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the-manta
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Posts posted by the-manta
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Massive birthday wishes Rider!
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Felix turned from the ragged chasm with a huffing sigh of exasperation.
“So stubborn…†he muttered under his breath.
She had a point though; he had never made this much noise in a ruin and not been beset by anything. Stifling a cough, he cast a sickly candlelight with one hand, and a shielding spell with the other, sending a metallic ring echoing down the passageway.
“What are you doing up there?†came Nina’s suspicious whisper.
“Looking after us!†The mage hissed back.
As his attention flicked back to the gaping corridor, he caught the distinct sense of something wrong, a faint vibration in the air perhaps.
“Lady of Infinite Energies, Prince of…†the prayer cut short in his throat and for a moment it bounced around in his head. How foolish the words sounded.
Felix had little time to think on the matter. With a faint scratch of stone on stone, a smooth block of wall slid away, and the long-awaited dead arrived. One by one, they shuffled out of the hidden passage, dragging their feet so their tarnished boots scraped against the floor. Felix shuddered at the sight of their drawn, decaying faces, all fixed into grimaces of horror, and flame sprang to life in his hands.
“Nina… How’s the climbing coming?â€
“Not… Bah, dammit… too well. Are the dinner guests arriving?†The faintest trace of fear shone through her humour.
The zombies were drawing closer, and Felix spared only a “Yep†before he released a fireball. The remains of a stocky warrior lit up like tinder and dropped a battle axe with a resounding clang. Felix sprung forwards as the dead staggered back, trying to give himself as much retreating space as possible. The action was poorly calculated, and he found himself beneath the blades of half a dozen zombies. With a cough, he staggered and fell, knocking the wind out of his lungs, and his executioners raised their weapons. He remembered the night beneath Mount Kilkreath, the sight of a blinding light, its warmth on his skin…
As the rusted blades fell towards him he roared an incantation. A burst of fire and light sprang from his hands and the beasts fell back, their papery skin burned away and their weapons forgotten. One rusty sword clattered to the ground beside his face, and for what felt like hours Felix watched it blur as it bounced off the stone.
Before the blade had settled he was on his feet, and the dead had closed ranks. He ducked an axe, punched its owner in the bare midriff and set two of its companions alight.
“Sorry!†He called out as a flaming zombie tumbled down the chasm.
His spellfire tossed the zombies back one by one or two by two, and the passageway rang with clattering iron, but there were too many, and the hall was too narrow. The Breton took a step back and gasped as his foot found nothing. He swung his robed arms like some ridiculous bird as he struggled to catch his balance, finally grabbing hold of a convenient axe-haft. The zombie sounded almost surprised as Felix pulled himself towards it and yanked on its weapon.
“Sorry!†He yelled again as the creature overcompensated and stumbled past him, into Nina’s abyss.
He thrust the battle axe clumsily forwards, pushing the beasts out of his breathing room with many a grunt and wheeze. As he tried to pull back the ancient weapon for a swing, he remembered he was a mage, almost falling again with the weight of it. Indiscriminate flames were all the Breton could think of as the zombies bore down once again, and the smell of their sinewy flesh crackling away made him wretch. Out of the fire loomed the screaming face of what had once been a man, blade raised high, and Felix had no time react before it came crashing down into his shoulder.
His howl of pain mixed with an echoing ring as his shield absorbed most of the impact, and he thrust forward bodily, bruising his chest in the pattern of a breastplate. The shove was just about sufficient, and the zombie stumbled drunkenly into its companions as Felix tried to recover. It was no good. He couldn’t even tell how many there were – they filled his vision and most of his attention. A flick of the head showed him that the other direction was scarcely more appealing. The gaping hole in the floor stretched for some distance, and only beyond that could he see a clear path. Nothing for it then.
Two last fireballs erupted among the dead and Felix spun around. His soft boots pounded the stone for only seconds before he jumped, his bruises screaming protest and his robes trailing like moth wings.
“Sorryyyy!†He cried as he began to fall, the edge of the chasm still a foot away from his fingertips.
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Felix cleared his throat painfully as he and Nina entered the waterside cave
"Lecelle was a brilliant mage. Is a brilliant mage," he added to Nina's distaste. "But more than that, he was a brilliant... He was brilliant. The, uhh, 'cult type' you might say. His words were honey potion to all of us, his mind could shape and control ideas that were hazy impossibilities to ordinary men. He was a born leader, that much is certain."
Nina's face was flat with irritation.
"I hate mages," she muttered."No offence". She brightened as she went on: "but, none of that makes him any harder to kill. That... is what we're doing, isn't it?"
"Oh I have little doubt that's where this leads," the mage replied grimly, "but I doubt even less that it will be more complicated than that."
"Tsk. When is it?"
Neither spoke for some time, walking instead in a pregnant silence as the rough stone tunnel gradually adopted the unmistakeable traits of intelligent artifice.
"Stinks of elf," Nina finally commented as they passed under a soaring arch of the otherworldly white stone. "And rotting meat," she added, wrinkling her delicate nose.
Felix nodded, gazing up at the elven architecture that seemed to grow out of the natural stone around them.
"Falmer maybe? It doesn't match any drawings, looks more Ayleid..." Felix surprised himself with brighter, 'Felix' thoughts. He shrugged, and the motion turned into a metallic-tasting cough that shook his shoulders and made his stomach ache. Nina made to grab him but he waved a hand as the coughing subsided.
"I'm fine, let's keep going" he assured his friend, dragging the back of his hand slowly across his mouth.
She held her look of concern a moment longer before turning her head. "Well I'm not so worried about the elf..." she glanced around nervously, "as much as the rotting meat. I've yet to meet a trogolodyte wizard with no zombies handy..."
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Congrats to the winners! I think the results almost exactly lined up with my votes 
I'm already excited for the next one, these are the highlight of my halloween!I have to say though, I got excited by the polls near the start of the voting, thought I had one for a moment
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Woo! Finished all the levels, although the Chapel remains tomorrows task.
House 5: Short and sweet, but I really loved it. The sight of that little burnt up corpse at the foot of the stairs was perfect. It really could have benefited from some scarier, dramatic lighting though.
House 6: Lots of nice shock scares in this one, the moving bookcase for instance. When I got to the basement I just stood there for a while, hoping the fog would clear. It didn't, so I just had to shuffle about hoping nothing would kill me in my moment of blindness.
House 7: This one definitely had the lighting points down; hundreds of enemies in almost total darkness. After barely surviving the first fight, I couldn't bring myself to open up any of the doors or cells, and hurried on through the most direct route. This wasn't really enough to stop me from dying multiple times however. An awesome side effect of the vampires in the cells was that you could hear them whispering and muttering as you walked through, very spooky indeed. I'm kind of with deostades though, that maybe it went on a little too long. I was also slightly puzzled to find that it was not possible to fall off the edge of the stone walkway.
Also I contracted sanguinare vampiris here (I can't imagine anyone didn't) which, if I don't get hold of a cure disease potion before I end the horror, could well be an interesting development in my lawful-good scion of Skingrad. He's even named Hassildor...
House 8: The materialising, high level enemies really got me at times- I never knew when something was going to pop up behind me and kill me to death, so that's a guaranteed recipe for horror. I will admit though, I cheated a little... The brides of Dracula, at level 50-something, were just too difficult for my level 17 character. This level definitely had the fear of imminent death down, with unpredictable, high level enemies. I also spent a frightening minute running around the spider room trying to find the way forward as I hadn't spotted the chest.
The chapel remains a daunting heap of terror in the near future, but homework means I'm gonna have to wait a little longer.
Massive kudos to the challengers though, I've really enjoyed every level, and picking my winners is really difficult. It's a shame people seem to have been less interested in this than in previous challenges, but I suspect that next year's, now that the tradition has re-established itself, will be even better than this one!
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Well, I finally got to start playing, I've really enjoyed it so far, although I'm only up to number 4. I won't do full reviews since I'll end up giving away which was mine but I'll note down my feelings on the ones I've played so far!
House 2: Excellent use of light, sound and ambiance in this house. Opening the basement door to find an array of skeletons and shades glaring at me in the darkness was a definite eep moment. The boss fight was really hard, I had to shout him off the cliffs a few times, a rather undignified end for an ancient warrior of terror. Good job on the armour retexture too! Perhaps the Ancient Storm Atronach could have been earlier in the grotto though? Most of the skellies didn't put up much of a fight and then there were two tough enemies side by side.
House 3: Small but perfectly formed, with a tangible feeling of abandonment and cobwebbery. It actually took me some time to find the key even though it was just lying out on a table. A smattering of gore and some flickery lighting would have made for nice garnish.
House 4: I enjoyed the atmosphere and managed to get good and lost in the maze. There were some very nice decorative spots too. The enemies could have been better spaced though, as they were all in the maze except the boss. Also, the boss arena was not great- a small room with next to no cover was a tough place to fight a wispmother- I ended up shield-bashing her in the face a lot and running from side to side. Very dignified again.
EDIT: I have a few mods that alter leveled lists, did the homunculus in the maze have a big forsworn-looking battleaxe for everyone or is that a different mod getting involved? I know I haven't see it in the base game but I have definitely seen pictures of it before.
General: Many kudos to Dark Rider et al. on a very nice exterior layout, and the looming chapel looks spookily intriguing (with an ironic appearance from the Goddess of Love on the outside). The centre piece to the village was just perfect too!
I don't really have time to play the rest today, too much damn homework, but I'm really really looking forward to it!
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I'm so excited
these are the high point of my Halloween every year. Unfortunately I don't get to play it until Monday! -
So excited
probably won't get to play it for a few days though, I'm going away tomorrow. -
Nope, this is the one I was thinking of. The excitingly entitled "spouses can live anywhere".
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/11370
Like I say, I haven't tried it out.
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I have a mod which allows you to assign any location "home" and send your spouse to live there. I haven't tested it but maybe it will work for children too? Let me find it...
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Whew, sent at last
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Hey this sounds like a lot of fun. Does it lock you out of the main quest or can you pick it up somehow later on?
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I did wonder how popular Dawnguard had been. Okay, well all makes sense now, gonna get my spook on...
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This sounds awesome! I have only two questions:
- How exactly will the exterior cell work? Do we put the haunted house anywhere or will we be assigned a cell within what will be the village?
- "No dependence on mods" is specified in the rules, but would Dawnguard be okay? It is, after all, basically a horror-themed DLC.
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Well smaller is fine by me
Like you say, the community is still finding its feet, this way the tradition is kept alive and we have something to show for halloween. I shall eagerly await the announcement -
Not to be "that guy", but will there be a yay or nay on this soon? It is about a week past the point when the previous challenges were announced, and there's always kind of a scramble.
I do notice though, that there are only five yesses and one maybe, but then only 13 people actually responded.
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Well I'm wishing I'd dedicated some time to learning Skyrim scripting before college really got going, but I would love to take a crack at it. Even if I don't end up producing anything I'd love to see the end product. I think that Skyrim's release and the many associated upheavals were what stopped last year's challenge from taking off. This time round, everyone's had almost a year to get comfortable with Skyrim, so I would expect a lot of enthusiasm.
EDIT: I just went into the CS to look at my entry from last year. I'm trying to remember what exactly it was about bloodthirsty sheep that so enthralled me...
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I've gotten into trouble this way before
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I don't do a lot of texturing, but I love any excuse like this. I may be tempted.
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I really hope this DLC doesn't mean the end of house modding, or a massive shift in its focus, since I and many others find it immensely enjoyable in a way it probably won't be in-game. I don't suspect it will though. While the DLC offers much more than any house mod I could make in terms of customisability and functionality, there are surely only so many options they can include in a DLC. 3rd party houses can go *anywhere* and be *anything*. That's nothing against Hearthfire, it's just that there's only so much one team can put in one mod.
I have every expectation Hearthfire and 3rd party house mods can coexist peacefully (although download rates may drop for the latter), and I will be buying the DLC (from what I understand, it's pretty cheap) for the fun of building the house in game. For console gamers, I expect this is very exciting indeed.
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I voted for both, since medals may not be on display for very long (pushed out by others the winners may be comparatively less proud of). Now I think about it though, the issue of obtrusiveness etc. is a good point, as far as sig bars go, I think it would be best for it to be a fairly small (stamp-sized?) but very groovy looking badge.
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Just out of curiosity, does the lore have anything on life on/in the moons?
I know this post is about 8 months old, but I believe there is a monkeytruth in which the Khajiit, doped to the eyeballs on moon sugar, formed a tower from their bodies to colonise one of the moons...
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The College had dominated the Winterhold skyline since the Great Collapse, the last vestige of the great city that was once capital of all Skyrim. The castlesque construction perched unsteadily on a twisting column of stone, carved out of the cliff face by the Sea of Ghosts, and holding steadfast against the icy gales characteristic of the northern Hold. In the central tower was a wide window bearing the emblem of the College; a silvery eye observing what remained of Winterhold. It observed also the figures of two riders coming to a stop outside of the Frozen Hearth, their mounts snorting steam into the snow-laden air.
“This place must be one of the saddest little towns in all Skyrim,†said Nina as the pair dismounted. “And the whole place reeks of magic.â€
Felix laughed half-heartedly, and turned his eyes from the tavern to the looming college.
“Do you want me to wait here or…?†offered his companion.
Felix briefly considered. He supposed this was something he should do alone, but he had become quite used to the rowdy Nord’s company, and the sinking feeling in his stomach craved companionship.
“Actually, some support might be appreciatedâ€.
Nina merely nodded and called out for a stablehand.
At the bridge, Nina and Felix were met by an Altmer woman of contemptuous aspect. Felix bit his cheek and prayed to Meridia that she wouldn’t prove too abrasive.
“Oh, so you’re back†she drawled, “and you’ve brought a friend.â€
Already the Breton could sense Nina’s hackles rising.
“Yes, which I believe you’ll find is entirely acceptable. I am still a member in good stead,†he replied.
The elf treated each of them to a haughty look. “Mm, yes, I suppose. Wouldn’t have killed the pair of you to dress for the occasion, however.â€
“I’m perfectly dressed for the occasion of knocking you right off this bridge,†was Nina’s scowling response.
The gatekeeper spent only a moment longer on affronted looks, and allowed the pair to pass.
The wind-swept courtyard was quiet. With the winds picking up, most appeared to have taken their work indoors, and those who shared the path with Nina and Felix were hurrying by, heads bowed and hoods raised. Felix could sense that Nina was uneasy. She seemed almost to scowl at the magelights and magicka wells, and the set of her shoulders seemed decidedly defensive.
“That makes two of us,†he thought.
The Hall of Elements was quieter still. Felix remembered the sense of reserve, even reverence, the soaring hall evoked. With the snow beginning to swirl around the stained glass windows, the Hall of Elements felt more and more isolated. A small stone bubble, entirely separate from the mundane concerns of those beyond its boundaries. For a moment Felix could remember his first days at the College, a bewildered apprentice with more hopes than experience.
“Felix Rosaire, back again I see.†The voice was strident and feminine, level and commanding, somehow ideal for the Hall of Elements.
“Yes, Master Wizard,†he replied, turning to face her. “I’m looking…â€
“For your old friends, of course.†Ervine pursed her lips. “You were an ill-fated group it appears; only one now remains. I can have him sent for if you’d like.â€
Felix had barely opened his mouth when great doors creaked open. For a moment, the illusion of isolation was split apart by a strip of light, a gust of cold. And then, with a dull thud, restored. Itius Kvenin had always been the listener, the watcher. Nothing came through the college that his beady eyes did not detect. He was not a tall man, but thin and gaunt in such a way that almost gave the impression of height. A wry smile twisted his creased lips, and Felix was struck by how far he had aged.
“My old friend. You look tired,†he observed. “Please, Master Wizard, let two friends have a moment.â€
When Felix failed to object, Ervine complied, but Felix was somewhat comforted to note that Nina had remained. Kvenin seemed almost not to see her.
“You know why I’ve come, then.†The Breton’s words were not a question.
“But of course…†began the gangly Imperial.
Sparks came to life at Felix’s fingertips as he stepped forward. Nina loosened her dagger in its sheath.
“Really, Felix, what are you going to do? Strike me down in the Hall of Elements? Sweep into Winterhold a storm of vengeance? No, no,†he laughed, “that’s not you at all. It never was. I feel we may have… a few things to discuss. Your bodyguard can come too.â€
Nina shook her dagger a little looser.
"Bodyguard..."
Kvenin’s private chamber was cramped and windowless, with a sickly magelight dancing on row upon row of bottles and jars. In the corner, alchemical apparatus smoked and bubbled, sending oily fumes to decorate the cluttered table and chairs where Nina and Felix sat.
The Nord had spent time in a number of alchemical laboratories, but this one, she reflected, had to be the most dismal, and the strangest. She wasn’t sure she could even read some of Kvenin’s dusty labels, and the smoke made breathing a chore. She refused without ceremony the alchemist’s offer of a glass of wine, and while her companion had accepted, she noticed only Kvenin was drinking.
“What does it all mean?†Felix tentatively cracked the pregnant silence.
His old colleague cleared his throat. “You’ve been dreaming again, correct?â€
Felix nodded.
“And you’re new Prince has not defended you, correct?â€
Felix slowly shook his head.
“And,†the alchemist leant forward, grinning in the magelight, “you’ve found your pendant, correct?â€
Felix withdrew it slowly from his pocket.
“You’ll have noticed,†the Imperial continued, taking it from him, “that there is not much of a coven here now. Vedrin and Edla left like you, Taleez was expelled, Maregoth died. That only leaves me, and Lecelle. I suppose two founding members out of three isn’t bad.†He handed the pendant back, and grinned wolfishly as Nina’s eyes flicked over him. She looked ready to pipe up, but decided to leave Felix to it.
“Mirabelle Ervine told us you were the only one left.â€
“The only one left here. I have remained and gained much from Vaermina’s insights.†He waved a hand over his laboratory. “Lecelle has chosen a different path, one that has taken him away from here.â€
Felix rubbed his temples. Nina’s potion was beginning to wear off, and several days with about as many hours of real sleep were beginning to catch up on him.
“Enough of this. Why have I been dreaming? What is Lecelle doing?â€
“Redundancy is an unbecoming trait in your line of questioning.â€
The alchemist’s self-assurance was maddening.
“I cannot tell you why you have been dreaming, or rather, I will not. What I will tell you is what you must do now.â€
In one motion, Nina drew her dagger, and seized Kvenin by his collar.
“I’ve had just about enough of your games, pal. Perhaps you’d better just give my friend here what he wants, and I won’t have to get arrested.â€
For a moment, surprise lit the alchemist’s stained eyes, but the infuriating grin returned as they flicked between the knife and Nina’s face.
“Please, Miss Alamain, you’re embarrassing yourselfâ€.
His gloved hand took hold of Nina’s and gently removed it from his collar, revelling in her unease. This was not a woman used to making unsuccessful threats, nor one happy to find daedra cultists in possession of her personal information.
“Let’s try and resolve this without bloodshed,†he said. “In any case, my old friend will soon find I am a piece of the puzzle he cannot do without.â€
Nina reluctantly resumed her seat, and gave Felix a stare that said ‘let’s get this over with’.
“Lecelle has taken his work to a cave, due east of here, at the water’s edge. It will not prove hard to find; Lecelle wants no further delays. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have much work to attend to…â€
Before either of the pair could object, Kvenin had rose from his chair and swept from the room, leaving Felix feeling disturbed, confused and impotent. There was a moment’s silence before Nina exhaled loudly.
“We could smash a few things if it would make you feel betterâ€.
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Tavern Tales: Skyrim, Volume One (Legend)
in Tavern Tales - Skyrim
Posted · Edited by the-manta
In all Tamriel, since the dawn of time, there have been few flyers (or fallers) less graceful or dignified than apprentice wizards, and so Felix was playing his part in an age-old tradition as he tumbled helplessly down the sinkhole. His unflattering cry was cut short as he thudded into the viscous fluid beneath the elven hall, the sudden chill and unexpected impact driving the wind out of his lungs with a definite tang of blood. For a moment, he seemed almost suspended on the surface of the black sludge, but then he was sinking, faster than he thought possible.
His mind galloped into panic as the muck sucked him downwards, oozing upwards and over his limbs as he struggled to swim. Rushing from spell to spell, his lips innately formed the beginnings of a dozen different spells, cut off before they were complete by the next frantic remembrance, sending nothing but white sparks crackling from his skin. The more the young mage struggled against the sucking ooze, the harder it pulled him downwards, almost like an intelligent entity swallowing him whole. Feeling the cold slime reach his chin, he gasped for breath, and regretted it. Instead of air, it felt as if he had inhaled a pound of broken glass, the breath tearing through his sickened lungs in what proved to be the last nail in the coffin for his chances of escape. The sinking slime seeped into his mouth, then his nose, then his ears, creeping ever upwards as he feebly kicked his legs.
“Mages!â€
A strong hand grabbed seized his collar and he felt the familiar sensation of being rescued from certain death. Nina grunted as she hauled the mage upwards, dragging his head and shoulders out of the slime.
“Don’t struggle,†she panted, “only makes it worseâ€.
She looked to her side and spat, trying to dispel the bitter taste of the ooze without success. With one oil-slicked hand, she kept a hand on the mage’s collar, and with the other she maintained a death-grip on an angle of rough brickwork, holding herself in a crouch against the wall, just out of the slime. Felix released a few strong breaths, painfully stretching out the muscles of his chest as he regained his composure.
“Thanks,†he managed, feeling the slime stick to his tongue and teeth. “And uh… sorry.â€
He glanced to the side, where a small cluster of desiccated craniums emerged from the slime like ghastly stepping-stones. A look of disgust was visible through the slime on her face as Nina followed his gaze.
“Don’t worry about it; most of them died when they landed.â€
Her eyes turned upwards, up the rough stone blocks of the sinkhole’s size, and to the jagged maw of the hallway above. She seemed to shudder, and Felix soon saw why. On both sides of the chasm, pale, gormless faces stared down into the ooze, their eyes alight with an otherworldly blue. None of the zombies made any move to follow the two adventurers, but neither did they turn their backs on the stone flytrap.
With some considerable assistance from Nina, Felix hauled himself (mostly) out of the viscous sludge, his knuckles turning white as he clutched the rough angles of the walls. He peered into the darkness over his shoulder, scanning the edges of the pit for some escape, but the jagged texture of the walls turned them into webs of shadow, impossible to penetrate in the darkness.
“I can’t see…†he began
“Anything? Yeah me neither.†Nina spoke with some reserve, perhaps suspecting the solution that Felix would suggest.
“You know, I could…â€
“No.â€
“But we can’t…â€
“No.â€
“Just let me…â€
“NO!â€
“Tsk.â€
For a few moments they simply remained, squatting against the rough stone, in silence. It could have been his imagination, but Felix fancied he could see Nina peering into the darkness.
“Okay fine.†She finally said.
With a sigh, Felix cast the spell, a fluorescent orb of light rising from his outstretched hand to hover over his shoulder.
“See? Quite safe.â€
“Shush,†was Nina’s only response. “I see the way out.â€
And so there was. A metre or so to their left, the rough rock curved off into itself, vanishing into a gloomy tunnel. With a look back to Felix, Nina led the way.