Does this thread belong here?, pieces of quest Options

[ghastley]

Most of the threads in this forum are naturally about "my character's adventures in a TES world", and the rest are meta-threads about writing them.

I'm coming from a completely different direction, or maybe not. I'm trying to create quest mods for Oblivion with a whole lot of NPC's who have linked stories, and I need all the help I can get with those. It's not entirely a different problem from writing the support cast in a regular FF, but it does leave out the central character, who will be the player, and I don't want to write that one.

I like to build a character in Oblivion and play it for a while before making an NPC from it, as this helps to give me some idea of how a pure mage thinks, or an archer, or an axe-wielding Orc, and I can make the NPC more credible that way. I'm currently playing a stereotypical big dumb blonde Nord called Hidy Heidi, who aspires to joining the Imperial Mountain Riders and patrolling the Jerrals on a white bear. I started her off trying to use poisoned daggers and stealth, but found that it's not too viable at low levels, because the damage she could inflict was never enough for a one-hit kill, and using a dagger put her too close for comfort in the remainder of the encounter. So she switched to a Claymore to better use her Blade skill, although she still tries a sneak attack with a dagger first, some of the time. She'd probably use the Claymore if she got a bear to ride, so maybe it's for the best.

This experience now has to be distilled down to some dialog for the NPC in-game, and that of her colleagues, and that's the sort of thing I'd want to post here for criticism and advice. And the content of books, notes, journal entries for the quests. Many of you have experience of rewriting bits of lore for your narratives, or fitting a new piece into the incomplete jigsaw puzzle Betheda provided, so I know it will help me if it works.

Heidi is intended to become part of this mod, of which only the first two quests have been released as a beta. I have another dozen or so in development, including an arc of quests that happen after the player is both CoC and Madgod, based on the idea of Dagon taking revenge on the player by opening gates in his/her new realm.

[ghastley]

As an example of what I'd like to post for your consideration, this is the content of an in-game book, which seeks to justify the outfits the girls wear in the context of TES. In reality, I copied the Schnapps ad illustration, but if I'm putting them into the TES IV game, they need to fit.

-------------------------------------

BEARS for the LEGION

This manual is commissioned to serve as a guide and reference for trainers of bears for the
Imperial Legion

The bears used by the Legion are specially bred for the purpose. They have
been selected over the years for their disposition, and preference has been given to paler
coats, so that the current bears are almost white. In all other respects they retain the
characteristics of their wild cousins, strength, fearlessness, and resolute will.

While the bears can sustain considerable damage in combat without complaint, they are quite
sensitive to small irritations, such as plucking their long fur. It has been determined that
plate and chainmail armor trap the fur of the animal's back and cause it considerable
annoyance, making it hard to ride.

Their keen sense of smell makes fur and leather armor equally unacceptable to the bears.
It is also believed that scent is the reason they prefer female riders to male. This was
once thought to be more a matter of weight, but they'll carry a Nord woman, and throw off
a male Bosmer.

These observations have led to the design of the current uniform for the Mountain Riders.
Above the waist, they wear heavy plate, as this does not come into contact with the bear.
Below, defense is primarily magical, with the Frost Shield serving a double purpose. The
bears would prefer that the girls wear nothing, but a minimal garment is required to hold
the enchantment, and the girls would refuse to wear less.

Use of a helmet is optional. Most, if not all, riders forgo one, as they already feel
top-heavy in their armor, and many find the restricted view from a helmet a problem in
the mountains It is however, part of the parade uniform for formal events. The rider may
choose a weapon to suit their own style of combat, with the stipulation that it be Silver.
Most choose a claymore for the reach.

Bears appear to share our own tastes in food, and will eat both meat and plant material. A
particular fondness for berries and honey is usual, but individual bears may have different
preferences. These will become apparent during the bear's training, and this information
should be passed on to the rider.

While the bears will naturally reject riders wearing the wrong armor, they should also
receive training in recognition of the Legion as their friends, to the point where they
should permit any Mountain Rider to mount, not just their specifically assigned handler,
but should refuse anyone who is not a member of the Legion. They should defend any Legion
member, including any foresters that venture into the mountains.

---------------------------------------

Although the manual doesn't say so, the Silver weapon is there for the same reason that the Legion uses them. They work against ghosts, wraiths and wills-o-the-wisp (although the latter seem to win every time)

This is one piece of background for the Riders, among many. I have dialog that establishes that bears have better footing on ice and snow, so they're a better mount in those conditions, as well as providing a lot of offensive support. I could repeat it here, but chose not to do so.

So change gears, everyone, and sub-edit my manual for me.