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Chorrol.com _ Oblivion Mods _ Evergloam

Posted by: ghastley Jul 15 2013, 03:38 PM

Now that my Nocturnal character has advanced to becoming a full-time NPC, it's time to open this thread to track progress on the mod.

I've done enough world-building for now, having converted a couple of Oblivion worlds into islands in Evergloam (Nocturnal's realm) and Moonshadow (Azura's realm). That meant replacing all textures, swapping Oblivion rocks for regular ones, removing all creatures and plants, and then replanting more appropriate ones. The castle and palace were added and furnished, and some new races and creatures created, and outfits, and furniture, and portals, and ...

Now I'm starting to create quests. The first one has the player woken up by Nocturnal when he/she sleeps at the Guildmaster's quarters after becoming the new Gray Fox.

She summons you to her shrine outside Leyawiin, where she opens a portal to Evergloam. There's a castle on an island there, with a small number of Daedra Seducers as guards. Her realm has no sun (or moons) so is permanently in a slightly foggy darkness. Terrain uses Ordered textures, and all that grows is fungi, mainly the mushroom trees from SI, but also using the Tamriel ones, such as stinkhorn and enteloma. No enemies wandering around (yet?)

Nocturnal sets you the task of stealing the giant crystal ball from the basement of the Imperial Palace. Because it's so large, you need a Bag of Holding, and a special scroll, to get it out of there. As a Daedric Princess, Nocturnal has sufficient magical power to enchant the thing, something no mortal mage could manage.

She'll be using it to scry for items that she wants the player to steal or recover, each of which will add a separate quest.

Some of those will likely be Daedric Artifacts that have appeared in earlier games, but weren't in TES IV : Oblivion. At some point, one of the quests will take you to Azura's realm of Moonshadow, via a portal in Nocturnal's secret castle basement. I'm currently thinking it will involve recovering her Crescent (counterpart to Azura's Star, still trying to decide what it does). Since the castle is not in Tamriel, portals to other worlds aren't restricted the same way. In particular, Mehrunes Dagon's Deadlands are accessible from Evergloam or Moonshadow. The player can always go to SI via Tamriel, so no direct portal would be needed.

In Moonshadow, you'll emerge on an island that is permanently going through sunrise or sunset. You come in at the top, and her "beach hut" is a small palace off the coast, facing east to catch the sunrise. I've used Gold Coast terrain, and fall foliage to make best use of the gold/pink natural lighting. There's an underground section of the route down the mountain, which may get adversaries added. Her guards are again Daedra Seducers, but there's also a Winged Twilight waiting around to run errands for her.

Azura's island also has a cave, separate from the tunnel, that could have its own denizens that might be hostile. Nocturnal's currently does not, but has the opportunity for adding them. Those would give me the opportunity for local quests to interrupt the main sequence.

Posted by: ghastley Jul 16 2013, 12:39 AM

Screen-shots of the first quest:

http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/images/EV01_1.jpg - Burk seems to have stars in his eyes.

http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/images/EV01_2.jpg

http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/images/EV01_3.jpg

http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/images/EV01_4.jpg

Posted by: mALX Jul 16 2013, 09:45 AM



"Burk seems to have stars in his eyes." - BWAAHAA! I saw them too, lol.

GAAAAAH! Does having SI mushrooms mean having SI is a requirement for the mod? Urk?

I am loving this mod, can't wait to hear about the quests! Hope Clark gets to visit, lol. Awesome, AWESOME job you are doing on this mod, I am loving it!





Posted by: ghastley Jul 16 2013, 04:35 PM

QUOTE(mALX @ Jul 16 2013, 04:45 AM) *

GAAAAAH! Does having SI mushrooms mean having SI is a requirement for the mod? Urk?

Since they aren't essential to the operation of the mod, just there as decoration, it should be possible to include a non-SI esp as an alternative. Evergloam will look a bit bare, but that's not inappropriate.

Posted by: ghastley Jul 19 2013, 03:55 PM

http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/Docs/WingedTwilight_lg.jpg

I'm desperately in need of creatures for Evergloam and Moonshadow that aren't essentially bare-breasted women, but lore dictates Winged Twilights for Azura, and the only Daedra I've found connected to Nocturnal were the Seducers. The caves may just get wild animals, as nothing else seems to fit. A few deer belong on Moonshadow Island, but I'm not sure what the equivalent harmless creature would be in Evergloam.


Posted by: mALX Jul 19 2013, 04:06 PM



LOVE the Winged Twilight, they should come in both male and female (with the males tackle as well done as if AlienSlof herself made them, lol.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOT !!! (That is for the SI not being required, or for AlienSlof's boners, lol).


A gentle animal that is not a deer? A bunny rabbit? A chicken? A cow? Oh - goats. They fit in any realm!



Posted by: Acadian Jul 19 2013, 04:27 PM

Bats for Evergloam maybe?

Posted by: ghastley Jul 19 2013, 04:58 PM

QUOTE(Acadian @ Jul 19 2013, 11:27 AM) *

Bats for Evergloam maybe?

And ravens wherever there's enough light. Thanks!

Posted by: Grits Jul 20 2013, 07:57 PM

How about foxes? And maybe butterflies could become luna moths.

Posted by: mALX Jul 20 2013, 08:16 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jul 20 2013, 02:57 PM) *

How about foxes? And maybe butterflies could become luna moths.



Ooh, both great ideas - much better than the ones I threw out there, lol.



Posted by: Grits Jul 20 2013, 08:26 PM

Well, I would still like to see a Horned Twilight!! tongue.gif

Posted by: mALX Jul 20 2013, 08:32 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jul 20 2013, 03:26 PM) *

Well, I would still like to see a Horned Twilight!! tongue.gif



Agreed!

Posted by: ghastley Jul 20 2013, 10:32 PM

Now don't get Azura going! She's a demanding woman at the best of times.

She'd want one of http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/images/WingedTwilightMaleCensored.jpg standing next to her bed, ready to fulfill her slightest whim.

Posted by: Grits Jul 21 2013, 02:15 AM

ghastley, let’s not underestimate Azura. It’s my belief that she would require at least two.


ETA: On a real keyboard now. Looking great, especially those claws and feet! (And that’s quite an impressive censor bar.)

Posted by: mALX Jul 21 2013, 07:00 AM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Jul 20 2013, 05:32 PM) *

Now don't get Azura going! She's a demanding woman at the best of times.

She'd want one of http://ghastley.org/oblivion/images/WingedTwilightMaleCensored.jpg standing next to her bed, ready to fulfill her slightest whim.



BWAAHAA! Now we're talking!



Posted by: ghastley Jul 22 2013, 08:00 PM

Does anyone have experience of using a modded bow with its speed altered? One of the quests I'm adding will retrieve Nocturnal's Bow of Shadows, which the Lore says confers fortified speed. Since a weapon can only have damage enhancements, I'm intending to have the speed on the bow itself, rather than affect the user. The enchantments will be Silence and damage health, making it a good mage-killer weapon.

I'm hoping to make this something like a cross between Farwil and Culotte, in that you have to rescue someone from an Oblivion world, and the opposition's all on the way out. She's the one that Nocturnal gave the bow to, but you have to find it, and her armor, before rescuing her, so she's equipped to help fight on the way out. If she survives, Nocturnal may let her keep the bow, even if you gave her another.

I've already cloned an Oblivion world, and chained the Bosmer up where the Dremora can have their way with her. I still have to place the extra Dremora that will appear once she's released, so she hasn't been able to use the bow yet.

Azura's quest will recover her crescent, which gets filled with magical energy the other way. The one that Skingrad mages use. That's why Azura gives the star away, but keeps the crescent for her own use.

Posted by: SubRosa Jul 22 2013, 08:13 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Jul 22 2013, 03:00 PM) *

Does anyone have experience of using a modded bow with its speed altered? One of the quests I'm adding will retrieve Nocturnal's Bow of Shadows, which the Lore says confers fortified speed. Since a weapon can only have damage enhancements, I'm intending to have the speed on the bow itself, rather than affect the user. The enchantments will be Silence and damage health, making it a good mage-killer weapon.

I'm hoping to make this something like a cross between Farwil and Culotte, in that you have to rescue someone from an Oblivion world, and the opposition's all on the way out. She's the one that Nocturnal gave the bow to, but you have to find it, and her armor, before rescuing her, so she's equipped to help fight on the way out. If she survives, Nocturnal may let her keep the bow, even if you gave her another.

I've already cloned an Oblivion world, and chained the Bosmer up where the Dremora can have their way with her. I still have to place the extra Dremora that will appear once she's released, so she hasn't been able to use the bow yet.

Azura's quest will recover her crescent, which gets filled with magical energy the other way. The one that Skingrad mages use. That's why Azura gives the star away, but keeps the crescent for her own use.

What you might try doing is adding a script that runs whenever the bow is equipped, adding the speed fortification. I experimented with this a long time ago. I cannot remember if I actually got it to work or not. The code looked like this:

CODE
scn 1Nightstaff1Script

begin OnEquip Player
player.addspell 1DefensiveNightStaff1Spell
end

begin OnUnequip player
player.removespell 1DefensiveNightStaff1Spell
end

Posted by: ghastley Jul 22 2013, 09:59 PM

Forgot to mention: Thanks to mr_siika, Evergloam now has Ravens circling over the castle, and the entry portal. I also have bats ready to install in a cave somewhere nearby.

Moonshadow has some deer roaming around, and I'm weighing the choices for who stole her crescent, and where it's hidden. I have a cave on the island that hasn't been populated yet, so it will probably get used, but it might only be part of the path.

Posted by: Acadian Jul 22 2013, 10:12 PM

The ravens sound cool!

Regarding speed and bows. . .

If you are talking about the bow conferring a bonus to the user's speed attribute, then I defer to SubRosa.

If you are talking about bow speed, I believe increasing a bow's speed from its default of 1.0 will simply speed reload and bowstring draw time, allowing the shooter a faster rate of fire - but not affecting the arrow's speed through the air.

If you increase an arrow's default speed from its default of 1.0, the arrow will travel faster through the air. This will affect its trajectory and take some practice relearning how to aim longer shots.

Since Buffy uses the equivalent of a .50 caliber sniper rifle for a bow, it could make sense to slow her bow speed and increase the speed of her arrows. . . but we just leave 'em both at default.

Posted by: mALX Jul 23 2013, 08:37 AM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Jul 22 2013, 03:00 PM) *

Does anyone have experience of using a modded bow with its speed altered? One of the quests I'm adding will retrieve Nocturnal's Bow of Shadows, which the Lore says confers fortified speed. Since a weapon can only have damage enhancements, I'm intending to have the speed on the bow itself, rather than affect the user. The enchantments will be Silence and damage health, making it a good mage-killer weapon.

I'm hoping to make this something like a cross between Farwil and Culotte, in that you have to rescue someone from an Oblivion world, and the opposition's all on the way out. She's the one that Nocturnal gave the bow to, but you have to find it, and her armor, before rescuing her, so she's equipped to help fight on the way out. If she survives, Nocturnal may let her keep the bow, even if you gave her another.

I've already cloned an Oblivion world, and chained the Bosmer up where the Dremora can have their way with her. I still have to place the extra Dremora that will appear once she's released, so she hasn't been able to use the bow yet.

Azura's quest will recover her crescent, which gets filled with magical energy the other way. The one that Skingrad mages use. That's why Azura gives the star away, but keeps the crescent for her own use.



ROFL !!! You have an exceptional memory!



Posted by: mALX Jul 23 2013, 08:39 AM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Jul 22 2013, 04:59 PM) *

Forgot to mention: Thanks to mr_siika, Evergloam now has Ravens circling over the castle, and the entry portal. I also have bats ready to install in a cave somewhere nearby.

Moonshadow has some deer roaming around, and I'm weighing the choices for who stole her crescent, and where it's hidden. I have a cave on the island that hasn't been populated yet, so it will probably get used, but it might only be part of the path.



Mr Silka has some excellent birds, I got some of his gulls at the lighthouse in Anvil.

Posted by: mirocu Jul 25 2013, 08:35 AM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Jul 19 2013, 05:58 PM) *

QUOTE(Acadian @ Jul 19 2013, 11:27 AM) *

Bats for Evergloam maybe?

And ravens wherever there's enough light. Thanks!

My avatar likes that last one biggrin.gif

Posted by: ghastley Jul 28 2013, 11:23 PM

I've added a cave to the island near the back of Evergloam Castle, and installed some bats. They're there, complete with fireball spells, to try and keep a lid on the vampire problem. Since Evergloam is in permanent darkness, it's a magnet for all the homeless vampires that can find their way there. Nocturnal suspects that Sheogorath sends any that get into his realm over to hers. Did you ever see a vampire in the Shivering Isles? Didn't think so!

The bats are all in a special faction that has -100 disposition modifier to the Vampire faction. I'm not sure whether it means the bats hate the vampires, or the other way round, but it should persuade them to fight each other when they're in range.

The cave system re-uses parts of Underpall Cavern, so there's a fort ruin part where there are vampires, and no bats. I'm thinking that Nocturnal might offer a bounty on Vampire Dust, like Roland Jenseric does, maybe the same amount, so you don't prefer one to the other. However, that's for after the initial quest to go to the cave, which I'm still working up. I need a reason for the continuing nuisance of vampire presence to have crossed a line somewhere, to get Nocturnal angry enough to do something extra. Maybe an attack on one of her Seducers?

Posted by: mALX Jul 29 2013, 11:52 AM



I love the idea of Sheo sending vamps to torment, and the bats hating the vampires! That must be very cool to sneak in and watch the action!

Maybe they could have made a thrall or prisoner of a Seducer and the Player has to rescue them?



Posted by: ghastley Jul 29 2013, 05:48 PM

QUOTE(mALX @ Jul 29 2013, 06:52 AM) *

Maybe they could have made a thrall or prisoner of a Seducer and the Player has to rescue them?

The problem with that is that I've http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/Docs/BowShadows.html, and I don't want two back-to-back. But then, there aren't many options: go fetch an item, go rescue a prisoner, go kill an enemy. I tried adding a bit of variety by combining the first two in the one I linked. I made it a bit like Culotte, where most of the enemies appear when you're trying to get back out, which means I can't do that again in this one.

I suppose that means this has to be "go kill the vampire boss" in some way.

Another problem with the whole series is rewards. After you've done a whole quest-line (in this case TG complete is a pre-requisite), then you don't need much. You've already found your choice of awesome weapon, live in the best houses, and are stupidly rich.

To make matters worse, Nocturnal wants to get back any Daedric artifacts that aren't being used fully. That would make it silly for her to give you something you won't use.

Posted by: mALX Jul 30 2013, 12:03 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Jul 29 2013, 12:48 PM) *

QUOTE(mALX @ Jul 29 2013, 06:52 AM) *

Maybe they could have made a thrall or prisoner of a Seducer and the Player has to rescue them?

The problem with that is that I've http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/Docs/BowShadows.html, and I don't want two back-to-back. But then, there aren't many options: go fetch an item, go rescue a prisoner, go kill an enemy. I tried adding a bit of variety by combining the first two in the one I linked. I made it a bit like Culotte, where most of the enemies appear when you're trying to get back out, which means I can't do that again in this one.

I suppose that means this has to be "go kill the vampire boss" in some way.

Another problem with the whole series is rewards. After you've done a whole quest-line (in this case TG complete is a pre-requisite), then you don't need much. You've already found your choice of awesome weapon, live in the best houses, and are stupidly rich.

To make matters worse, Nocturnal wants to get back any Daedric artifacts that aren't being used fully. That would make it silly for her to give you something you won't use.



Yeah, the rewards can be something intangible like a room in her Palace or a Dark Seducer follower, or an article of clothing.


The thing is, no matter how rich I got in game, I always kept momentos of special quests; even if I never used them and just displayed them in my house. So it doesn't even have to be something valuable or over-powered.



Posted by: Grits Jul 30 2013, 01:37 PM

I’m with mALX on the quest rewards. Summon Seducer or (Winged Hottie for Azura) would be an awesome reward for finishing the questline, and a free bed and safe storage to use while visiting the realm would be a great way to say “you belong here” after a quest or two. Weapon rewards would probably only get used if they looked cool, like a black version of glass or something.

Decorative items, different clothes, and alchemy ingredients are what brought my characters back to the Shivering Isles. I could see wanting to return to Evergloam to hunt shadow cats, harvest black mushrooms caps and mist weed, and search for the illusive Summon Bat (or Summon Raven) spell tomes. If you have a settlement there could be a merchant selling Stygian Brandy and Ebony Ale.

hehe.gif

Now I'm trying to think of a fun alternative bounty Nocturnal could offer on vampire dust for those who are already rich. Of course talking to Nocturnal is its own reward, but still.

Posted by: mALX Jul 30 2013, 01:52 PM

Oh, instead of a reward she could give predictions into the Player's future like that lady in the Leyawiin Mages Guild does - each time you come back she gives a different prediction (as long as it is past 24 hours game time since you asked her last). It is based on what stages of what quests the Player has done, I think. If nothing has changed she can tell them to go do something and come back, lol.

Posted by: Grits Jul 30 2013, 02:01 PM

Enchanted arrows would also be a welcome gift, since they get used up. I’m trying to think of a blessing Nocturnal could give that would help a thief but not just duplicate the skills they’ve already mastered while pursuing the TG questline. Maybe a day-long Shield effect.

Posted by: ghastley Jul 30 2013, 02:59 PM

I like the idea of summon spells for the questline final rewards. A lesser duration for Azura's, as it's only part-way through the series, like the two levels of summon you get in the SI. Since I have both genders of Winged Twilight, I'll give the player the choice.

Decorative items is a good idea. Azura has that special blue Ayleid ware in her palace, and could give the player a planter with some (unique new?) useful ingredient plant in it. I can probably find something appropriate for Nocturnal, too. Maybe those exotic drinks. Guest rooms in the residences means a bit of rework for the interiors, but could be possible. Evergloam castle already has a few spare doors, and Moonshadow Hall has adjacent islands that could get a "beach hut" added.

After the first quest, I think Nocturnal should make sure the player has a night-eye enchanted item, so that the glare of a torch or light spell doesn't annoy the Seducers. I'm working on the script to lower their disposition if the player lights the place up. I'm not sure how to work out if the player already has something, other than being a Khajiit, of course. It may be sufficient to check if the player has night-eye active when he talks to her in the castle at the end of the first quest. If he has it, but isn't using it, that will serve to point out the error, even if the "reward" is redundant.

I think I have my reason for the "hunt down the vampires" quest. When you rescue Cyndil, she stays at Evergloam Castle so that Nocturnal can check her out for PTSD. That was mainly so that I could end her following the player, but it also provides a magnet for the vampires, who need mortal, not Daedric, blood. They've just taken refuge from the daylight in her realm up to then, but Cyndil's presence changes things.

Posted by: Grits Jul 30 2013, 06:50 PM

I had thought about Nighteye, too. It’s likely that a thief will have either Alchemy or Illusion to solve that problem, but a cool enchanted item would still be very appreciated. Maybe something like those goggles Teresa uses, or non-armor gloves enchanted with both Nighteye and Detect Life? That would make my little sneak very happy since the game doesn’t allow two effects on self-enchanted apparel. Plus a Detect Life boost is always welcome.


Posted by: ghastley Jul 31 2013, 02:23 PM

QUOTE(Grits @ Jul 30 2013, 01:50 PM) *

... the game doesn’t allow two effects on self-enchanted apparel.

Thanks for reminding me of that. It can make an item useful, even if you already have the effects on separate things. Swapping two rings for one frees up a slot for something else. (Or gloves, goggles as amulet, ... )

And the idea of enchanted arrows as a reward is working out. If the player brings back the arrows they find in the boss chest after the vampire hunt - levelled ones combining fire damage and light, which already exist in the game - then the smith at the castle will be able to make more. Those are just the tool for repeat vampire hunting.

Edit, rather than fresh post - I'm starting work on loading screens for Evergloam and Moonshadow. The latter gets a version of the misty approach shot I posted before. Evergloam, being so dark, is proving a problem. I may have to cheat and override the weather for screenshot purposes.

Posted by: mALX Aug 2 2013, 09:46 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Jul 30 2013, 09:59 AM) *

I like the idea of summon spells for the questline final rewards. A lesser duration for Azura's, as it's only part-way through the series, like the two levels of summon you get in the SI. Since I have both genders of Winged Twilight, I'll give the player the choice.

Decorative items is a good idea. Azura has that special blue Ayleid ware in her palace, and could give the player a planter with some (unique new?) useful ingredient plant in it. I can probably find something appropriate for Nocturnal, too. Maybe those exotic drinks. Guest rooms in the residences means a bit of rework for the interiors, but could be possible. Evergloam castle already has a few spare doors, and Moonshadow Hall has adjacent islands that could get a "beach hut" added.

After the first quest, I think Nocturnal should make sure the player has a night-eye enchanted item, so that the glare of a torch or light spell doesn't annoy the Seducers. I'm working on the script to lower their disposition if the player lights the place up. I'm not sure how to work out if the player already has something, other than being a Khajiit, of course. It may be sufficient to check if the player has night-eye active when he talks to her in the castle at the end of the first quest. If he has it, but isn't using it, that will serve to point out the error, even if the "reward" is redundant.

I think I have my reason for the "hunt down the vampires" quest. When you rescue Cyndil, she stays at Evergloam Castle so that Nocturnal can check her out for PTSD. That was mainly so that I could end her following the player, but it also provides a magnet for the vampires, who need mortal, not Daedric, blood. They've just taken refuge from the daylight in her realm up to then, but Cyndil's presence changes things.



WOO HOO! Do we only get one Winged Twilight? What a great reward !!!

QUOTE

special blue Ayleid ware in her palace, and could give the player a planter with some (unique new?) useful ingredient plant in it.


Is this a reference to ... Tupperware? BWAAHAA!

BOLD: BWAAHAA!

I am hugely excited over this mod!



Posted by: mALX Aug 2 2013, 10:07 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Jul 31 2013, 09:23 AM) *

QUOTE(Grits @ Jul 30 2013, 01:50 PM) *

... the game doesn’t allow two effects on self-enchanted apparel.

Thanks for reminding me of that. It can make an item useful, even if you already have the effects on separate things. Swapping two rings for one frees up a slot for something else. (Or gloves, goggles as amulet, ... )

And the idea of enchanted arrows as a reward is working out. If the player brings back the arrows they find in the boss chest after the vampire hunt - levelled ones combining fire damage and light, which already exist in the game - then the smith at the castle will be able to make more. Those are just the tool for repeat vampire hunting.

Edit, rather than fresh post - I'm starting work on loading screens for Evergloam and Moonshadow. The latter gets a version of the misty approach shot I posted before. Evergloam, being so dark, is proving a problem. I may have to cheat and override the weather for screenshot purposes.



I love the idea of enchanted arrows, good ones are hard to come by in game.

I'll have to "cheat" and lighten my screen plus probably use night-eye as welll through the whole quest anyway, have night blindness, lol. I am loving this mod; and loving following your progress as it takes shape and grows from an idea to a downloadable mod; how you think everything through - this is amazing!



Posted by: ghastley Aug 4 2013, 12:44 AM

Come and get it!

I've put together an alpha version 0.1 so that folks can give me some feedback. For mALX, I've included an alternate plug-in that doesn't use SI assets, so anyone should be able to use this. You will need a character that has completed the Thieves Guild quest-line, or nothing will happen!

It's an adult mod, with Daedra seducer guards patrolling naked except for their sandals and wings, and Nocturnal and Azura are habitually topless. A Bosmer you have to rescue is chained up with her legs raised in the Dremora Citadel. The scamps there are also abusing the other female prisoners.

This only has the first three quests, so you won't get any quests for Azura yet. However, you can use "coc MoonshadowEntrance" to go wander around her realm and visit her in her beach hut. It does have things like loading screens, and local maps, but the caves and paths have no inimical wildlife.

I suppose you could also use "coc EvergloamEntry" to go there if you don't have a suitable character.

http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/Download/Evergloam.7z (50MB) - BAIN archive, and since it uses some commonly used modders' resources, I'd recommend using BAIN to avoid problems with other mods that share them.
http://ghastley.org/oblivion/docs/evergloam.html - There's a link to the Azura's crescent quest, but until it's created, that link will be broken. You may find a few more "not yet implemented" bits.

Posted by: mALX Aug 4 2013, 04:23 AM



WOO HOO! DL'd it; will have to find an old save to use (I think I have one that was through the Thieves Guild quest). If I can't find one, I'll choose an old save and play through it.


WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT !!!!!!!!






Posted by: ghastley Aug 5 2013, 04:31 PM

It's all Acadian's fault.

QUOTE
Soon enough, more waves were lifting me with them. With both knees anchored to the ground, mystical energy surged and grew uncontrollably within me until one hand broke from its grip on the muscles of Savlian’s chest to spike the air wildly with erupting magicka. The errant spell that I could not control caused both of us to momentarily disappear as I cried out to the treetops and the lion roared again. I collapsed forward onto his chest, both of us spent and exhausted.


Buffy gave me the idea that certain situations may lead magically-inclined ladies to involuntarily cast spells. That made me wonder what the consequences would be if it were a Daedric Princess with effectively unlimited magicka reserves. I'm sure that destruction spells could be potentially disastrous if steps were not taken to manage the magicka overspill.

So Azura's crescent is her "safety valve". It absorbs the spill-over of magicka before she can blow the entire building away. And if it gets stolen, she's got a problem.

My problem is deciding who'd steal it, and why.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 5 2013, 04:39 PM

Hee! Buffy's passion comes back to haunt her! ohmy.gif embarrased.gif biggrin.gif

Fortunately, she's an illusionist and not a destruction mage. Yikes, such passion channeled into destruction could be really dangerous! panic.gif

Posted by: mALX Aug 5 2013, 08:47 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Aug 5 2013, 11:31 AM) *

It's all Acadian's fault.

QUOTE
Soon enough, more waves were lifting me with them. With both knees anchored to the ground, mystical energy surged and grew uncontrollably within me until one hand broke from its grip on the muscles of Savlian’s chest to spike the air wildly with erupting magicka. The errant spell that I could not control caused both of us to momentarily disappear as I cried out to the treetops and the lion roared again. I collapsed forward onto his chest, both of us spent and exhausted.


Buffy gave me the idea that certain situations may lead magically-inclined ladies to involuntarily cast spells. That made me wonder what the consequences would be if it were a Daedric Princess with effectively unlimited magicka reserves. I'm sure that destruction spells could be potentially disastrous if steps were not taken to manage the magicka overspill.

So Azura's crescent is her "safety valve". It absorbs the spill-over of magicka before she can blow the entire building away. And if it gets stolen, she's got a problem.

My problem is deciding who'd steal it, and why.



SPEW! I remembered that scene, love your insight into the different ways it could be used; most especially the bolded line had me roaring (but not like a lion), lol.



Posted by: ghastley Aug 12 2013, 04:08 PM

The http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/Docs/AzurasCrescent.html is now implemented, but I'm still doing a bunch of cosmetic changes in Moonshadow, as well as prep-work for future quests. The Seducers and Twilights' wings are now animated at last, and I've created the Summon Twilight spell, as the reward for that quest. It will probably be adaptable for a Summon Seducer one later.

The Cyndil rescue quest has been tested with Cyndil getting pushed into the lava, so that the bow is not retrievable, and all the outcomes tested. I still need to adjust the rewards for that one, so that you get more for bring back both Cyndil and the bow, and a bonus if she has it, not the player. I'm thinking Gold rewards, higher than any merchant would give for the artifact, and maybe having Nocturnal buy any other artifacts you have as well (any that are acceptable for the MQ that is). Most characters seem to just have those on display, as the enchantments aren't what they use.

First quest will net you a ring with Night-eye and Fortify Sneak. I tried it with Night-eye + Detect Life, and the result was unpleasant. Those are two things I prefer to use separately.

Bat cave quest gets you continuing rewards of Vampire Dust bounty + enchanted arrows at the smithy, so there's nothing at completion.

Posted by: mALX Aug 12 2013, 04:25 PM



1. Do I have to re-download the mod to have this quest added?

2. Do the Twilights and Seducers "Tackle" raise and lower with the wing animations? (Just kidding, I've obviously had too much coffee already today, lol)



Posted by: ghastley Aug 12 2013, 04:35 PM

You will, but it's not packaged up yet. Moonshadow needs more work, before I can release the next part. It needs a lot more trees, and creatures in the caves.

I don't want to release too often, either, as each time I have to re-delete the SI content from the Evergloam area, to produce the non-SI version. I'm trying to automate that, but haven't yet.

The skeleton I found for the wings also has extra bones for moving other anatomical details, but I don't have any animations that do so.

Posted by: mALX Aug 12 2013, 04:45 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Aug 12 2013, 11:35 AM) *

You will, but it's not packaged up yet. Moonshadow needs more work, before I can release the next part. It needs a lot more trees, and creatures in the caves.

I don't want to release too often, either, as each time I have to re-delete the SI content from the Evergloam area, to produce the non-SI version. I'm trying to automate that, but haven't yet.

The skeleton I found for the wings also has extra bones for moving other anatomical details, but I don't have any animations that do so.



laugh.gif on the skeleton!

Okay on the other, I'll keep my eye out for updates on the "No SI."





Posted by: ghastley Aug 15 2013, 12:37 AM

http://ghastley.org/oblivion/download/Evergloam020.7z - with animated wings, Non-quest voices (Standard greetings etc) for the seducers and twilights, and the EV04 quest added.

Again with a non-SI esp for those who need it.

Posted by: mALX Aug 15 2013, 03:37 AM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Aug 14 2013, 07:37 PM) *

http://ghastley.org/oblivion/download/Evergloam020.7z - with animated wings, Non-quest voices (Standard greetings etc) for the seducers and twilights, and the EV04 quest added.

Again with a non-SI esp for those who need it.



Downloaded! Thank you! I was surprised this version was smaller than the first! Can't wait to try it, hope to get some play time on the PC SOON!

Posted by: ghastley Aug 15 2013, 01:56 PM

I found that Tes4Files was including a lot of things that weren't part of the mod, just because it couldn't rule them out. Like all the landscape LOD I'd built for Valenwood and Elsweyr, not just the new worldspaces, and all the animations, even though only a few were needed. So this time I deleted any files that weren't needed and it was more than I'd added. All of Moonshadow was included in the first one, but there was no quest to get there, so the only new stuff was dialog text and quest stages, which are small.

Posted by: mALX Aug 22 2013, 09:30 AM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Aug 15 2013, 08:56 AM) *

I found that Tes4Files was including a lot of things that weren't part of the mod, just because it couldn't rule them out. Like all the landscape LOD I'd built for Valenwood and Elsweyr, not just the new worldspaces, and all the animations, even though only a few were needed. So this time I deleted any files that weren't needed and it was more than I'd added. All of Moonshadow was included in the first one, but there was no quest to get there, so the only new stuff was dialog text and quest stages, which are small.



I use TES4 Edit to clean my mods too, hmmm... laugh.gif




Posted by: ghastley Aug 22 2013, 01:54 PM

QUOTE(mALX @ Aug 22 2013, 04:30 AM) *

I use TES4 Edit to clean my mods too, hmmm... laugh.gif

Tes4Files and Tes4Edit are by different authors, but both are for TesIV.

Mental Elf's Tes4Files is a very useful tool for packaging mods, but you do need to remove stuff that's not needed. It plays safe and includes any files that might be part of the mod whenever it's not sure.

And I did clean the mods with Tes4Edit before packaging!

Posted by: ghastley Sep 3 2013, 06:17 PM

Now I've mentioned it in the FF thread, I've started work on the EV05 quest. The player is tipped off by Ulliceta gra-Kogg, the Orc magister who was denounced (falsely) as a necromancer, about the Chrysamere being smuggled through Cyrodiil. I need a way for the player to help her cause once he's recovered the sword, i.e. help her prove she's not a necromancer.

Any ideas? Preferably something that needs thief skills, of course.

Posted by: mALX Sep 4 2013, 07:47 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Sep 3 2013, 01:17 PM) *

Now I've mentioned it in the FF thread, I've started work on the EV05 quest. The player is tipped off by Ulliceta gra-Kogg, the Orc magister who was denounced (falsely) as a necromancer, about the Chrysamere being smuggled through Cyrodiil. I need a way for the player to help her cause once he's recovered the sword, i.e. help her prove she's not a necromancer.

Any ideas? Preferably something that needs thief skills, of course.



She could know where some documents are being held that could clear her name - something showing that Mucianus pinpointed her as a necromancer to cover up for Mariette Rielle, (whom he was in love with/and or under her powers via some spell) - and the Player would have to go to (wherever) and steal those documents back to clear her name?





Posted by: ghastley Sep 4 2013, 08:51 PM

QUOTE(mALX @ Sep 4 2013, 02:47 PM) *

She could know where some documents are being held that could clear her name - something showing that Mucianus pinpointed her as a necromancer to cover up for Mariette Rielle, (whom he was in love with/and or under her powers via some spell) - and the Player would have to go to (wherever) and steal those documents back to clear her name?

Since the AU is in the Imperial City, it seem reasonable that Mucianus Alias and Mariette Rielle met there. So I just need to pick a location where she might have left papers. E.g. her cousin's home. There must be quite a few Bretons living in the city, so this should work. Thanks!

Or maybe hers were the "shady dealings in the basement of the Oak and Crosier" - which just happens to be below where Ulliceta is. Hmmm....

Posted by: mALX Sep 4 2013, 09:26 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Sep 4 2013, 03:51 PM) *

QUOTE(mALX @ Sep 4 2013, 02:47 PM) *

She could know where some documents are being held that could clear her name - something showing that Mucianus pinpointed her as a necromancer to cover up for Mariette Rielle, (whom he was in love with/and or under her powers via some spell) - and the Player would have to go to (wherever) and steal those documents back to clear her name?

Since the AU is in the Imperial City, it seem reasonable that Mucianus Alias and Mariette Rielle met there. So I just need to pick a location where she might have left papers. E.g. her cousin's home. There must be quite a few Bretons living in the city, so this should work. Thanks!

Or maybe hers were the "shady dealings in the basement of the Oak and Crosier" - which just happens to be below where Ulliceta is. Hmmm....



Yeah, make them travel to steal it - or have it hidden in a castle/the Palace/etc - somewhere really hard to steal from, lol.

Posted by: ghastley Sep 4 2013, 09:52 PM

I'm now thinking that I mix those two thoughts.

The documents are in the IC somewhere, perhaps multiple locations, but the "shady dealings in the O&C basement" were Ulliceta storing corpses to be shipped to her lab. She'd provided Talasma with cold storage facilities in the basis of being able to use them herself. Mariette found out and the documents are letters from Mucianus thanking her for her help, as well as evidence that the bodies were donated to Ulliceta for her medical research, with agreements about proper disposal after use, so that the necromancers couldn't use them.

Posted by: mALX Sep 4 2013, 10:09 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Sep 4 2013, 04:52 PM) *

I'm now thinking that I mix those two thoughts.

The documents are in the IC somewhere, perhaps multiple locations, but the "shady dealings in the O&C basement" were Ulliceta storing corpses to be shipped to her lab. She'd provided Talasma with cold storage facilities in the basis of being able to use them herself. Mariette found out and the documents are letters from Mucianus thanking her for her help, as well as evidence that the bodies were donated to Ulliceta for her medical research, with agreements about proper disposal after use, so that the necromancers couldn't use them.



Which could be what enraged Mariette into turning on Mucianus and made her turn him into a zombie thrall; what made her realize he was a spy. Multiple locations would be a great idea, I was going to suggest a few false leads, following a trail - something to make it harder to obtain.

It would also explain why Mucianus didn't clear her name - couldn't because he was turned into a thrall.



Posted by: ghastley Sep 4 2013, 11:26 PM

Nope, Mariette and Mucianus are out. You can do these quests without starting the MG ones, so you won't know about either of those characters. But I can create other necromancers to take their places. Same thing will work. May even be able to do so without names, so they can be identified as M&M later.

Posted by: mALX Sep 4 2013, 11:58 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Sep 4 2013, 06:26 PM) *

Nope, Mariette and Mucianus are out. You can do these quests without starting the MG ones, so you won't know about either of those characters. But I can create other necromancers to take their places. Same thing will work. May even be able to do so without names, so they can be identified as M&M later.



Facepalm moment - oh, that is right, you even said in your author's note that they wouldn't actually be mentioned. Urk, need to wake up...need coffee, lol.



Posted by: ghastley Sep 10 2013, 04:36 PM

I think I have this one worked out at last.

The mages' quarters at the Arcane University provide no personal storage for the staff and students, so they'd want somewhere off-site for that. Ontus Vanin retired from the University and is now antagonistic to MG members. Add these two together, and OV quit when necromancy was banned, as he disagreed with the way the ban was enforced, making practitioners and researchers alike into pariahs overnight. Some of the mages had left stuff in his basement, and that includes a mage's robe, a necromancer's robe, and a letter from M to M complaining about Ulliceta's getting all the best corpses, and destroying them when she's finished with them.

I still have some clean-up and packaging to do, but I should have a new version to try in a couple of days. Doc is http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/Docs/Evergloam.html and for this quest it's http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/Docs/Chrysamere.html

Edit: Make that available now. You can get beta version 0.3 http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/download/Evergloam030.7z Once again, there are SI and non-SI esp's. Install only one. If the non-SI users get a WTF mesh, let me know where!

Posted by: mALX Sep 13 2013, 06:51 AM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Sep 10 2013, 11:36 AM) *

I think I have this one worked out at last.

The mages' quarters at the Arcane University provide no personal storage for the staff and students, so they'd want somewhere off-site for that. Ontus Vanin retired from the University and is now antagonistic to MG members. Add these two together, and OV quit when necromancy was banned, as he disagreed with the way the ban was enforced, making practitioners and researchers alike into pariahs overnight. Some of the mages had left stuff in his basement, and that includes a mage's robe, a necromancer's robe, and a letter from M to M complaining about Ulliceta's getting all the best corpses, and destroying them when she's finished with them.

I still have some clean-up and packaging to do, but I should have a new version to try in a couple of days. Doc is http://ghastley.org/oblivion/docs/evergloam.html and for this quest it's http://ghastley.org/oblivion/docs/chrysamere.html

Edit: Make that available now. You can get beta version 0.3 http://ghastley.org/oblivion/download/evergloam030.7z Once again, there are SI and non-SI esp's. Install only one. If the non-SI users get a WTF mesh, let me know where!



Got it! WOO HOO !!! I like what you figured out to do with this!



Posted by: ghastley Sep 22 2013, 09:52 PM

Next quest I'm working on involves http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/images/MysteryWoman.jpg, who is shown at the Wobbly Goblet to avoid providing any additional clues with a location. I'll let you all guess who she might be for a day or two.

She's a character from an in-game book, the name of which you may be able to determine from a clue in the picture, although she's not yet wearing a black velvet cloak, because I haven't made one so far.


Posted by: mALX Sep 23 2013, 12:05 PM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Sep 22 2013, 04:52 PM) *

Next quest I'm working on involves http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/images/MysteryWoman.jpg, who is shown at the Wobbly Goblet to avoid providing any additional clues with a location. I'll let you all guess who she might be for a day or two.

She's a character from an in-game book, the name of which you may be able to determine from a clue in the picture, although she's not yet wearing a black velvet cloak, because I haven't made one so far.



Cyrus's sister?



Posted by: ghastley Sep 23 2013, 04:43 PM

QUOTE(mALX @ Sep 23 2013, 07:05 AM) *

Cyrus's sister?


Iszara was a Redguard, not an elf, so she'd be rather dead from old age by the 4th Era!

The uniform she's wearing points to a specific city, which leads to the title of a specific book, which only has two characters in it, and the other is male. The book is in Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim, and refers back to a quest in Daggerfall.

And she's not in the wiki Lore section. Possibly because the book may be considered fiction.

Posted by: mALX Sep 24 2013, 02:13 AM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Sep 23 2013, 11:43 AM) *

QUOTE(mALX @ Sep 23 2013, 07:05 AM) *

Cyrus's sister?


Iszara was a Redguard, not an elf, so she'd be rather dead from old age by the 4th Era!

The uniform she's wearing points to a specific city, which leads to the title of a specific book, which only has two characters in it, and the other is male. The book is in Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim, and refers back to a quest in Daggerfall.

And she's not in the wiki Lore section. Possibly because the book may be considered fiction.



Wait, you mean that screenshot isn't a Redguard? Urk. I've spent the day looking up Redguards in black velvet capes!

Well, here is my guesses I WOULD have made had that been a Redguard:

Queen Aubk-i - had the kind of body appeal I see in your featured females.

Charvek-si - wears a black velvet cape.

Whitka - member of the Thieves Guild, which the mod is based on.


Okay, I don't give up yet - is she a dark elf?




Posted by: ghastley Sep 24 2013, 03:04 AM

No, I meant that a Redguard doesn't live as long as an elf, and she IS a Redguard.

I think you'll need to identify the city she's from first.

Posted by: mALX Sep 24 2013, 03:14 AM

QUOTE(ghastley @ Sep 23 2013, 10:04 PM) *

No, I meant that a Redguard doesn't live as long as an elf, and she IS a Redguard.

I think you'll need to identify the city she's from first.



Wait, does that mean she is one of the above? If yes, WOO HOO!

Give me a few hours while I dig back into their histories, lol.


EDIT: Queen Aubk-i or Charvek-si? Both are from Sentinel, but Charvek-si wears a black velvet cape. Aubk-i is just sexy looking.




Posted by: mALX Sep 24 2013, 03:22 AM



Is it Haballa?



Posted by: ghastley Sep 24 2013, 02:29 PM

QUOTE(mALX @ Sep 23 2013, 10:22 PM) *

Is it Haballa?

Yes!! It is Haballa, from http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Night_Falls_on_Sentinel. That's why she's wearing a Sentinel uniform, and carrying a blunt weapon. She'll be in Cyrodiil looking for an item stolen from the palace in Sentinel.

That item was the "Wayrest Painting" that was the focus of a quest in Daggerfall, to steal it for Queen Akorithi. It showed the true events of the murder of King Lysandus, and has been showing other important events since. They thought it was broken when the chaos that was the Warp in the West was all jumbled together, and put it into storage. When the Oblivion crisis broke out, the current King, Lhotun, went to see if it showed anything, and found it missing. He sent his personal investigator to look for it.

The first suspect will be Chanel and/or Countess Valga. Chanel studied under the mage that made the original (making paint is similar to alchemy, which is how a Redguard got started on becoming a mage) so she knew of its existence. However, the painting will be found in Anvil. Millona Umbranox commissioned the theft in an attempt to find Corvus, but without going through the Thieves Guild, which she didn't know existed. All the painting showed her was the deathbed of an old man (the Grey Fox before Corvus), with nobody's face visible, because of Nocturnal's curse. Millona is happy to send it back, as she already has the result she wanted, without its help.

I'm thinking that Chanel told Arriana Valga about it, who in turn told Millona. That could happen at any time before the Canvas the Castle quest. My complication in building the new quest is that the player may or may not have done that one, so Chanel might be in Chorrol, or might not.

Since Sentinel stole it from Wayrest in the first place, there may be some dialog about where it belongs. However, Elysana rules there now, and nobody really likes her. I may imply that it was stolen by Wayrest from somewhere else, if I can find a good candidate. Helseth may have had something to do with that, or Elysana, in their rivalry at the time.

Anyhow, the player will have to search both Chorrol and Anvil castles before they find it, and talk to several known characters, including the Countesses and Corvus. If they didn't already do Canvas the Castle, it will make Chorrol much easier, and if they did, they may still have keys.

I still have to get the historical timeline clear. Millona should have the painting stolen a few years after Corvus disappears, after exhausting other lines of investigation, but before it can show the death of Uriel VII.


Posted by: mALX Sep 24 2013, 11:23 PM



This is AWESOME !!!



Posted by: ghastley Sep 26 2013, 03:15 PM

I just took Roger Ro'Jhirr through the new quest, doing "Canvas the Castle" at the same time. That only tests some of the alternative dialog, so I need to do it again with another character who already did it, and a third time to account for the option of Chanel being banished, and another mage taking over her job. I'm also revising Haballa's AI to let her get at least some sleep while she's waiting for the player to do everything.

Once I've done that, there should be a new version to test.

Posted by: Acadian Sep 26 2013, 03:33 PM

Wow. I'm mostly following along from a 'Ooh, look at the pretty pictures' perspective, but Ghastley Enterprises sure seems to be producing some professional quality mods. I only have your Falkreath mod, but even that small mod nicely showcases your rich talent. goodjob.gif

Posted by: mALX Sep 28 2013, 09:55 AM



WOO HOO! I love that you are going through all the possibilities that might cause conflicts!

I always wanted to make up some weird consequences for each decision the Player makes as far as going the hero path or going the evil path; or searching for a (treasure or whatever) and searching in the wrong place.

In my village mod I hid a treasure, and every wrong place you looked had a trap that would transport you somewhere (like to the bottom of a tower filled with deep water, and the exit was at the bottom), etc - those kind of consequences. It was one of the things I loved so much about Fallout 3 - you never knew whether 3 Dog would be on your side or against you on some of those quests, lol.

I am SO excited over this mod!



Posted by: ghastley Dec 11 2013, 11:48 PM

I'm likely to take a laptop to England next week, and work on the Evergloam mod while I'm there.

I have an idea for Nocturnal founding the Nightingales (as seen in Skyrim) just before the Oblivion crisis, and inducting the player and Cyndil to replace two that just died in Skyrim. Dralsi, the daughter of Barenziah and Drayven Indoril, is the third, and she can come to Evergloam for it. The two ghosts might be there, too.

They died clearing the Twilight Sepulchre of draugr, and the place is not complete. Nocturnal still needs a few things to put the final touches to it. Cue a few fetch quests in Cyrodiil. Once all pieces are in place, a portal can be opened (the Ebonmere) and all can travel to Skyrim - although they won't get outside, just into the interior cell, which keeps it consistent with Oblivion. If the Oblivion Twilight Sepulchre looks just a bit like part of the Skyrim one, all differences can be put down to later remodelling. With at least one woman among the Nightingales, redecoration will be constant. tongue.gif

Now to go read and visit and get ideas for the Oblivion quests.

Posted by: ghastley Mar 13 2014, 04:34 PM

I took one of my old Oblivion characters for a wander around the dungeon I'd built for the next quest of Evergloam. It's supposed to be the beginnings of the Twilight Sepulchre you visit in Skyrim, and you'll get there direct from Nocturnal's realm, instead of crossing the Cyrodiil border. The entrance is still being dug out, and there are still a few draugr (skellies with armor) and regular skeletons to clear out before it's usable as a shrine. I'd intended to post a few screenshots, but I hadn't installed Fraps properly on the laptop, so the captures weren't captured. I did decide that the dungeon wasn't large enough, and so expansion has begun.

I'd like to match the layout of the Skyrim dungeon as closely as possible, to at least suggest that this is the ancestor of the later one. Obviously the tilesets are different, but architecture gets repaired and rebuilt, so that's not a big deal. I'm also trying to create an Oblivion version of Nocturnal's statue from Skyrim, without actually using the same mesh, as that's a significant item along the path. I may just have to place a plinth, and put something in her dialogue to say that a statue is coming. tongue.gif

Once this stuff is done, I think the Evergloam mod will be done enough to release at the Nexus. The quest line will have a purpose, and a reasonable conclusion, with the formation of the second Nightingale Trinity.

Posted by: ghastley Mar 29 2014, 01:22 PM

Latest Evergloam now available!

http://ghastley.org/Oblivion/download/evergloam040.7z lets you become a Nightingale after you defeat Ogrim the Restless and reclaim the Twilight Sepulchre for Nocturnal.

When I played through the final quest I felt it was a bit of an anti-climax, so I'll want to beef it up later. I'll probably make the dungeon larger and have some of the sections be closed off by rockfalls after you leave, so that it isn't larger than the Skyrim version. But I want your feedback first, so give it a try!

I originally made the NonSI version included for mALX, but I think she wasn't the only person without the DLC, so it has been kept up-to-date with the base. Hope she re-appears to try it!

Posted by: Grits Mar 29 2014, 01:57 PM

Yay, this is exciting! I’ve installed the regular version with BAIN and Kanet is ready to go. She’s getting her tasks directly from the Grey Fox now and has already fenced enough to move her through the end quests. I’ll report on her progress.

Thanks, ghastley!

Posted by: ghastley Apr 8 2014, 07:57 PM

@Grits: Thanks for the feedback. You've reminded me that Azura's supposed to get a second quest that she'll reward with a key to the guesthouse. I already created that - complete with interior cell, and Twilight attendant and key - but haven't designed a quest to get it. There's a cave on the island that was built with a view to its being the location of the quest, but it's currently empty.

I'm also starting to rethink the linearity of the whole thing. It might be nice to have more than one of Nocturnal's quests pending at the same time, if the player prefers. The way the EV00 quest works now, you don't get a new quest until you finish the prior one. That's all controlled in the script for that (hidden) quest, and could easily be adjusted. EV01 - Things That Go Bump In The Night - has to come first, but not all the others need to be chained in a fixed order. Origin of the Nightingales probably needs to be last - or at least after a quota of other quests is done - as you get a faction rank from it.

Edit: Some thoughts on the second Azura quest. This can happen any time after the first, and would be started by Azura sending her Winged Twilight messenger to you. Unlike Nocturnal's use of Amusei (and Methredhel indirectly) this could be anywhere, at any time, after the appropriate time has elapsed since the Crescent quest finished. You'd still have to go there through Evergloam, as that's the only portal.

One of her Daedra Seducer guards has run off with an overgrown imp, because Azura's been monopolising the male Twilights since she got her crescent back. The imps have her imprisoned in the cave, and it will be similar to the Cyndil rescue in having the imps appear after you find the victim, so she needs protecting, as well as just fighting the imps.

I'm trying to think of a practical way of complicating the quest by making the Imp boss hostile to the player, but the hostage doesn't want him killed. I can get double use of the same real estate if you have to get her back to Azura first, and have her remove the spell that made her fancy him, and then go back and punish the Imp boss, who will have a fresh bunch of minions to help him. Maybe he'll be essential until you finish the first half of the quest? Then I have to stop him leaving the cave and chasing you.

There are two potential rewards. You get the key to the guest house (which has a Twilight attendant in residence) from Azura for killing the imp boss, and a "Summon Me" spell from the Daedra Seducer you rescued (if she survives the ordeal).

Posted by: Grits May 6 2014, 01:53 AM

Quick question. Is there something I’m supposed to do to trigger the Sepulcher quest? If not it seems that Amusei might be having trouble getting to Kanet, or maybe it hasn’t been long enough since she finished The Sentinel Painting. That was two (or three, I’ve forgotten) game nights ago.

Oh, I just saw your April 11 edit about Azura’s second quest. I’ll be back tomorrow with more brain cells functioning, lol. Those are great rewards!

Posted by: ghastley May 7 2014, 12:20 AM

QUOTE(Grits @ May 5 2014, 08:53 PM) *

Quick question. Is there something I’m supposed to do to trigger the Sepulcher quest? If not it seems that Amusei might be having trouble getting to Kanet, or maybe it hasn’t been long enough since she finished The Sentinel Painting. That was two (or three, I’ve forgotten) game nights ago.


That would be because Amusei doesn't have the right conditions on his AI package to find you again. I'll have to refresh the download, but I'll take the opportunity to add a bit more (because I already did half the next quest), and let you know when it's ready.

Edit: I've added some male bits to an Imp mesh (thanks to Slof) and increased scale from 0.5 to 0.85 (or 1.0 for the boss) so the cave is now becoming populated. The larger imps are higher-level creatures (PC-3 or PC-1) with correspondingly higher-level destruction spells.

Seducer Captain has a different hair-style then the regular ones, and I'm working on her faction affiliations to try and get her to side with the Imps until you defeat the boss. So far, I've stopped her fighting the imps by removing her guard status (with which her AI makes her defend the player when you're attacked) and putting her in a friendly faction with them. I still have to make her temporarily hostile to the player via aggression/disposition, so she'll join their side.

Then to make the quest work, I need to work out the logic of rescuing an unwilling captive. Probably an overriding spell provided by Azura, to cast on the Captain. It will make her follow the player, but not necessarily end her hostility. I have to think that part through a bit more. Clark's a useful test character for this, as his spell reflection means he can't just not attack her, he also has to avoid her attacking him with spells, and/or heal her reflected damage.


Posted by: Grits May 7 2014, 09:57 PM

Ooo, that’s a tricky situation for Clark! I was thinking a Paralysis spell to keep the Captain out of the fight until the boss is down, but of course that would not encourage her to follow the player afterward. She’d probably be even angrier. I’m looking forward to whatever you come up with!

Posted by: ghastley May 7 2014, 10:42 PM

Since she's there because her "Allure" spell backfired when the Imp boss reflected it back at her, the simple answer is to Dispel it. However, I want Azura to do that when you take her back, so that she can suitably chastise the Captain, and give you the summon spell.

I may need a custom spell, just for this purpose; perhaps given on a scroll, like I did for the Bag of Holding, and equally restricted for target. Casting it switches her obsession to the player, and perhaps it's a "cast on self" that just needs her to be near enough to notice.

Edit: That spell probably does need to be cast on self to avoid her reflecting it. Does Atronach interfere with cast on self?

Reviewing the plan of the cave (cloned from Timberscar Hollow) I noted that there were two major side-passages, and I'd used the original boss location to place the Captain, and her Imp captor. The other one that was just acting as a false path, and nothing else. So I made an Imp Queen by re-shaping the model appropriately, and installed a locked gate to separate her from the rest. I'm currently considering the possible variations on why she's locked away.

1) The Captain locked the gate to her quarters so she wouldn't interfere with her plans for the chief drone.
2) Boss drone found out how to lock the gate. He's unusually intelligent for an imp, and thinks the Captain is prettier than the Imp Queen.
3) Gate locked itself when it swung shut. Imps can't figure out locks, so they've been feeding her through the gate's bars. Imps want Captain to unlock it.
4) Queen locked it, because she doesn't like current boss drone.

Queen could be ally or enemy, depending on chosen scenario, but most likely hates the Captain, as a rival. She could still be pro-player, for extra confusion.

Captain has no lock-picking ability, and does not currently have the key. If she did have it before, she lost it as part of the spell incident that left her enthralled to the Imps.

I have the Captain behaving neutrally. She doesn't fight for or against the imps, and they don't target her. That can change, for example when the player casts the spell to make her follow.

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I'm trying to make this a two-visit quest: first time using stealth to extract Captain, second time force against the imps. Each half gets rewarded, so it's effectively two quests. However, I can't see a way to prevent the player from short-circuiting the plan by attacking the imps on the first visit. I want them to be hostile if the player is detected, but I also need them to be there when the second visit is made. Perhaps only Boss Imp is enabled on first pass, and visit two is to release the Queen? Imps can stop attacking player when she's out, much like defeating the Shaman ceases goblin hostility in the Goblin Wars quest.

Posted by: ghastley Jun 21 2014, 12:30 AM

Just released http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/45232.

Thanks to Grits for the beta-testing!

I hope the general public doesn't keep me too busy to do the Skyrim one!

Posted by: Grits Jun 21 2014, 01:52 AM

Congrats on releasing 1.0! This was a lot of fun, ghastley. smile.gif

Sorry I completely missed your edit in the post above.

Kanet will continue to visit your Daedric realms, and I’m already looking forward to your Skyrim TG extension.

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