UPDATES below (in blue):

TOWARDS THE END OF THE FIRST ERA, in the Twenty-Eighth century, ancient enemies of the Empire, the Akaviri, sent armies to invade Cyrodill. Reman Cyrodill, unable to stem the invasion and faced with certain defeat, unified the provinces under ten commanders, known as the Ventaria – or swordmasters. Selected from the provinces of Cyrodill, the Ventaria were powerful warriors who soon established reputations for service and duty to the Empire.

In time, the armies of the Akaviri were defeated – due, in part, to the superior battle skills of the Ventaria. So impressed were the Akaviri with the Ventaria that they presented each of the ten commanders with a uniquely crafted sword, made by the Akaviri master swordmaker StarrXia. These swords were given to the Ventaria at a Ceremony of Fealty, in which the Ventaria, and the Akaviri, swore oaths of fealty to Reman Cyrodill.

Unknown to the Ventaria, the swordmaker StarrXia had a daughter, a powerful witch whose lover died at the Battle of Pale Pass. Consumed with grief, she cursed each sword with a simple curse:

“May peace and satisfaction be denied those who receive this sword.”

Simple though it was, the curse proved powerful in time. Each of the Ventaria – once famous for their honor and discipline – slowly became corrupted. The final moment of shame came when Reman Cyrodill chose the best Akaviri warriors, rather than the Ventaria, to be his personal bodyguards. Faced with public dishonor, the Ventaria turned from their oaths of fealty and became roaming mercenaries with no master.

They were Ronin.

Peace denied them and satisfaction unobtainable, the lives of the Ventaria slowly evolved into endless episodes of excess and violence. Their ability to distinguish good from evil waned. Pride and other excesses consumed them. The innocent were as likely as the evil to die by their swords. In time, the once proud name of Ventaria became a curse on the lips of citizens of Cyrodill.

One after another, the Ventaria began to suspect a curse. Fearing additional harm to innocents, they chose to be buried alive in chambers and catacombs across Cyrodill.

They were never seen again.

Centuries have passed. The Ventaria and their swords are now the subject of speculation and legend. But you, the thoughtful adventurer, cannot help but wonder: Are they dead? Do their troubled spirits live on beneath the Forts of Cyrodill? Is there any truth to the rumors that the curse gave them eternal life? And what was the final impitus that drove them to choose to be buried alive?

More importantly, can I claim their swords?

*

GothGirlDanille presents:

Rōnin

Ten soldiers.

Ten swords.

Ten stories.


A modification for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion by GothGirl Danielle

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Basic description and information.

This is an story-driven dungeon crawl.

This mod adds two versions of ten swords (the beautiful Katanas made by StarX and used with his generous permission) to the game. Upon final release of this mod, you will be able to obtain the swords in one of two ways:

You can complete the quests, claiming the original, powerful swords as your own.

You can purchase replicas of the swords at Cloud Ruler Temple.

What this mod adds to the game:

Two versions of the ten katanas designed by StarX. http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/376-starx-katanas/

Two new Imperial forts to explore.

Twelve new dungeons. Possibly more.

A variety of books, scrolls, diaries, fragments of letters, and other written material.

What this mod DOES NOT have:

Voice. There should be no need for it.

This has been changed. For better or worse, some voiceless dialog will be included in this mod.

Estimated timetable for completion of this mod:

Version 0.01:

This version will not be completed at this time. If you want the swords quickly, just download StarX's original mod and grab then as you come out of the sewer.

Version 0.1 Beta

The mod will be released in four stages. I'm still hoping to get the first stage out by the end of the month, which means I'll need to get it to beta testers by the third week of October.

Stage Release:

I'll be releasing the stages as Beta testing is completed. It's my goal to have the first stages released by or shortly after Halloween.

Complete version.

The goal is to have the complete version released by no later than the end of December.

Difficulty:

Actual difficulty will be established during playtesting.

Assistance needed to complete this mod:

None at this time. Playtesters will be needed when the mod is complete.

Screenshots:

http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/376-starx-katanas/

Other than that, not sure what you're looking for … screenshots of the dungeons might give away their location. I might add something later, if there is anything really unique added. But c'mon, what you're really after is the swords, right?

*

Questions, questions ...


Who will be interested in this mod?

Oblivion players who like stories, quests, and who don't mind reading. If you've never read a book in Oblivion, this may not be the quest mod for you.

Oblivion players who like puzzles. After all, the Ventaria disappeared centuries ago. What happened to them and their swords is pretty much a mystery. Also, finding certain swords will lead you to other swords, as you learn the fate of the ten Ventaria.

If you're style of gameplay is slash and slaughter, you may not like all the reading and detection involved in this mod. Also, this mod contains a bit of misdirection – wrong guesses and failed hypotheses. It will be up to you, the player, to discern which theory or direction is correct. Whenever possible, I'll try to keep the misdirection to a minimum, but the quests will be realistic first.

Will you be doing a walkthrough?

We'll see. Playtesting will determine if a walkthrough is necessary. My original thought was to do a hint by hint walkthrough. If a full walkthrough is necessary, it will be done after the final release of the mod.

You should change the swords by [fill in the blank]?

The swords will not be changed unless StarX wants them changed. They are his swords and I will respect his artistic rights. Besides, I like them the way they are.

Will the swords be enchanted?

Updated: enchantments under consideration.

So, if they're not enchanted, what prevents me from just buying them at Cloud Ruler Temple?

Nothing, if you don't mind carrying a replica. The swords made at Cloud Ruler are made in the Akaviri tradition, but not with Akaviri knowledge. So they only have some of the power of the original swords. In fact, your average Blade's Katana is almost as powerful.

Can I contribute something to your mod?

Feel free to ask. However, the project plan for this mod focuses on quests rather than stuff. The purpose of this mod is to tell a story, as well as give you ten of the coolest swords every made. Beyond that, what do you think it needs?

Can I be a playtester?

Yes, you can and thank you. If you wish to playtest this mod, please PM me. I will contact you when the beta is ready and provide you with a clean version of the mod.

If you offer to playtest, please commit to keeping track of any errors and conflicts you see. Playtesting for this mod is primarily about identifying conflicts with other mods (there shouldn't be many but you never can tell) and adjusting the difficulty level. Well, that and pointing out any boneheaded mistakes I made.

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Additional information:

Will be posted as it becomes available.

Credits and kudos:

First and foremost, to StarX for designing these elegantly beautiful swords. I'd been working on these dungeons and an idea for this mod for roughly three weeks. Then I was directed to these swords by Johnn123. There were perfect for what I was trying to do. Many thanks to StarX for allowing me to use them in this mod.

Bethesda Softworks for making the original Elder Scrolls IV and, more importantly, the Construction Set.

And thank you … for your interest.

~ Dani ~

Let me be the first one to congratulate you on a really well written introduction, and wish you luck with this mod. Once released, I will be more than happy to search for some of these swords, even though the story line is very similar to that of Adonnay's Classical Weaponry (yours is more lore friendly though). :goodjob:

Eggghhh. I was actually afraid of that.

Sigh. I don't know how to fix that, unless I completely rewrite the project plan. I love Adonnay's Classic Weaponry and I would never discourage anyone from playing it, but .... this is really the only plot line that works for my project plan.

Thanks for you kind words, though.

~ Dani ~

Nah, don't worry about Adonnay's stuff - his Classical weapoms are too overpowered, but I like the way they look!

I just had a flash of brilliance that I'll PM you to make your questing more unique... hope you accept my contribution to your awesome idea.

Does sound interesting, and those katanas do look great

Don't worry about it being like another mod. The system of embarking on a quest to go find a weapon isn't exactly copyrighted

Niiiiice! :goodjob:
Looking forward to the full release. If needed, you can Count me in for playtesting.

Hey congrats to you, Dani! I'll look forward to your release

Good luck and I'm looking forward when this mod is released.

Thanks for your suggestions. I PMed you in return.

With respect to similarities, I pulled Adonnay's mod tonight to examine it in full. The fact that is the only similarities between my mod and his are:

1. Both mods involve swords.

2. Both mods involve dead people who once owned the swords.

3. These dead people may be buried in forts.

There the similarities end. Here are the differences:

1. My mod involves katanas - a different type of sword.

2. The swords in my mod will not be enchanted or scripted. The player can chose to do that.

3. At the present design stage, the player will never be able to walk into a dungeon and pick up a sword.

4. The progression towards finding all ten katanas will required the completion of certain quest stages. The tombs of the Ventaria are sealed. Entrance into some tombs will a require that you already have in your possession something that can only be found in another tomb.

5. There are ten tombs of the Ventaria, all dating from the end of the First Era. This is the end of the Third Era. Some of tombs, logically, will not be easy to find.

6. IMO, the story in my mod will be much deeper and richer than the one in Adonnay's mod. No criticism to Addonay, for I love his swords. I cannot stress this enough: patience will be required to play this mod. For example, to start this mod, you will have to find or locate three books (well, two, at least; one's kind of a tosser). One will be fairly easy to find, one will be slightly harder, ad the third will take some thinking ...

These are just some of the major differences. But, I do admit, both mods involve swords ... and dead people ....

~ Dani ~

Hi,
this sounds really interesting,
if you need any scripting help, shoot me a PM

Oooh, I love a good story ... and a great sword to go along with it is icing on the cake! Best wishes for your project ... I'll look forward to seeing the full release. :cookie:

This sounds like it will be MEGAEXCITING!

You had me at 'Ronin"!

Weapon mods are good, quest mods are great but combine the two... :twirl:


One question though. Swords are great, but you can only use one (two with the right mods) at a time. So, other than story (which is incentive enough for me) is there any additional bonus to finding all 10 swords? Will the 10th be more powerful than the rest? Will some NPC grant you favor for finding all 10? I don't need specifics, just a simple yes or no. (or the ever so popular "sly maybe")

Without giving too much away: good game design would require that the swords you search out would be more powerful than the ones you would buy in Cloud Ruler Temple. So ... safe to assume the replicas are just that ... lesser quality replicas. Another issue with the replicas - they will not respawn. So the total number of swords you can obtain is 40 (a one-handed and a two-handed version for the original and the replica).

There may be a "unique" bonus. There may not. I promise nothing at this point.

The real benefit to doing the quests, is the swords and the story. Additional benefits may be earned throughout the quest, depending upon choices you make. That's all I'm going to say.

~ Dani ~

NM

Thank you, Arkngt. I've spent a lot of time tonight in the Construction Set and made some nice headway. With some help from DarkRider at TES Alliance, the merchant is in place in Cloud Ruler temple selling the replicas, some Blade katanas, and some other weapons. He will also fix your weapons and train you in armory (up to level 70). (Always seemed odd to me that the Blades didn't have their own armory trainer).

The replicas are more expensive than your basic Akaviri Blade katana, and only slightly more powerful.

The actual weapons, as designed by StarX, are really quite deadly. I've been looking at MOBS - I think that's a really good suggestion, Arkgt. I'd like to keep the katana's within MOBS range. However, I don't want players to feel they just worked very hard to get a slightly powerful blade. One thought is to make them as powerful as Adonnay's - but without the scripted "kill" enchantment.

The response might be: "Well, by the time the player adds any enchanted magical effect, they'll have an uber blade!" Yeah, well ... I suppose a player can make an uber blade out of an iron shortsword, if she or he chose. I can't control that. But the katanas should be powerful. It fits the story and gameplay logic.

Another clarification:

This mod is not about swords. It's about warrirors who have lost their way. Discovering StarX's katana's was merely a fortuitous event. It saved me a lot of time - A LOT - in learning how to texture and model myself. And any swords I made would never have been as beautiful as his. (Discovering StarX's mod also had the effect of increasing the number of Ventaria.)

Rather, this mod has its genesis my older brother's insistence that I, as a child, learn to love Akira Kurosawa. To create this mod, I began by writing stories about several warriors. For each warrior, I wrote a complete history. I did this weeks ago. So when I say every one of the Ventaria has a story to tell you - they do. Part of the mod design is for you to learn these stories, to hear - or read - them. Every one of the Ventaria has a fully developed story and, therefore, a fully developed questline. Some of the Ventaria will try to take your life. Some of them will ask you to perform a task. Some will be completely sane. Some will be completely insane. You, the player, will hold their fate ... along the edge of a blade.

There is a quote about writing that I keep close: "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." Some of these stories moved me deeply. I hope they move you. That, for me, was what this mod was always about. And I mean no disrespect to StarX when I say the swords are merely decoration.

One final comment about difficult: in another thread tonight I felt as if I was slapped down because I suggested removing the green locator triangle. I admit it was a poorly thought out suggestion. There are other, less intrusive, ways to remove those devices if you choose to. To be honest, it's been so long since I've played with the green triangle that I forget others still use it.

But, please, no one is forcing anyone to play this mod. When it's complete, I'll have made it as much for me - maybe more so - as anyone else. I hope that doesn't offend.

I have no intention of creating a mod of mindless difficulty. I would never turn a player lose without some indication, some suggestion, some hint, of what the correct path is. My fear is that I've made this too easy, not too hard. My concern is players will come here afterwards and say, "Jeeze, that was obvious."

I mention this to distinguish my mod from Adonnay's. I love Addonay's mod; I've said before his swords are works of art. But this mod is not about entering a dungeon and finding a weapon. It's doing things and living events. To me, it's about the opportunity to tell a story in a game world.

~ Dani ~

Wow. I'm totally entralled. I can hardly wait. :liplick: Flat out amazing.

This is the basis of a 'story within a story'. While it's a definite perk to get a cool sword at the end, the sword itself is likely to become more of a symbol than anything else--depending on the PC, the history behind it can be a springboard for further character development.
For those of us who roleplay Oblivion from a specific character's viewpoint (or several), it is not unusual for an older, advanced PC to feel that he's lost his way. After experiencing so many of Oblivion's challenges, what is there left for him to do? Why should he continue to exist? Perhaps in relating to these stories of other warriors, such a PC might gain insight into his own life or renew his motivation ... that IMO is the real quest in any major quest mod. If its story doesn't touch or change the player character in any way, it hasn't done its job very well.
That was why the Bethesda Main and Dark Brotherhood quests worked so well (they evoke genuine liking for Martin and Lucien, and the sense of sadness/loss/failure), and the Fighters and Mages Guild didn't so much. Except for one of the earlier quests in the FG, the latter were pretty flat in terms of emotion.
Anyway, it sounds as it you are very much on the right track. Tell your story well, and the PC will carry away more than just a sword.

NM

I have probably said this a million times before...but I just LOVE quests!

Katana stats for those who asked: Column 1 = vanilla blades; Column 2 = replicas; Column 3 = reward katanas

Katana:

Value: 120 200 320

Weight: 20 18 18

Speed: 1.0 1.0 1.2

Reach: 1.0 1.0 1.0

Health: 200 240 300

Damage: 14 15 18

Dai-Katana:

Value: 150 260 400

Weight: 24 21 21

Speed: 1.0 1.0 1.15

Reach: 1.0 1.0 1.0

Health: 240 300 340

Damage: 16 17 20

Note the weapon speed: I'm actually experimenting with an idea that the weapons could be made more lethal by increasing their speed. As a baseline, an Elven Shortsword has a speed of 1.2, so these Katanas would be very fast blades, even if their stats aren't as high as, say, a daedric claymore.

I've tried to make them balanced. Comments are welcomed.

~ Dani ~

Edit: Try to color columns to make it easier to read ... blue isn't that easy, tho. Sorry.

I think the blades are perfectly fine on their own. Slightly powerful, maybe, but given that they're a reward for a (presumably reasonably difficult) quest, I think it's perfectly appropriate.


Too many quest mods these days focus on the process itself (go here, solve this riddle, get the reward) that they don't delve into the story itself. I remember feeling shocked and saddened at the events at the end of the MQ, and yet it was slightly uplifting - it was a noble sacrifice, not just a mindless death to advance the plot. We need more mods like that. To be fair, though, it's difficult to write a really good story.


Don't design a mod for the lowest common denominator. Design it for yourself and the people you think will enjoy it.

And then I went and increased them ...

When I originally tested the katanas, my player was at level 1. At level 1, they're quite lethal. But you're right, the originals were well-balanced overall.

Thanks for you kind words. I was in a bit of rip last night.

~ Dani ~

NM

Egghh .... I forgot about OMOBS.

How does that work? I mean, if I play OMOBs, then the swords are fine, if I don't, then they seem overpowered. So it would require a seperate .esp, right?

~ Dani ~