Preamble:Cyrodiil, 3E 427
An Antechamber in the Imperial Palace
The yellowish candlelight and the pale glow of the moons were pushing back the shadows of the room. The air was cold. Too cold for that season. After he trod a thick carpet depicting the Imperial Dragon, Ocato sat down at the desk on which he so longly used to work until that night. The Imperial Battlemage seemed to be lost in deep meditation, looking at a vast tapestry representing Tamriel. He didn't pay anymore attention to the whispers of prayers coming from the Bedroom. Livius Quintus Agricola, the Imperial healer didn't have left the place for weeks. The High Priest of Talos and the Servants of Arkay have staid at his bedside since this evening. To tell you the truth, no one was really still hoping he might recover: he had too longly fought the old age and the disease, and his defeat was fated.
His Majesty the Mighty and Terrible Uriel Septim VII wouldn't see the dawn.
The Battlemage didn't wished to see the agony of his master, who became with the years a dear friend of him. He has just said farewell to him and wouldn't see him again in this world.
As was Uriel VII, Ocato was the prey of anxiety. He too felt old, and tired. His time was over. He had an bitter glance at the tapestry. What had still time running, around him?
He noticed that the Imperial Bedroom has become silent, he didn't know when exactly.
When hasty steps were heard from the corridor, and when someone started to knock heavily at the Antechamber door, the Battlemage got swiftly up and openned quickly.
It was a panicked valet, wringing his hands. Then Ocato understood that the Emperor was rightly worrying. With a wave of the hand, he yet ordered him to stay silent:
« This matter can wait. » he lay. « Let your Emperor die peacefully. »
And while they were waiting at the doorjamb, a funeral song slowly raised.
_FoB Requirement:Fall of the Blades is a module for the english version of Morrowind (Tribunal required), I'm (very very slowly) working on with a friend whose nickname is
Perceval. We got ponctual help from lot of people from Wiwiland, from Emma's forum or from the official board. Many thanks to them!
For background motives, you have to have completed the Morrowind main quest to play the plug-in (but you don't need to have completed Tribunal).
Better Heads and Better Bodies are recommended, but not necessary.
We'll maybe provide a patch for MGE which looks kinda weird in some places and remove mist that wasn't intended to be removed, but that's not sure.
A patch for COM will very likely be released, but for now our priority is to progress with the main quest.
Opening of the plot:After the end of Dagoth Ur and of the Blight, Vvardenfell people are about to return at a better life, while the Twelfth Legion is progressively withdrawing from the Province, due to the alarming rumors spreaded from the Imperial City.
Since Caius Cosades has left Vvardenfell for Cyrodiil, it's Nine-Toes, the Balmoran Argonian who coordinate the actions of the Blades and report to Cyrodiil. Now you've destroyed the threat of the Sixth House, he asks your help to solve the disparition of one of the Blades agents in Lebennin, a small hlaalu harbour on the Bitter Coast. A way for the Nerevarine to pay back the Blades for their previous help...
The scenery of the plot:The mod add a pretty small region, mostly made of swamps, to Bitter Coast, between Seyda Neen and Hla Oad. There stand a tiny fishermen village, Sarn Foras, and a Hlaalu harbour, Lebennin.
In Lebennin stand a
hlaalu harbour office, a
Mages Guild, a
Tribunal Temple and a hidden
Thieves Guild, which means secondary-quest related to these factions, even if you're already their leader. Besides its numerous shops, the city has a market where stands an orcish storyteller. You can use a ship to reach Ebonheart, Vivec and Hla Oad, or use the services of the Mages Guild to be teleported to Balmora, Caldera, Ald'ruhn and the Wolverine Hall.
From left to right: two sceneries of Lebennin, the western gate of the harbour (closed at night), the laboratory of the Mages Guild.Besides, Lebennin is a mecca for the dunmer Temple. Many of pilgrims travel to this place in order to contemplate the Mausoleum where Saint Seryn corpse can be seen.
Several centuries ago, when Lebennin was still a modest fishermen village, the Saint who knew she was about to die was led here by Almalexia. The day after her arrival, her host noticed that she has died during the night. The Tribunal built a Temple in her honour, and she's now the patron of the City.
Since that day, Lebennin grows prosperous and a miraculous recovery at the Temple isn't a rare thing. Besides of the erection of the Mausoleum, a small shrine dedicated to Saint Seryn was built on the southern bank of the Odaïnelin, to protect the running water from the miasma of the swamps.
From left to right: A look on the Mausoleum, a beggar living in the Temple, the corpse of Saint Seryn, the swamps with the village of Sarn Foras in background.The main quest:The first part of the main quest (done) will be an investigation about the missing Blade agent, unfolding mostly in that area. The player will investigate with the support of Nine-Toes, staying in Balmora. That part is now done, and is as non linear as we could do it. Something partly inspired from the game
Jedi Knight - Jedi Accademy. The PC has several hints (some are obvious, other aren't; some must be followed, other are optional) he may follow in his investigations. When he's found enough informations, the following steps of the story will be unlocked (that means new hints, reports from other Blades, events, and so on).
The second part of the main quest (currently WIP), will imply large background changes: the rumor about the death of the Emperor, mentionned in the preamble, comes to Vvardenfell. A new Grand Spymaster will come from Cyrodiil to replace Caius Cosades (his name is Lord Crassus Perian). With him comes the VI
th Legion and some Knights of Akatosh (thanks to Jeremy
). This step is still partly non-linear, and the PC will have progressively to choose between working with Nine-Toes or working with Lord Perian. (Inspired from Bloodmoon, the same quests are played from one or the other side.)
From left to right: The buste of the Imperial Regent, troopers of 'the Lucretia' on the docks of Ebonheart, another trooper in the Galleon, Lord Perian questionning Huleeya. Lord Perian will quickly show his will to discipline the Vvardenfell District, and will use the PC to try to subdue the Great Houses and the Temple. Of course, being the leader of one of these factions will have a large influence on the event and on the difficulty of the quest.
If the player is successful, the presence of the Sixth Legion will progressively become more and more sensitive on Vvardenfell: legionaries will patroil in most of the cities, more galleon will anchor in the harbour, and watch tower will be build in Suran, Ald'ruhn and Ald Velothi.
From left to right: The construction of the Ald'ruhn tower, a Sixth Legion Tower in Suran at dawn, Ki-You, the argonian Battlemage in his office, on the 'Cynthia'.Currently, the interactions between the PC and the Dunmer Great Houses is done, and I'm working on the relations with the Temple. Once it's done, you'll get more news and screenshots about the main quest.
The trailer:A trailer of _FoB can be found on Dailymotion,
here.