Does this thread belong here?, pieces of quest Options

[Acadian]

Nice background-building on the bear riders, and provides for their own lodge!

"Three whole days of this, and again every month!"
I'm not gonna go here.

[ghastley]

@SubRosa: That's the in-game dialog that they say to the player, and I didn't provide alternate lines for all the possibilities of player gender or orientation. This conversation does take place on a bleak, snowy trail, where immediate action would be suicide by frostbite. And it may have influenced his decision to find them somewhere warmer and more comfortable, especially if he considers himself a potential beneficiary in future.

@mALX: I haven't decided if Ocato will visit the Lodge later, but he does have some gratitude "in the bank" if he wants to cash in.

@Acadian: Blame the game's AI scheduling for that. I originally planned for them to cycle through the Lodge every twenty days or so, but that wasn't an option.

[Cardboard Box]

This conversation does take place on a bleak, snowy trail, where immediate action would be suicide by frostbite.

"Help! I'm dying from indecent exposure!"

[Grits]

I have enjoyed the persistent image of a strapping, manly HoK standing on a snowy path chatting with two nubile young steel g-stringed bear babes, boldly writing “find…dates…for…hot…bear…chicks” in his stalwart little notebook.

Seriously though, since I know absolutely nothing about modding, it has taken me a few read-throughs to figure out what’s going on. But now I think I get it. I like it!!! The warm lodge is a great contrast to the bleak wilderness. I can’t wait to hear Timo’s story. I expect he takes a lot of vitamins.

This post has been edited by Grits: Mar 3 2011, 01:48 AM

[ghastley]

To help with the persistent images. I'll try an experimental link to a screenshot. The URL isn't stable yet, as I'm still trying to get a static IP address.

Captain Gudrun in her office - She's obviously learned a lot from Sigrid about posture.

If my address changes, that link will get broken, and I'll have to come back and edit it later. Let me know if it works for you, and I'll add a few more.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Apr 7 2011, 12:11 AM

[Grits]

Oh my! Does the Captain’s desk chair also find armor irritating? It works!!

ETA: I love to see your ideas come to life on the screen! The bear toy is especially nice touch, someone being thoughtful.

This post has been edited by Grits: Mar 3 2011, 03:16 AM

[Thomas Kaira]

We-heh-ell....

I know the Nords love the cold but... might she be taking things a tad too far? Normally I wouldn't be making snow-angels in my undies unless I downed a bottle of Amaretto.

Still, there's always good old fashioned Nordic Whiskey (in a jar).

But I digress, that's a mighty fine looking bikini you've got there.

[ghastley]

Well I guess that means the link worked.

She wears more in bed - this illustrates the cuddly toy - and the little plush bear as well.

another view of her office

The bar and the dining area of the Lodge.

Svana's room

And here's a view of the outside.

And while the links are working - the whole mod's documentation.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Sep 25 2019, 03:14 PM

[mALX]

Well I guess that means the link worked.

She wears more in bed - this illustrates the cuddly toy - and the little plush bear as well.

another view of her office

The bar and the dining area of the Lodge.

Svana's room

And here's a view of the outside.

And while the links are working - the whole mod's documentation.

Love the lodge you built - this is AWESOME !!!! I went to the full documentation and looked up the different quests - I am getting very excited about this mod !!! How much fun, and how in the world you thought of all this - I love it !!!

[ghastley]

...and how in the world you thought of all this...

The Schnapps ad was the challenge - create a credible reason for her to exist in the TES world - and it made a good mod to try out the whole Construction Set. I needed to create costume models and/or textures, rework animations so she could ride the bear, create a quest, write some scripts and dialogs. Essentially there was a bit of everything.

I released a single-quest mod and got some positive feedback that encouraged me to add some more riders, so then I needed a story to tie it all together. That's the piece I came here to test out before it gets released as playable code.

It isn't all there in my mind yet. I still need a way to bring the Riders into play in the Deadlands after the Oblivion Gates in SI are closed by the player (with Mazken/Aureal help), so that the story completes the circle. There is another character I'm working on - Heidi, a stereotypical pneumatic dumb blonde - who'll turn out to be the exact opposite (well, she'll remain big and blonde). I don't have much of her tale thought through yet, but she'll probably be the one Rider that goes to SI with the player. I need some brilliant ideas to become her brilliant ideas in the resolution.

Heidi

The hardest part is keeping it tongue-in-cheek at the same time as letting you play it as a serious quest line if you prefer.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jul 13 2011, 10:25 PM

[mALX]

...and how in the world you thought of all this...

The Schnapps ad was the challenge - create a credible reason for her to exist in the TES world - and it made a good mod to try out the whole Construction Set. I needed to create costume models and/or textures, rework animations so she could ride the bear, create a quest, write some scripts and dialogs. Essentially there was a bit of everything.

I released a single-quest mod and got some positive feedback that encouraged me to add some more riders, so then I needed a story to tie it all together. That's the piece I came here to test out before it gets released as playable code.

It isn't all there in my mind yet. I still need a way to bring the Riders into play in the Deadlands after the Oblivion Gates in SI are closed by the player (with Mazken/Aureal help), so that the story completes the circle. There is another character I'm working on - Heidi, a stereotypical pneumatic dumb blonde - who'll turn out to be the exact opposite (well, she'll remain big and blonde). I don't have much of her tale thought through yet, but she'll probably be the one Rider that goes to SI with the player. I need some brilliant ideas to become her brilliant ideas in the resolution.

Heidi

This is so fascinating !!! It is exciting to see the mod forming and the inner workings of how the quests are set up - then get to see the finished product as it develops !!!

I guess she could either be pretending to be dumb because she is some form of double agent for a faction and is infiltrating - or she could be an academic airhead - like people who are genius in one way but lack common sense in another.

(Maxical in my story is an academic airhead. In Maxical's original story (and later on in this version) - Eyja the maid from Skingrad is a double agent infiltrating - she comes across as dumb so no one bothers watching her - then takes over in a quick flip of events)

I loved the links you provided, they tripled my excitement over this thread !!!

This post has been edited by mALX: Mar 3 2011, 04:34 PM

[ghastley]

Academic airhead is a great description. Heidi's way of putting it is that she thinks slowly, but carefully. It may take her a long time to figure something out, but she'll probably take it further than anyone else could. She also has a good memory, because she has to think things through after she's been told something, so she can't afford to miss what was said.
Heidi picture at TesNexus - both girls are Heidi. I test-played the start of her quest with her as the player character.


This post has been edited by ghastley: Mar 3 2011, 04:49 PM

[mALX]

Academic airhead is a great description. Heidi's way of putting it is that she thinks slowly, but carefully. It may take her a long time to figure something out, but she'll probably take it further than anyone else could. She also has a good memory, because she has to think things through after she's been told something, so she can't afford to miss what was said.
Heidi picture at TesNexus - both girls are Heidi. I test-played the start of her quest with her as the player character.

GAAAAH !!! Playing as twins - what an AWESOME idea !!!

[Acadian]

Academic airhead is a great description. Heidi's way of putting it is that she thinks slowly, but carefully. It may take her a long time to figure something out, but she'll probably take it further than anyone else could. She also has a good memory, because she has to think things through after she's been told something, so she can't afford to miss what was said.
…

My goodness! Perhaps this is a blonde thing and not related to bust size. You have amazingly described the thought process of my small-breasted blond bowgirl. Flustered and fumbling if under pressure, but elegantly clever if given the time to craft her knowledge into a plan.

All I can think of regarding the red-headed precious Maxical is that perhaps her white fur is acceptable to the goddess of blondness.

[ghastley]

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but I feel I owe a few words again.

This introduces the last of the regular Riders, a Dunmer called Ystrel, who is given a patrol in the Valus Mountains. Again, most of the dialog with the Hero comes straight from the game.

----------

Ystrel's Tale

The Hero of Kvatch paid a visit to the new Riders' Lodge, to see what came of his dealings with the High Chancellor. Magnus, the barkeep, sent him up the stairs to introduce himself to Gudrun, the new Captain.

"Well met," she beamed, sensing that this was someone she should get to know. "I gather we have you to thank for getting Ocato interested in the Mountain Riders. We wouldn't have this place if you hadn't found that book for him."

The Hero couldn't help noticing that Gudrun's version of the Riders' uniform was even more revealing than the lesser ranks'. When he met her eyes again, she remarked that it was all part of the recruiting effort. It was her job to project the glamour of the job, not the dangers and the arduous conditions of the patrols. The well-appointed Lodge was part of that same plan. It also served to keep up the morale of the Riders.

Gudrun was happy to admit that she was making the most of the opportunity. As a Nord, she didn't regard Bruma as particularly cold, and she had a nice comfortable office indoors anyway.She got to pick her own furnishings, recruit her own staff, and the duties were light. She really only had to look good, and accept any applications to join from suitable candidates.

"And talking of recruits", she said, "we found one already. She's gone through her training. The Legion let her have a few days off to go back to her home town before she reported here."

High Chancellor Ocato had asked her to set up patrols in the Valus Mountains, as well as the Jerrals. She wasn't sure if it would work out. There's no snow in those mountains, so wouldn't they need brown bears? Well, the first step was to get someone from the area.

"Ystrel should have been here two days ago. If you're heading to Cheydinhal, could you ask if anyone there knows where she is?" the Captain concluded.

The Hero was indeed headed in that direction, so he agreed to Gudrun's request.

---------

The Hero described Ystrel to the guard at Cheydinhal's West gate. He remembered her armor, at least. "The girl in the strange uniform? I heard she got tossed into jail. Ask Dervera Romalen about it, over at the Newlands Lodge. She'll tell you all about it."

The Lodge was right there by the gate, so that was easy. The Dunmer innkeeper remembered her somewhat better than the guard had. "Yes, she was in here for a drink the other night. Spent her last Septim on wine, and then some stupid Orc tried to fondle her buns. Got himself slapped right out the door onto the street! She's got a really nice backhander, that one!" laughed Dervala.

Then a frown came over her face "The guards put her in jail for that."

Several of the other people in the town told him tales of the fines the guards were levying these days, so it wasn't hard to figure out that Ystrel just hadn't been able to pay. In that case, getting her out should be simple enough.

The fine was more than he expected. Weren't fines supposed to be the same across the whole of Cyrodiil? He'd have to find out more about that later. The guard opened her cell and let her out.

She confirmed Dervala's account. "I was in the Newlands Lodge having 'one for the road' on my way out of town. I'd just spent my last bit of gold on some wine, when an Orc took my skimpy uniform as an invitation. I gave him such a backhander, he went flying out the door into the street! But that brought the guards in. They usually don't care what happens inside the bar, but when it gets outside, they take action. Everyone said it was the Orc's fault, even he admitted that, but the guards said I hit him, so it was a fine or jail for me. Since I'd just spent all my money, here I am."

"And you should be in Bruma" he reminded her. "Get your uniform on, we need to go".

----------

Back outside Bruma, Gudrun was waiting for them. "Good, you've brought Ystrel just in time to meet her bear. He just arrived from Skyrim. We should go out and get them together right away!"

They all went out to the side of the lodge, where a white bear was waiting. It sniffed at Ystrel, and backed away from her.

"I have a problem" said Ystrel."The bear won't let me get onto his back. He seems to understand I'm Legion, but he doesn't think I'm a proper Rider."

The Hero had noticed the bear sniffing at her, and thought he might know the problem. First he asked Gudrun what she liked to eat. "Beef, Onions and Potatoes, washed down with a good beer. Of course, I have to watch how much of that I eat, or get more exercise."

Ystrel's answer confirmed his suspicions. "Ham and cheese, with lettuce, tomato and a loaf of bread. I prefer a wine with it, but it doesn't have to be anything special, like Tamika's. But I'm not really choosy, that's just what I was brought up on."

He explained to Gudrun that bears have a keen sense of smell, and Ystrel just didn't smell like the Nords he was used to. You are what you eat, and Ystrel hadn't been eating the Nord diet, so her scent was ... foreign.

"So you're saying that bears want their riders to smell of stale beer and radish farts?" asked Gudrun "That's what most of the men around here smell like."

The Hero pointed out that a woman wasn't going to smell like a man, any more than a Dunmer would have the same scent as a Nord.

"So we just need to feed Ystrel the local diet for a while, you think? Couldn't we just get her to dab some Ale behind her ears?" Gudrun pondered a monent "We'll do both!"

-----------

A week later, he was passing Bruma again and looked in at the Lodge. He met Gudrun first.

"We had Ystrel eat like a Nord, drink like a Nord, and sleep with a Nord" she told him "Actually that last part was her idea. She is a Dunmer, after all. But finally the bear likes her. Let's hope he doesn't think the Valus Mountains smell strange!"

Gudrun smiled broadly. "Go talk to Ystrel, I think she has something for you."

The Hero walked into the bar to find Ystrel sitting at a table with a mug of ale, rather than her usual wine. "There's more to that scent thing than I realized. After a few days of Nord diet, the Nord men seemed a lot more attractive than before. I mean, more than just a few days without would account for. I hope it hasn't put me off everyone else! Anyway, I think I owe you something for all your help. I hope you like this!".

Ystrel handed him one of the toy bears. Somehow, it was just the right reward.

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

Note: Although Gudrun mentions needing brown bears for the Valus patrols, they're only training white ones, so that's what arrived from Skyrim.

[Acadian]

Oh, I like this one! Just the right touch of action, humor, 'bear rider lore' and character development. Nicely done! You brought quite the chuckle that she decided to sleep with a Nord as well as eat their diet.

[mALX]

Oh! This is that one quest where you help her change her diet? This is AWESOME to see it here in story form and on the mod !!! I am loving this !!!

[ghastley]

I've been busy trying to build a new quest to introduce Heidi, so I haven't done much conversion of the story into narrative. I'm also fiddling with the order of the quests to make them flow a bit better. Timo's can be done at any time after the Lodge is opened, so let's have that next.

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


Timo's Tail Tale

"I don't suppose you could help me with a small problem I'm having?" Timo asked the Hero of Kvatch. "It's all very embarrassing, really. I keep getting a strange urge to scratch behind my ear ... with my foot. Not to mention trying to lick places I can't reach. And it's changed the way I ... er... approach the girls."

"So when did it start?"

"It all started after I got bitten by that wolf. The wound healed quickly, but it itched for days, and then the urges started."

The Hero assured Timo that he'd do what he could, and went to talk to Pala, whom he'd noticed in the bar.

"He has been acting a bit differently recently." Pala agreed. "It's not all 'missionary' any more, and he's learned to use his tongue."

"Not so sure about all the sniffing and howling, though." she continued, looking a bit disgusted at that thought.

Gudrun had much the same to say. "Now that you mention it, he has developed a few new tricks recently. I like the variety, so I'm not complaining. But you say he's doing other wolf-like things? That's not so good. Maybe that friend at the University can look it up for you."

That was a good idea. The friend she was referring to was Tar-Meena, the librarian at the Mystic Archives. Her research on the spell books was, in part, responsible for the Lodge being built, so Gudrun regarded her as a friend of the Riders, even though she'd never met her herself.

--------

Tar-Meena recognized the symptoms right away. "An Argonian woman I knew had the same problem. Lesser Lycanthropy."

"You're probably aware of Hircine's Curse, or Greater Lycanthropy. It's a disease that actually turns you into a wolf, or other predator," she remarked. "You get to be a hunter and hunted at the same time, so it fits Hircine's idea of sport."

She frowned as she continued. "Lesser Lycanthropy is Sheogorath's doing. You only think you're a wolf or dog, and make an idiot of yourself. Beewos caught it. I don't know if you've met her, but it drove her insane before it could be cured."

"So there is a cure?"

"Yes, it's not all that hard to cure it, if you can do it in time. You should talk to Bothiel and Julienne Fanis about it. I gather there are ingredients to gather and something about a full moon is involved."

Julienne knew about Lesser Lycanthropy. "You'll need to talk with Bothiel about timing, but I can tell you the ingredients you'll need. The main one is Nightshade, and we have that growing right here, but all the others are meat. Any three of Beef, Boar, Ham, Mutton, Rat or Venison. And Daedra hearts are another option, if you can find them."

Bothiel was also familiar with it. "Did you talk to Julienne about ingredients already? That's only half the cure. The rest is determined by the phases of the moons. Go gather the ingredients while I check my charts. Everything must be done at the right time!"

As Julienne said, there was Nightshade growing right outside the door of the Lustratorium, but the meat would have to be found further afield. The Taverns in the city would probably have some of those, and Boar and Deer roamed the island outside. It didn't take long to gather what was needed. While Julienne busied herself with the alchemy, he went to consult Bothiel again.

"Everything appears to be linked to the lunar cycle, but it's not too complicated. A full moon will make the symptoms worse, and that's exactly the time the potion won't work," she explained.

"I wonder if that's what happened with Beewos"

"Possibly, but more likely she just waited too long before looking for a cure. If Timo just avoids a full moon, he'll be fine! Julienne should have the potion ready as soon as you get back to her."

Julienne had indeed completed the potion. She warned that Timo might not be himself when the moons were full, and it was important not to let him take it then. Perhaps letting someone else administer it was the prudent approach?

----------

Gudrun took the bottle. "So I need to make sure it's not a full moon when Timo takes this? I can do that."

She walked outside and looked up at the sky. With two moons to deal with, she didn't expect to remember their phases. Unfortunately it was cloudy, and she couldn't see them. "That won't last" she said, hopefully. "As soon as it clears, we'll know if its safe".

----------

It was several days later that he passed through Bruma again. long enough for Timo to have taken the cure.

"Well, it appears to be cured. When I want to scratch behind my ear, I use my hand now." Timo told him. "But somehow the women smell different, better actually. I suppose I learned a few things from my inner dog!"

Over Timo's shoulder, he could see Gudrun and Ystrel nodding vigorously in agreement. Then they dissolved into laughter that Timo didn't quite understand. "What did I say?"

This post has been edited by ghastley: Mar 9 2011, 05:54 AM

[Acadian]

This was a delightful little story and quest! I think your concept of 'lesser lycanthropy' being a product of Sheo is brilliant. It was also funny to hear how the disease affected (improved?) his services.

Nit:
"Everything appears to be linked to the lunar cycle, but it's not too complicated. A full moon will make the symptoms worse, and that's exactly the time the potion won't work." she explained
Two tiny problems here near the end. Replace the period after 'work' with a comma and add a period to the very end of the whole passage. The end part should read: …won't work," she explained.

[King Coin]

DLed the beta. LETS DO THIS