

When he looks into the ball at the mothers' shop he sees himself. It's not enchanted at all, but he assumes they know a more powerful version of the spying spell than he does, and theirs can track a person. He doesn't have to be logical here, just paranoid. The shield spell reinforces his fears, as much as it does the glassware.

So what's the reality of the "detect life" ghost orb in his shop? I'm thinking maybe he demonstrated a ball he sold himself, and forgot to dispel the enchantment before the customer left, or he assumed they'd be setting a new target, and they didn't. Do I even need this kind of detail?

The Vampire brother of the merchant has retired from the DB after killing his sibling, and went back to live in Nornalhorst, because he's still a vampire. You can talk to him there, and find that the Ball and Hourglass are still lying around somewhere - actually behind a secret wall I added - so the sisters can take keepsakes home to their rooms at Arborwatch.

You find him because S'shani recalls that the merchant had dealings with Dar Jee, the fence in Leyawiin, presumably taking the stolen goods out of Cyrodiil. This part is triggered by a stage of the quest to build the shrine to the parents, and takes the form of a note given to you when you next visit your Waterfront shack.

Dar Jee remembers the brothers, and gives you names (Arvin and Slythe Dereleth - Arvin being the merchant) as well as naming Nornalhorst as where Slythe caught his Vampirism. Dar Jee doesn't know anything about the events in Senchal, of course.

I'm leaving Jak'l as a mystery. Slythe doesn't know if there was any hit contract for him, but he advised him to go with the girls' mothers, in case there was. Sithis would be satisfied with his brother's death in place of the mothers, but he would still be in danger. None of the dialog mentions his race or background, so I can add that later. Or not!

I'm undecided whether to expand this a little by adding a sub-quest to help Slythe cure his vampirism. It would have to be consistent with the quest for curing the player, so maybe involve the witch at Drakelowe again?

I think the idea of a shield spell for glassware is cute as can be. My character quit carrying alchemy gear around for the very reason that it is too fragile.

I also like the creative potential that can be crafted into the concept of the crystal ball, be it for communication as Grits has used them for or for the bugging devices you mention here. I’ve also heard of them being used as a medium for a character to stay in touch with their ‘player/mentor’.

Once again you have floored me with your inventive imagination !! What a great idea for a use of all those crystal balls in the game - only the spell would have to be hard to come by - maybe a quest to get that spell. Awesome ideas you have Ghastley!

If the cure for vampirism will take you down the same route as the vanilla game, why do it? I'd make some other way (possibly more like the DLC Vile Lair did).

You could still use the idea and title of Glenmoril witch to keep the Lore, but since the one in game (Melisande) is already glitching her vanilla quest - why not make a different Glenmoril Witch for the mod? (like build a cave somewhere near Drakelowe and have it be a coven sister of Melisande).

This post has been edited by mALX: Dec 22 2011, 07:12 AM

So what's the reality of the "detect life" ghost orb in his shop? I'm thinking maybe he demonstrated a ball he sold himself, and forgot to dispel the enchantment before the customer left, or he assumed they'd be setting a new target, and they didn't.

Sure, if this detail even comes out in the story. Or maybe someone else is tracking him. Just because he’s paranoid doesn’t mean he’s always wrong.

I’ve never done the cure for vampirism thing, but I would be fine with a completely different option than the game already offers if you wanted to do that. After all, some (PS3 players like myself) don’t believe that a cure even exists.

I believe Hassildor says that she's the only one left. He could be wrong, of course. Anyway, isn't she patched to work OK on the PC (where I'm mod-making).

The other quest-extending thing I'm considering is having some creatures hold up the construction of the shrine, so our team has to go clear them out. The problem is that it's an isolated island, so the creatures would have to teleport, fly or hitch a ride on a ship. Imps maybe?

Mud crab invasion. Can you make them really big?

I'm taking a break from the Red Dragon Club while I think up a few more quests, and picking this one up again.

Giant mud crabs it is. Five of them, three times their normal size (i.e scale 1.5, as normal is 0.5). The thing that is taking me the most time is making a half-complete shrine, with all the mason's clutter and uncut stone etc.

I think I'll have the work crew hide in the Argonian's wreck to escape the crabs. I can't have the Serpent's Wake stay at the Island, because I can't disable it at Anvil without major conflicts with Open Cities Reborn. So it only sails when the player is on board (or away from Anvil, so it can do the whole round trip). That means Varulae has to be able to communicate with the workmen to know when they want to return. Good thing I got her Crystal Ball back!

I may also try to add a friendly wraith (Jak'l's ghost?) helping with the mud crab problem. It won't be able to communicate with the player or sisters directly, but I'm getting a few thoughts about it pointing to a clue.

The giant mudcrab invasion is a great idea!

Giant mudcrabs, tremendous!! A friendly ghost would add even more fun. I have to go back and look at this one again, I remember that I really liked it.

Just a couple of quick screenshots.

The half-built shrine when the crabs put a temporary halt to construction.

A mud-crab of each size. I'd just killed the large one, and was about to take a screenshot, when the girls came rushing in and killed the little one, who'd just come around the rock. Then they saw I was going to take a picture, and stayed.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jul 14 2016, 04:25 PM

I can certainly see why mudcrabs that size would disrupt construction out on the island!

ROFL !! That had me spewing hot cocoa on my keyboard !!! ROFL !!!

Great pictures! The girls look so proud of themselves. I love the private island with a shipwreck setting.