[WIP] Tales & Tallows: Deathbell
An Association of Practitioners of the Dark Arts

The WIP file can be found on Skyrim Nexus. Although the main quest isn't implemented yet, we welcome feedback on what we have so far.

About the Mod
Tales & Tallows: Deathbell is a project that will allow the player to help build Deathbell, a secret association of practitioners of the dark arts. Deathbell's symbol is the deathbell, the flower that presumably grows where unfortunate deaths have taken place. The mod aims to challenge Skyrim's oversight of players who create dark-themed characters by giving them other dark-themed characters to interact with.

The first step in the mod is to introduce the player to the organizer of the association--Lorcis Layeras, a Breton who believes he might be descended from Dremora--and to the recurring opposing force, the Order of Arkay and their Knights of the Circle.

Lorcis and his collaborator, a Nord-raised-Imperial named Calberus Hallebarde, have taken over a secluded Temple of Arkay in Winterhold to stage an open source of learning for practitioners of the dark arts, but the Knights of the Circle have tracked them down and seek to reclaim their place of worship.

Adrithel, the witchhunter Bosmer in charge of the Knights of Circle expedition, and her Knights have constructed a camp overnight and have created a blockade at the temple entrance. With supplies to the temple cut off, Lorcis’ annoyance and desperation grows.

The mod will include retextured meshes and custom items, new locations, player rooms, and NPCs who offer services, give quests, and can be followers or be married.

Future add-ons to the mod will involve other necromancers, warlocks, witches, vampires, and werewolves as they lend their services to and require services from Deathbell.

What This Mod Adds
Quests

• Main quest: Tolls of the Deathbell
• Two endings: One for joining Deathbell, and one for joining the Knights of the Circle.
• NPCs' personal quest: Upon quest completion, an NPC can become a follower and/or be married.

Places

• Ruins of Arkay: The ruins are on a small piece of land that survived The Great Collapse in Winterhold.
• Temple of Arkay: The temple is the only building left standing on the island. The player can earn a private bedroom here.
• Knights of the Circle Camp: The campsite is located at the base of the stairway leading up to the temple gate.

Equipment

• Headsman harness, gauntlets, and boots: This heavy armor set is what Calberus is wearing. The player can pick up an unenchanted set.
• Ritual robe, hood, gloves, and shoes: This clothing set is what Lorcis is wearing. The player can pick up an unenchanted set.

About Incriminating Evidence, Inc.
We've been modding mainly followers and homes for our own use in Morrowind, Olivion, and Fallout 3, and now we're trying it again in Skyrim. This is the first time we're making something on a larger scale that we're planning to release to the public, and we'd like to have community input. We welcome constructive comments, suggestions, and concerns, and we'll gladly answer questions regarding the mod.

Also, we're wondering what "dark" entails for some people, so let us know what it could be. Your ideas might influence our work, and maybe we can sneak in some of what you want into the mod.

For us, being dark is not so much about committing crimes or calling up the undead for evil's sake, nor is it about being a jerk to random people we meet, although those aren't particularly good things to do. "Dark" isn't always synonymous to "evil," either, but they are closely related.

Lorcis has had a privileged life, so he tries to be civil when he can because there are times when he views certain events, like murder, as unnecessary, but there are also times when he enjoys psychologically tormenting his specimens in part because he learns about behavior--his specimens' and his own--and in another part because he does enjoy it. If you look at it one way, he's a researcher seeking to open up knowledge to those underprivileged masses that the player is usually slaughtering by the dozens in caves and tombs all over the province (because of the way Skyrim is built, not necessarily because the player wants to).

In short, we fully support the idea that darkness or evil does not equate chaotic stupid. The vast majority of quest villains in Skyrim seem to fall into the chaotic stupid category, which is one of the reasons that prompted us to start up this mod for the public.

We're wanting to bring depth into all the major characters through various means, such as the environment they're in, what's in their inventories, their idiosyncrasies, and so on, so that they develop beyond being "just the bad guys" without us telling players that. You can also choose to help the Knights of the Circle--and they aren't without their own quirks and vices, which aren't because they are part of the Order of Arkay, but because they are people in general.

Now, the mod isn't going to be on a colossal scale. We just want to share a few stories and let the player feel like a part of them. But the idea behind it all is a prime candidate for being too long to read. /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

If all goes well, there might be something in our mod for everyone.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dark?s=t

i'm rather partial to sinister, immoral, and grim.

on topic, sounds delightfully twisted. you've piqued my curiosity.

Thanks for the dictionary definition of dark, but what we're looking for is more of a personal definition.

If you play a dark-themed character, what is it about that person that makes him/her "dark," in your eyes? Is it the way your character treats other people? Is it the way your character portrays him/herself to others? Is it the kinds of hobbies your character has?

Keep in mind, a dark-themed character can be good, evil, or something in between. /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

We have uploaded a WIP file on Skyrim Nexus so that people can walk through the space and see the NPCs. The quest is not in the game yet, but we would like any feedback on the character or level design, or on anything else about the mod. The map markers are already revealed so that you can fast-travel to the Knights of the Circle Camp and the Ruins of Arkay, which are located north of Winterhold.

Search"Deathbell" on Skyrim Nexus to find our mod: WIP Tales and Tallows: Deathbell, and let us know what you think!

oh, i know what you're getting at. just a bit of word fun. I like self-loathing characters with mental features like http://www.skepdic.com/mpd.html /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

I'm looking forward to seeing the mod completed.

I agree with what you said about dark characters; they aren't necessarily evil. I haven't played any pure evil characters in a long time because they can easily become two dimensional. A character I enjoyed playing was one that would do all sorts of bad things, but with a few very specific limits, and for a particular non evil goal. They weren't unnecessarily rude and aggressive, but they were often self serving and deeply cynical of convention morality. The dichotomy between actions and purpose (the contrast between the bad things we do and the -perhaps- more noble reasons we do them) is an interesting theme to explore. Much more interesting than killing everyone for the sake of being the most evil badass around.

I think a lazy myth about evil characters is that they are all fundamentally selfish, or prone to betrayal. Every evil player character seeks ultimate power for themselves and them only, right? Hopefully you can avoid these types of stereotypes by focusing on the far more varied, deep and interesting traits that come from being dark, rather than pitch black.

The Deathbell that springs to my mind would present quests that encouraged tough ethical decisions. When asked to help smuggle an infamous criminal - perhaps a man responsible for mass murder, human experimentation, etc - out of Skyrim, would I complete my mission to the letter? Would I get him/her out, but cripple/beat them up at the border? Would I bind and torment them with unceasing nightmarish visions of their victims (<3 illusion) for the duration of the trip? Would I refuse and only work with Deathbell in the field of simple research, removed from those madmen who murder and stain the reputation of magical studies?

It's fun to think about.

Oh my, it's been too long! I just wanted to let everyone who was interested to know that Tales and Tallows: Deathbell is still in progress--and what's even better, we're releasing Chapter One of the mod on Dec. 2, 2013! I know it's taken us a long time to even get to this point, but we've managed to overcome the hurdle of scripting, and we will be able to complete the other four chapters a lot faster than this first one.

We've just started a development blog that you can find if you search for our mod on Skyrim Nexus, so be sure to check it out and follow us if you want to keep up with updates and our progress. For those of you who have been waiting on us, we really appreciate your interest and hope that our mod will make up for the long absence. We'll see you guys in about a week with an updated mod--stay tuned!

Nice necro bump. Sounds interesting, I'll be keeping an eye on this.