Cyrodiil Creatures

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Infragris
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Post by Infragris »

I think the consensus was that they were too "high fantasy" and didn't fit the style of TESIII Tamriel. Personally, I have no opinion on them. A form of marsh-light might be an interesting addition for the deep jungles, like Blackwood.

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Post by R-Zero »

High fantasy? I don't think these are more fantasy-esque than, say, minotaurs and lamias and magic star-worshipping elves. Then again, it's up to you guys. Wisps were extremely annoying in Oblivion and I'd love to meet them in your version of Cyrod too, the same way I love cliff racers.
I have a mostly finished wisp creature that only uses vanilla assets, if you're interested in a placeholder or something. It's blue and undead-y though, but that's easily fixable.

And I didn't forget about those minotaur variations, I promise I will deliver.

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Post by worsas »

I didn't like the Wisp in Oblviion, because it felt so inserted from Warcraft and not like something that really played well together with the other creatures in the game. That's just how I personally felt about it.
We have the Ice Wraith at SHOTN, which is actually a similar creature or our Welkynd Spirit, for that matter, but they are more-shaped creature than the floating sphere from Oblivion.

Honestly, I have no idea. It could work just fine and would probably even provide some exchange from the otherwise mainly animal- or undead-creatures we have otherwise.

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Post by Infragris »

By "high fantasy" I meant the whole glowing runes, floating cities, magic everywhere scene. Something like WoW or Fable, where things glow and sparkle because they're "magic", and where you know who the bad guy is because his magic missile's red instead of blue. Probably the wrong term for it, but idk. Laser fantasy? Morrowind is not wholly exempt from this, but at least reins it in mostly. An example would be the moon above Vivec: it doesn't glow or shake, isn't covered in ancient fiery symbols, there's no gfx to it. It just hangs there, as an act of god.

Minotaurs and Lamias are strange creatures, but they are clearly physical, have a history and background, and we can imagine them as "real" within the context of their environment. A wisp is just a big ball of light: where does it come from? What does it want? How does it want? Why would they only show up in Cyrodiil? etc. From a more metatextual perspective, the generic wisp caries no environmental or cultural information that helps us define the gameworld, so it's kind of a waste, from a worldbuilding perspective.

That is not to say that I am completely against the idea of a wisp-like creature. As I said, some kind of lure-light would work very well in the alien environment of Blackwood or the Marshes of Mir, near Argonia. But even then, I think it would be a more interesting creature if it had some more defined characteristics: some kind of reptilian or insectoid thing, filling a biological niche.

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Saint_Jiub
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Post by Saint_Jiub »

Could anybody with modelling experience make a male version of Antares' Gorgon? With the helmet that Melchior Dahrk made for it in his Integration mod, I think it would work as a base for an undead Tsaesci.

Image

EDIT: On the subject of will o' the wisps, they are mentioned in the 2920 series as well as being native to Cyrodiil so they're not purely an invention of Oblivion. 2920 describes them as a combo of swamp gas and spiritual energy, whatever that means.

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Post by Infragris »

That would be perfect for our snakemen. Not a fan of the helmet, though: it looks way too big for the creature. I'll have a look at it.

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Post by griff »

Yea lose the helmet and would be great as a snakewomen.

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Post by roerich »

Mad Hoosa?
"I don't know if you are kidding but I 100% support a Big Mouth Billy Bass in PC"
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Post by griff »

Yea abit of a Medusa without the snakes for hair

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Post by Saint_Jiub »

antares' original creature actually is a medusa, complete with animated snakes for hair, but it's a little too real-world Greek to fit in our world. The model will serve a much better purpose as a base for our Tsaesci, I think.

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Post by Anumaril »

Creatures of the Ayleid

Here are some initial thoughts of mine regarding creatures (still working on more designs) that might be found specifically within or nearby Ayleid ruins. I've included some explanation as to what they are and how they fit into the lore. Many of these creatures are based on my ideas for Ayleid artifacts and their functions, which can be read HERE. Some are just my thoughts concerning existing enemies, whether they've been present in other TES titles or have been suggested as original designs for PC. If you see any terms you don't recognize, just ask or shoot me a PM to explain my thoughts.

Sorcerer-Kings

Unique and infrequently found across Cyrodiil, these enemies would be and extremely difficult to defeat by the player and some I'd hope would be tied to quests and have some form of backstory to them whether it be through dialogue or lorebooks. Each Ayleid Lord's presence would be explained through unique means, as each would have a cause or reason for still existing on Tamriel. I'm hoping to expand on them, as I have some on Nilichi, and am preparing a list of existing and new lords as well as their locations as proposals for inclusion.

Welkynd Golem

Entities not natural nor intentionally created by the Ayleid, they consist of natural Welkynd Crystal that has been enchanted and 'awoken' due to escaping energy from unmaintained Varla stones. Would be rather rare, as the Varla stones seem to have maintained their energy far better than the common Welkynd.

Dark Welkynd Stones

While technically an artifact, they serve the purpose of an enemy and would have to be implemented as such (When defeated, they vaporize). Those found in ruins lacking a Great Welkynd Stone would largely be sapped of power, inactive, and serve as lootable items.

Welkynd Wisp

While studied by scholars and unknown to most, the floating sprites of light seen near and within some Ayleid ruins are escaped energy that was once infused within Welkynd stones, having been left unmaintained by a lost, destroyed, or malfunctioning Great Welkynd Stone. This escaped energy then coalesced to create small forms of pure magicka, the consciousness of which is unknown. They would be located only within and nearby ruins whose majority stones would be found empty and lifeless, and often serve to frighten away common citizens and would-be-looters. Additionally, physical attacks would be useless against them, as there is no solid form to hit.

Elven Husk

Undead Ayleids, located largely within the ruins of non-Meridian Daedra worshiping city-states; though may also be found in Necromancer or cultist inhabited ruins.

Void-Sears

Ge-Seekers of Nilichi, Ayleid shadow-spirits that may be found within ruins, still seeking places of Ge worship to purge long after the downfall of their Order.

Hollowed Wraith

Empty uniforms whose wearers abandoned them to take on another form, unknown as to what still drives them (Possibly the ancient Ayleid enchantments on the armor), but they attack any and all intruders.

[Empty sets of armor may sound dull, but imagining these bird-looking forms coming at you only to discover them as empty shells I think would be rather effective in making Ayleid ruins more strange and other-worldy]

Daedra

Any types may be used, hopefully including those not initially within Morrowind, such as Tamriel Rebuilt's Vermai or Dridrea. Daedra found would be based on the worship of the ruins' ancient inhabitants, and on what post-Ayleid activity has occurred within the remains. Aurorans would be a special case, as being the servants of one of the Ayleids' most venerated gods, they would be held in higher respect, tasked largely with defending the inner shrines of the city-states and their Great Welkynd Stones (I'd propose they only appear in city-states still holding Great Welkynd, and serve as it's guardians. Somewhat of a dungeon boss, as there'd be multiple, and each would be quite skilled). Additionally, named Daedric demi-princes might find a rare place within the ruins.

Redeemed Servants

Mortal slaves of the Ayleids and subjects of their powerful flesh-magic, their souls and memories are intact (through similar techniques as those used in Ayleid soul-mazes, but using the body as a vessel), but they've suffered so long and endured the will set upon them by their lost masters as to be no more than husks still demanded to serve their purpose. Theirs is a fate truly worse than death, their hearts still beating, their minds still racing, their flesh still feeling; a living undeath. Multiple forms may be discovered. (Details behind these creatures are largely based on my concept for Ayleid flesh-magic, a subset of their unique ability known as Shaping, which will be explained in a future text)

Keepers:

Stationary, barely-recognizable masses of altered flesh bound with the means to project destruction spells from their exposed torsos, which are faceted with Dark Welkynd Stones. Much more powerful than base stones, as the subject's soul is siphoned to enhance magickal power.

Sentinels:

Guardians of Ayleid ruins, they'd be equipped with low-tier Elven weapons and armor of ornamental design (As their purpose in most cases was more to act as decoration and ego-feeding symbol of Ayleid dominance than actual soldiers).

Envoy:

Unnaturally fast (Being bound with innate speed-enhancing spells) and with containers fused into them, these messengers would constantly flee from the player, only ever being found within the ruins whose people were intended to receive it's package. On them would often be valuable Ayleid artifacts and decipherable letters the player might take to knowledgeable scholars of Cyrodiil. (Based on the 'treasure-enemies' found within many RPGs, which I find to be a fun concept and capable of leading players into Ayleid traps and other enemies)

Tenders:

Servants who maintain the abominations of the Shapers long after the disappearance of their masters, utilizing restoration magick to maintain the creations. (Would effectively heal the generally weak Redeemed Servants, forcing players to develop tactics when fighting groups)

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Post by Infragris »

A couple of counter-thoughts:
  • Welkynd Golem: too similar to the Storm and Frost Atronach, I'd say. Normally this shouldn't be a problem, but Ayleid ruins will likely be one of the only places where we can encounter these forms of Daedra.
  • Wisps, Void-Sears: we already have the Welkynd Spirit creature filling this niche. As I've mentioned above, I'm not too fond of "pure energy" creatures.
  • Daedra: I agree on all points, except that I see the Aurorans as more common enemies, at best on the Dremora level. I also think we should be selective in the kinds of Daedra that feature in Ayleid ruins. Like other cultures, the Ayleids likely did not worship every single Prince, but had preferences. We should also think about visual style: for Vvardenfell's chaotic and disorienting ruins, a wild mishmash of monsters was a good esthetic. The same creatures would not fit in well with the refined look of the Ayleids. The Ogrim, for example, would not fit in at all, being a. ugly, and b. associated with Malacath, whom the Ayleid would never honor.
  • Elven Husks: I think these would be too much like generic undead. Many of our dungeon types already rely too much on the undead. In comparison, Morrowind was pretty subdued with the walking dead. If there's one place i would avoid them, it would be in the Ayleid ruins, seeing their connections to Meridia.
  • The Hollowed Wraiths are a good concept, but I would propose using itfor the Reman ruins instead, which are understaffed in the creature department. With even half of the creatures on this list, we would already have the variety of the Dwemer ruins.
  • Lastly, the Redeemed Servants: these are very cool, and it would be interesting to see them working together. Some of them, like the tenders, would have to be well-scripted:I don't think there's a reliable way of setting up a medic-type creature in Morrowind. One thing I would change is the visual aspect: to me, the basic appeal of the Ayleid remnants has always been that they show a beautiful facade, with the withe buildings and starlight magics, hiding a deeper corruption. As such, I would have all the Servants heavily armored, swaddled in silk and chainmail, with the fleshy abominations hidden from sight. The player would be clued in to the nature of these creatures by their animations, their bizarre proportions and shape, and places where their armor and clothes have rotted away.
I am reminded of another Ayleid concept that floated by a while ago: the Statue Guardian. these actually features in Oblivion at one point: two statues in an Ayleid ruins that came to life if you approached them. Antares made a very similar mod for Morrowind called the "Living Statues of Malacath", if I remember correctly. This would be a very cool addition, especially if we scatter normal statues around the ruins with the living ones hidden among them. Paranoia fuel.

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Post by Anumaril »

  • Welkynd Golem: I can see your point, though I will mention that most Ayleids did not recognize fire as an element, but rather, a subset of light. Regardless of the means, I'd think it'd be interesting to see the place of the fire atronach replaced with some being of light (Perhaps something already met by the Guardians? Would also make places like Ceya-Tar, home to Hadhuul the Fire King, more unique in their use of fire atronachs)
  • Daedra: Aurorans I simply see as being held to a higher regard than most other Daedra, though even just having a similar role as Dremora (Being not as common as other types of Daedra and more powerful) in vanilla Morrowind could bring this idea across.
  • Elven Husks: Not all Ayleid city-states were associated with Merid-Nunda. Working on it, but my current idea of the Ayleid pantheon is one of variance between states. White-Gold and most ruins of the Heartland and along the Niben would hold mostly true to one set of Ten Ancestors and some lesser patrons, though the pantheon of outlying city-states would be prone to alteration. Such as that of Abargarlas, a city-state that honored Mola-Gbal, or the Nilichiit I wrote about. One could definitely imagine necromancy being a practice among some non-Meridian city-states. Would serve to add more variance between the ruins, hinting at the player what the culture and faith of such places were like.
  • Hollowed Wraiths: Can certainly see this, they fit the concept of Reman-Age ruins better than they do that of Ayleid ones.
  • Redeemed Servants: This I definitely agree with you on. As I said regarding the ornamental armor, I'd imagine the Servants to play a large part in decoration as well as functionality. They'd be swaddled in silk and adorned in ornamental armor (would think something bright and reflective, some form of chainmail underneath). I'd like to see them move extremely unnaturally, though not to where they are disabled (like the Lame Corprus). One type of the enemy I definitely see providing more of a hint as to their nature would be the Keepers, the destructive force faceted in their chest having melted away some armor and surrounding flesh over Eras of defense.
Statue guardians would be a fantastic addition, I found them extremely under-used in Oblivion. They'd go far in making the ruins an unsettling experience, something I for one love in dungeons.

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Post by Infragris »

I see what you mean regarding the Ayleid husks. my problem is more in general terms: it's very easy to start using undead creatures as a baseline for different dungeon types because it's the most logical way in which setting-appropriate creature types could have been preserved. We see this all the time in fantasy RPGs. Morrowind actually averts this: the only dungeon type explicitly associated with the undead are the ancestral tombs, and there is a huge lore explanation as to why these are here, the specific forms they take, why the Dunmer are ok with this, etc. Compared to this, almost all of our current dungeon designs require some variety of undead shuffler: Colovian Tombs, Remanite ruins, Imperial crypts and fort ruins, ... At this point, it becomes important to have some places that avert the pattern.

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Post by Anumaril »

I can completely understand that, just considering methods in which we may flesh some of the individual ruins. Though simply the presence of Guardians, Redeemed Servants, or certain types of Daedra would fulfill that purpose just fine; and loot inclusion as well, such as the presence and abundance of Soul-Mazes.

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Post by R-Zero »

Infragris wrote:Compared to this, almost all of our current dungeon designs require some variety of undead shuffler: Colovian Tombs, Remanite ruins, Imperial crypts and fort ruins, ... At this point, it becomes important to have some places that avert the pattern.
Don't you guys have Goblin and Animal and Monster caves?

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Post by worsas »

R-Zero wrote:Don't you guys have Goblin and Animal and Monster caves?
Yes, but it doesn't diminish Infragris' point. If we have 4 different dungeon types with undead in them already, adding undead to certain ayleid ruins will not make them stand out very much anymore. Of course, there are always ways to make creatures special and outstanding, but generally speaking, undeads tend to be taken as granted.

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Post by R-Zero »

worsas wrote: If we have 4 different dungeon types with undead in them already, adding undead to certain ayleid ruins will not make them stand out very much anymore.
I understand, didn't disagree on that. Just wanted to clarify.
What are the types of undead in those, by the way? I mean, according to Fleshy/Fleshless/Spectral classification. Undead dungeons could be made more diverse if each undead type was found in different types of dungeons, unlike Morrowind where we have all of them together in the Tombs.

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Post by Infragris »

It's also a gameplay problem: "undead", like "daedra", is a creature category in the CS. It affects which weapons and spells influence them (detect life, turn undead, silver weapons, ...) Having too many undead around actually cheapens the game by reducing the usefulness of certain equipment and spells.

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Post by R-Zero »

Infragris wrote:It's also a gameplay problem: "undead", like "daedra", is a creature category in the CS. It affects which weapons and spells influence them (detect life, turn undead, silver weapons, ...) Having too many undead around actually cheapens the game by reducing the usefulness of certain equipment and spells.
True, but having an occasional undead creature in a dungeon mainly populated by another category of creatures is not so bad - Dwemer Ruins in the original Morrowind had a single undead creature together with Animunculi ones and it worked fine.

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Post by Infragris »

The prevalence of Daedra in Ayleid ruins already fills that role - they too have immunities to common weapons.

Continuing the discussion: I'd like to look at the Old Imperial fort ruins next. These forts date from the Reman/Potentate period, late First Era to Second Era. In Oblivion, they had no special culture or unique enemy types associated. Likewise, we do not yet have solid concepts to make these spaces unique or memorable. Possible creature concepts are:
  • Hollowed Wraiths: walking, hollow suits of armour. These are some concepts for Second Era Imperial Legion gear. I'm gonna say that these are animated by, let's say, their undying loyalty to Emperor Reman. Or something like that.
    Image
  • Akaviri Swordsmen and Bowmen: the Medusa model uses a bow by default, but, judging by the animation, it should be possible to add a sword. I hope. These would be high-level opponents encountered in the depths of these ruins. The Tsaeci are technically immortal, so it makes sense that they are still alive. Why are they here? Like the Wraiths, the Tsaeci swore an eternal oath to Reman. They were posted in these forts until further notice, but never received an order to abandon post. Now, they are trapped in their oaths to their long-dead god-emperor.

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Post by worsas »

Akaviri Swordsmen and Bowmen: the Medusa model uses a bow by default, but, judging by the animation, it should be possible to add a sword. I hope. These would be high-level opponents encountered in the depths of these ruins. The Tsaeci are technically immortal, so it makes sense that they are still alive. Why are they here? Like the Wraiths, the Tsaeci swore an eternal oath to Reman. They were posted in these forts until further notice, but never received an order to abandon post. Now, they are trapped in their oaths to their long-dead god-emperor.
It would be cool to have a spare fireplace model for these ruins. If you came across a set table or a lit fireplace, you would know that a Tsaeci must reside somewhere here. Do the snakemen shed skin? It could be interesting to find their shed scales on the ground, before you encounter one.

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Post by R-Zero »

Infragris wrote:The prevalence of Daedra in Ayleid ruins already fills that role - they too have immunities to common weapons.
Hollowed Wraiths: walking, hollow suits of armor. These are some concepts for Second Era Imperial Legion gear. I'm gonna say that these are animated by, let's say, their undying loyalty to Emperor Reman. Or something like that.
Dragonscale armor is of Akaviri origin, so I guess those Hollowed Wraith could wear it too.

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Post by vrolok »

Here are some thoughts about creatures, just my feelings for Cyrodiil

Monsters:
Nymphs - from Daggerfall, maybe slightly changed to make them less "adult". Good throw back to antique mythology, plus lore-friendly.
I would love to see them around Golden Cost, maybe even have them involved in a few quests.

Gargoyles - would be great to see them in TES III. Plus, additional lore can be added to them. How are they created, for instance?
They could be guarding tombs of Imperial nobility, serve mages or vampires. Pretty handy overall.

Imps - I personally think these are a must-have, but I am biased :D I've loved these bastards in Daggerfall. Would be cool if they were actually dangerous

Wild animals:
Giant Bats - could inhabit dungeons or be flying around at night. Abot already had bats in his "Where Are All Birds Going?", so it shouldn't be too bad.

Giant Spiders - great addition to the new Cyrodiil jungles. Slightly cliche, but always creepy, especially if spider dungeons are well-designed.

Giant Scorpions - another throw back to Daggerfall. These could probably live in Colovia and near Gold Coast, maybe other parts of Cyrodiil.

Crocodiles - once again go great with Jungle settings. Lore-friendly, but need to be modeled and animated. Kinda similar to newt (?)

Snow Wolves,Snow Bears and Snow Trolls - in the snowy mountains of Cyrodiil. Easy to implement, lore-friendly, add some diversity and challenge.

Mud Crabs - need some changes, at least a retexture and maybe slight model change. Vanilla are strongly connected to Morrowind IMHO

Crabs - in addition to Mud Crabs, model and size similar to TES IV Mud Crabs, but not aggressive. Optional, but would really increase Crab diversity ;)

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Post by Anumaril »

Vrolok wrote:Here are some thoughts about creatures, just my feelings for Cyrodiil
Don't know what everyone else's opinion (Or Province: Cyrodiil's goal) on the subject is, but I for one prefer Tamriel to be an extremely alien environment. Utilizing so many real-world or popular-myth creatures I personally would feel to be a mistake. For instance, there's mudcrabs in TES, but they (at least in Morrowind) look very different from the real-world creature. Inspiration is one thing, but to include true wolves, crocodiles, etc. I feel is just a waste when more interesting, original creatures such as the Low Laying Tantha can be included in their place. I'm interested to see what the opinion of everyone else is, if this hasn't been discussed prior to my joining.

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Post by Anumaril »

Infragris wrote:Continuing the discussion: I'd like to look at the Old Imperial fort ruins next.
I absolutely love the theme of loyalty-after-death when it comes to the Reman ruins. I'll have to throw some concepts together utilizing that idea, I think some really cool things can be done with it, including the Hollowed Wraiths.

I've always hoped to see Tsaesci within a game, and from the concepts and assets I've seen, I love the design. Your thoughts on their inclusion is great as well, following the theme of undying loyalty and making them unique in the fact they're still alive, perhaps driven insane due to the isolation. (More Below)
Worsas wrote:It would be cool to have a spare fireplace model for these ruins. If you came across a set table or a lit fireplace, you would know that a Tsaeci must reside somewhere here. Do the snakemen shed skin? It could be interesting to find their shed scales on the ground, before you encounter one.
I'd think it very interesting and important for atmosphere to indicate that the ruins have been lived-in, and considering Tsaesci are likely cold-blooded, they'd need sources of heat. As for the shedding, I don't much care for the idea of the Akaviri literally shedding their skin, but I'd love to see the whole 'culture-eating' concept utilized in the environment. Perhaps strips of material or armor pieces shed across the room, books of different languages within the area, etc.; evidence of their innate hunger for culture and the 'copycat' tendencies of the Tsaesci, only amplified to psychotic levels considering the fact they've been isolated for over an Era.

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Post by vrolok »

Anumaril wrote: Don't know what everyone else's opinion (Or Province: Cyrodiil's goal) on the subject is, but I for one prefer Tamriel to be an extremely alien environment. Utilizing so many real-world or popular-myth creatures I personally would feel to be a mistake. For instance, there's mudcrabs in TES, but they (at least in Morrowind) look very different from the real-world creature. Inspiration is one thing, but to include true wolves, crocodiles, etc. I feel is just a waste when more interesting, original creatures such as the Low Laying Tantha can be included in their place. I'm interested to see what the opinion of everyone else is, if this hasn't been discussed prior to my joining.
I can totally see your opinion here and I do agree with it, but I also think that there should be some sense of familiarity with the world. That way, the more weird and alien things feel even more alien. In original Morrowind Imperial guilds and factions serve that purpose. Cyrodiil should definitely be a wacky place with unique flora, fauna and traditions, etc. But some basis, which is familiar and established in the lore is still needed. Just to make alien things stand out even more. I simply don't want weirdness for the sake of it.

I want the world to appear pretty normal on the surface, at least more or less, but once you dig deeper you notice more and more strangeness. And not just random strangeness, but whole Empire is really not what you expect. That way is much more appealing to me, personally.

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Post by Saint_Jiub »

You're both right in a way. "Extremely alien" doesn't quite apply to Cyrodiil as it does to Morrowind, as the PGE 1st edition establishes that Morrowind is like a different world compared to the rest of Tamriel ("The traveler, upon crossing Shadowgate Pass, may be forgiven for believing that he has left Tamriel and entered a different world... The familiar flora and fauna of Tamriel is exchanged for bizarre and twisted forms that can survive the regular ashfall. ". To an extent, we do want to use tropes and forms that the player will find familiar- however, it's pretty rare that we simply utilize an existing trope "as-is"- it needs to feel like a natural part of the gameworld.

The tantha, for instance, is a wholly original creation (of the TR team, IIRC, but the point stands), but feels like a creature you could find in the real world; the minotaur, while based in real-world mythology, is closely tied to the myths and religious beliefs of the Imperial people (though I still vote for a name change to moritaur), so again fits. I've attempted to incorporate this philosophy into my own original concepts, utilizing real-world mythological creatures like griffons and cockatrices but weaving them into our lore in a way that feels more unique.

What all this means is that if you feel like a specific monster belongs in Cyrodiil, make a case for how it fits into a non-Earth environment/culture. You mentioned imps are one of your favorites- so tell us more about them! Are they mindless animals or sentient? Did they evolve naturally or were they created? Do they have a culture, primitive or otherwise? How do they factor into Imperial culture, other than being seen as a nuisance?

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Post by Infragris »

I agree with everything Saint_Jiub said except the moritaur thing I don't know it just doesn't sound right to me. The most important thing is to ground these creatures in a real world, with a real (if fantastical) ecology, and a real impact on Imperial culture. Giant scorpions and spiders have appeared from here to System Shock, there's nothing interesting about them.

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Post by vrolok »

Some thoughts about Giant Spiders and Scorpions:

I believe that these two can play well on Nibenese/Colovian dychtomy.

Spiders will be living primarily in the Nibenese region, in the Jungles. They are innate creatures of southern provinces. Often bright and flamboyant in their appearance. Similar to moths, spiders are weavers, but their nets are meant to catch prey. They could represent another side of Nibenese culture, less known to outsiders. Maybe some extreme cults even worshipping spiders, beguiled by Mephala. Giant spiders themselves will live deep inside jungles.

Scorpions will primarily inhabit Colovia and Golden Coast. They are native to Hammerfell, but local climate is suitable for them to live here. They also represent another side of Colovian culture. Simple and ruthless, they do not weave or beguile their prey, but lie in ambush and attack with deadly poison. There might be no cults worshipping scorpions, but their tactics have inspired some of the tactics used by the legion, especially when it comes to guerilla warfare.

As you may see, spiders and scorpions are both simple real-life creatures. They come from the same family and share a number of similarities. But essentially, they are different and there is always struggle between the two. Both are poisonous and deadly, yet so different in their appearance and approach. These two could only further represent the divide and struggle between East and West of Cyrodiil.

Nibenese Spider
Image
Colovian Scorpion
Image

P.S. I don't think they are necessary, but they could benefit Cyrodiil in my opinion. Not too alien, not too common. To me, both are kinda bizarre, even if they exist in real world. They are also lore-friendly and not hard to implement, so overall I would love to see them in new Cyrodiil.

But I have nothing against some even more bizarre things, like small trolls, etc. I just think that there is no need to overthink every single creature. But it's true, we should carefully consider each and every creature's role in the world and how it would be portrayed.

I am currently thinking on Imps and Gargoyles, both being creations of magic in my opinion.
Last edited by vrolok on Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

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