First of all, this is NOT my mod. I've just found it on tesnexus, downloaded it, tried it and...like it!
It's a fully voice-acted quest mod focussing on Arkay. It features well written dialogue and a great quest. Anyway, here's the original information from Nexus:




Why no link? Well, there are two versions of the mod: "Et in Arkay Ego" and "Et in Arkay Ego - The Spiritus Version". The second one contains non-sixual nudity and that's why I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link to the whole mod as they are both uploaded to the same location @nexus.

Anyway, just search nexus for "Et in Arkay Ego". Or search google for "Et in Arkay Ego" and you'll get the link to the official website

Hmmm... the title's Latin, but I can't make sense of it. It's not a complete sentence, but the fragment would be "And in Arkay, I...", I think. Or perhaps "Both in Arkay, I...", but that seems unlikely. I seem to recall Et having a special meaning at the beginning of the sentence, but I'm not sure what that was...

Anyway, great to see more quest mods for Oblivion, always. Kudos to the authors.

It seems a nice and very well done mod!

I had just downloaded it last week, but I've just installed it now, so will try to play it and see how it goes

I think I saw a a RELz thread here ... but maybe, I was dreaming

EDIT: typo

And in Arkay I am?

Oooh, a quest mod - fully voiced, you say? *Goes to download*.

Et in Arkay ego is a play on Et in Arcadia ego, a Latin phrase found in a couple of Nicolas Poussin paintings and having links to the Prieure de Sion (as made famous recently by Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code"). It's usually translated as "even in Arcadia, I exist". I was fascinated by the whole Prieure de Sion/Temple of Zion conspiracy (or otherwise) years ago, and wrote a long and torturous Call of Cthulhu adventure based upon the premise of the existance of the descendents of Christ with links to the Cthulhu mythology. Ah, the halcyon days of my youth...

Regards,
Pauly
Missing tabletop RPGs

Why is second (spiritus) version almost three times larger than first one?

Because it includes Robert's male body and Team FF's Fantasy Figures. I guess if you already have body replacers then get the "normal" one...

Damn, Psymon, does that mean I'm hip? I'm trying my hardest not to be (comparitive theology, history of late antiquity, mathematics and computer programming do not usually a "hip" type make ). I'm just hoping now that I've downloaded that this mod ain't going to clash with my current list...

If it does, I think I might go and cry, since it's taken me over a week to get anything like a "stable" setup...

Regards,
Pauly
Really should be asleep

"Even"! That was the special meaning for "Et" in the beginning of a sentence.

Anyway, that's cool, didn't realize that reference.

@ MadPauly

Yeah unfortunately ...

1. being able to make technology work for you
2. not being a slave to belief systems
3. being wise to the past ... does make you hip.

sorry!

There is always a remedy though - drugs. That'll fix you right up and put you right to sleep.

Still wandering how lore breaking this mod is.
and how much it is just a nod to the Priori/conspiracy.

Making one of the nine dead seems awfully lore breaking.

Was thinking that a leveling mod which required you to go through an initiation ritual with each succession of levels. Kind of like Wrye's 'must train', but this would be 'must initiate.' Perhaps an extension of Vows and Covenants (if that ever gets completed). With uber levels would need to make it more like one initiation every five levels or configurable. So that such a mod could teach/impart the mechanics of lived ritual and initiation. Of course then a quest for each one.

Sounds simple ... not.

It's late, this blade's brain's blunt.
If I play HGEC which version I must download ordinary or spiritual?
Nvm, figured it... 16 hours bug fixing, game playing, mod updating - result - IQ around the absolute 0.
g'night everyone.
Still I first downloaded, then went to bed... tell me about mod addiction...

Ok, I am feeling stupid today- I am already using body replacers( non underwear versions of them!) So I should d/l the non Spiritus version, and load it BEFORE the body replacer mods? I think I have d/led the Spiritus version, but I haven't unpacked or installed it.

Yes it is a very good mod. Rich in story and detail. Apparently there is more to come from the authors as well.

This looks very interesting; I think I may fire up an Oblivion game for this one. Has anyone played long enough to say if this is suitable for a low level character? Also, is it better for a mage than a warrior? (the video shows all the characters in mage robes)

Fragonard, I believe you can play this mod at any level.

It's a mod, where lore is better used and bent for the sake of a good story than used as an excuse or not used at all.

As for lore-breaking, I find myself wondering what it even means that Arkay is dead. All the Nine are functionally dead and we're just worshiping miss-matched shadows of original spirits that are barely sentient. So yeah, no one would notice.

My understanding is that you need the NON-Spiritus version. The Spiritus version will replace your existing body replacer.

This was an instant download/install for me today, but I haven't done more than reading the crumpled note yet (Where is Arkay's temple or what I was supposed to visit?).

The body mods are separate esp's so you can just ignore them if you have your own. The mod esp is the same in both versions.

The priory is on the road from Cheydinhal to Leyawiin, not far south of the bridge you cross after passing Cropsford when heading south.

So I spent a while today playing this, and am in two minds. Part of me loves it (there's a couple of nice little touches in there, such as the gargoyle in the chapel that's an obvious nod to the church of Rennes-le-Chateau, again tying in to the whole Prieure de Sion idea) yet part of me wants to go nuclear at all those annoying NPC "funny" rumours. It also clashes horribly with UL-Colovian Caves, meaning either drop the UL or suspend your gaming experience and TCL through them...

There are also references to events which may not have occurred (the most obvious being the events of KotN) as well as another couple of potentially lore-breaking bits and pieces, plus the feeling that the quest is way too linear. Perhaps there's still more to come (I'm not sure - I've just been "baptised", and there seems to be little else to do now) but it also seems too short. Still, it's a remarkably beautifully made mod, despite its flaws (there are way too many skill books, too, which was irksome since I'm trying to pace my character's levelling and that really didn't help).

Finally, just to reiterate for those considering downloading - if you are already using body mods, get the smaller (non-Spiritus) version.

Regards,
Pauly
Hip, apparently...

I started deal with this quest just to see what goes. I do a fast first reading of this mod. So far the quest is quite linear, voice acting are goods but not perfect. Is it supposed that the player know about DLC KOTN?? and the death of Umaril by the knight of the nine? and also Faustina Casta? I my opinion some dialogues text should be way improved.
Anyway good work for the team of this mod.

Hello everyone. I've spent the last few hours sifting through your observations, critiques and compliments and I'm very thankful that all of you took the time to share your thoughts. I am the primary script writer and character creator for the mod Et In Arkay Ego that you have been discussing. I hope that my posting here does not limit the number of future postings - or the honesty in them - on this site. This is the first mod that I have had the opportunity to work on, and your unvarnished feedback is critical to our goal of improving it further.

I just wanted to clarify a few items that might need clarifying. First, the mod in its current form does not end until the credits roll on-screen and the original musical score is heard. Second, my primary concern for the mod was balance. How do we balance the mod in order that men and women, hard core gamers and casual gamers, religious and non-religious, young and old can all enjoy it. Members of our small MOD team decided early on that we wanted to deviate from the hack-and-slash, 'lets make a large castle for my loot' type of mod, and instead try to create a mod that told a story, or possibly even challenge the player to think about issues beyond becoming a brutal killing machine. The third issue was how to 'set' the mod within the world of Tamriel and its timeline. Finding locales and working off of the existing game locations and personalities was simple, but as to when ... there was the challenge. Most everyone I knew has already played and 'beaten' the game several times, and usually several years ago. But we wanted to set the mod within an active time frame. So, as the lead writer, I opted to work under the condition that the Knights of the Nine quest (which was to me was a horrible waste of my time) had already transpired. Why? Because Et In Arkay Ego attempts to present itself as an Oblivion spiritual quest. But it can only stand out as an improvement ... or have any necessity ... if one has played (and as is expected - detested) Knights of the Nine. Finally, we created two versions of the mod. One contains only the 'vanilla' bodies provided in-game, the second (larger) version adds some advlt meshes. Once again, we wanted to provide some balance. In our future releases we might choose instead to hone in on the preferences of a certain type of gamer. But with our first attempt we had no information to base such a decision on. So, there you go.

I am forever in newster123's debt for thinking enough of the mod to post it here on the Bethesda Blog. I would never have viewed our work either credible or impacting enough to have done so myself. To DragoonWraith, thank you for jumping right into the Latin. MadPauly is correct, the mod title is a play on N. Poussin's classical painting 'Et In Arcadia Ego' which esoteric circles have long suggested hinges heavily on some underground stream of hidden religious thought or knowledge. Although Dan Brown's DaVinci Code has stolen many headlines over the last decade, the work of Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln (Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Messianic Legacy) and not Brown served as a primary inspiration to much of the plot in this quest.

The fact that Psymon found any worth in the mod also makes me quite happy. If my work on the mod can inspire an intelligent (religious) cynic to post, then it means it has created a thought-provoking reaction. In the end, if this mod makes someone react (think, post, critique, compliment) then its very purpose has been achieved. I am in your debt Psymon for the truths that you speak.

Thank you Sarafan for your kind assessment. To Ayleid People and MadPauly, I have read the critiques that you have taken the time to share, and I welcome any additional feedback that you feel will help to improve this mod. Please note that we are already working on adding at least a half-dozen new npc's, a new location, two new quest stages and some new voice acting. We all want to make this mod as good as we can, and your feedback is a strong help in that regard. If any of you would like to lend a hand in terms of written material, insight, lore, character development ... please, please do!

On behalf of the EIA mod team, thank you to all!
Chris DiCesare
cdicesare@frontiernet.net

Well now I wouldn't consider myself a cynic when it comes to religious practices - only religious beliefs.

Glad to hear it more Holy blood than Da Vinci. Having read in that genre (religious belief/philosophy) for some years Dan Brown made my skin crawl.

I probably will eventually install it, but perhaps after my character completes KotN (for balance).

It actually is great that people are willing to tackle this kind of subject matter in game mods.

Seriously though the gods of oblivion are as heathen as it gets - love it. Since I've not played KotN yet - I don't feel smacked across the face with Christian beliefs when playing Oblivion.

Wow, this sound completely awesome! Download!



You rock, man!

I think I read every book in the "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" series back in the day. Or at least I read up to "The Temple and the Lodge". Great stuff. Was nice to see those originals make something of a comeback after Da Vinci Code got so popular. I haven't bothered to read Da Vinci Code because from what I can tell it seems like it was lifted almost completely from Baigent/Leigh/Lincoln's work.

That stuff led me down some crazy rabbit holes. One of the best was "The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross" by John M. Allegro. That one will mess with your head.

Of course, after reading all that stuff you have to offset it with some light reading like Umberto Eco's masterpiece "Foucault's Pendulum".

Wow. Ok, seems I'm not alone in this impression ... thanks for posting! I'm really excited about this even more now!

John Allegro is classic reading on this subject. That book is hard to find (an original one at that) and may be worth a few coins today.

Another great vein of this kind of query is 'The Hiram Key': http://www.amazon.com/Hiram-Key-Pharaohs-Freemasonry-Discovery/dp/1931412758/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231914849&sr=1-1 If anyone liked Holy Blood, Holy Grail then Hiram key will appeal greatly. Similar themes ... Jesus was a man, Miracle stories are mistranslations, etc ... but with the added material and their pet theory that the original rituals of masonry are actually history being taught in the form of ritual (in order to protect themselves from Catholic persecution). What the authors don't do is promote or rely upon some source of information that turns out to be false (Plantard in HBHG).

I noticed this mod yesterday as I was making my periodic browse through the quest mods at tesnexus. As I like the premise and it promises some good storytelling, I have downloaded it and will install it as soon as I've finished KotN.

Apart from that, reading the references in this thread turns out to be more interesting than playing... I've never heard of John Allegro, for instance. Not that I take Baigent et al. very seriously, but I value their ideas for their critique of established dogma. Interesting to see a line of thought inspired by their work appearing in Cyrodiil.