Acts One Snippets and General Act Layout

[Joel]

CHAPTER ONE : The Raise of Shadows
**********************************

ACT 1 : In the Mirkwood Forest, eastern Midgaard.
-------------------------------------------------

Location : A Hunter Cabal outpost located near the City of Midgaard.

A1Q1 : The Green Skins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lead to the camp by a Felar Hunter, you encouter the Community of Denarios,
a group of Hunter Scouts lead by Zen'Zenira the Elder. She asks you about your
good will and want to test you by sending you into a Orcish Hole found nearby.
You have to explore the whole hideout and eliminate any threats found.
After cleaning the Hideout of all the orcs and goblins, Zen'Zenira give you a
Skill Point.

A1Q2 : The Beast
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After gaining the trust of the Hunters scouts, you wander deeper in the Mirkwood forest
and finally found some traces of a gruesome carnage. The tracks lead you to the lair of
a terrible monster : The Ravening Beast. After slaying it, Zen'zenari ask you to explore
its lair to find out if any missing scouts have been caught by the Beast. While exploring
the lair, you find out that the beast was summoned by a group of dark druids called the
Shadow Coven. When slaying their leader, Arcturus the Mad, you recover a strange letter ...

A1Q3 : Raid on the Elven Valley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The letter is examined by Zen'Zenira that learn that a large army of orcish warriors and
goblins have head up to the Elven Valley and threaten the Holy Grove. The Grove is the magic
focus of the eastern druids of Midggard and is guarded by Yallwen, the Arch-Druidess. You
have to find the Grove and rescue Yallwen. You found Yallwen after wandering trough the forest
and the Rocky Edge. When you enter the grove, the orcs are already attacking the Arch-Druidess,
isolated into a force shield. When you free her, she teleport herself to the Hunter Camp.
Zen'zenari thanks you and reward you with some magical enhanced jewelry.

A1Q4 : The Shadows upon the World
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yallwen thanks you for the rescue but seems worried about the fate of the Grove. She learn you
that the Grove was once a Place of Power, a location where mortals could access God Kingdom and
ask us for help or advice. If such a Place falls into the hands of malevolent forces, the balance
of the universe will be destroyed. Yallwen ask you to go and find the lair of the Shadow Coven that
she suspects to be the instigator of such a disaster. You wander deeper into the forest and finnaly
found some clues about the Coven. Then you enter a ruined castle that seems to lure devils and demons.
In the caves of the castle, you found Elderitch the Unclean, the leader of the Shadow Coven that was
attempting to summon a Greater Demons for replacing the Ravening Beasts. After fighting the Demon and
Elderitch, you return to the camp. Yallwen learn the defeat of Elderitch but doesn't seem happier.
She think that in fact, the Shadow Coven was only a subterfuge to lure her far from the Grove ...
She feels that some power are being unleashed soon and so have to be countered. She send you to the
Abbey of Calinor for retrieving some ancient scrolls that will act as a counterspell if anything is
casted at the Grove. The Abbey of Calinor have been raided by the Orcs army and spoiled by scavengers.
After cleaning out the Abbey, you finally found some strange sorcerer that seek something into the Abbey
Sanctuum. The sorcerer reveal himself as the lichnee form of Elderitch that taunt you to defeat him.
Stronger than before, he's now a bigger challenge ... You finally destroy him and retrieve the Scroll
of Dimensionnal Doors that will help Yallwen to rescue the Grove.

A1Q5 : The Anvil of Lorthmill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While chatting with Fergorn, the dwarven smith of the camp, he talk you about the existence of a long
lost Anvil that was used by Heroes to create powerful weapons. Even if he knows that it's maybe only
a tales, he ask you to seek for this artifact and bring it back to him. The Anvil si actually lost in
the mountain of ...., in the 2nd chapter. So before Fergorn could grab it you'll have to wander a bit
more After compelting this quest, Fergorn will smith one of your gears into a Heroic Item.

A1Q6 : Facing the Devil
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the power of the deciphered Scroll of Dimensionnal Doors, Yallwen and Zen'Zenari send you back to
the Grove. There you learn that some members of the Shadow Coven have already open a passage to the
Prison of Hate wher lies Azretoth, the Avatar of Fear. By using the various Focus and the Scroll of DD,
you open a door to the Prison where you found some of the strongest Coven sorcerer trying to awake
Azretoth. You finally have to descend into the Prison and slay the Avatar while it's in an asleep form.

Act Conclusion :
----------------

The defeat of the Shadow Coven and the death of Azretoth is a welcome victory but both Zen'Zenari
and Yallwen fear that a greater power could be at work. They thank you and ask you to go to the city
of New Thalos where you could find more help. After leaving, you're heading to the Eastern city of
New Thalos.

[DDDiablo]

Great Story! Keep up the gooooooooooooooooddddddddd work.

I do expect this mod to be a great one. However, you'll find competetion from D2:Black, CryptForge, Apocolypes and others.

I will be eagerly waiting to test this one out once it's done. Go Joel!

[Mathiu Silverburg]

*again searching for his dropped jaw*

I can only hope, that your imagination won't be having a vacation in near future... perfectly done Joel!

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Joel]

Some more spoiler ???
here's the final Act Layout as I hope to be able to finish it :

Code: Select all

Chapter 1:
Act   Name                             Act Boss
A1    Mirkwood Forest	               Azretoth
A2    New Thalos	                    The Fallen Guardian
A3    The Wastelands	                Og'Bor'Gor the Green
A4    The Underworld	                The Balrog
A5    Mount Doom	                    Lord Krogthar

Chapter 2 :
Act   Name                             Act Boss
A6    Freeport	                      Redbeard Scaredeyes
A7    Drakyry Islands                  Lady Jennira Watcherlane
A8    Sigil - The Mortuary             The Executionner
A9    Sigil - The Temple of Sorrows	 Yledania, Princess of Torture
A10   Sigil - The Upper Layer	       Hezron

Chapter 3:
Act   Name                             Act Boss
A11   The Plains of Azrith	           The World Worm
A12   Ruined Gerighelm	              The Fallen Protector
A13   Isles of the Pirate Lords	     Pele, Avatar of Fire
A14   Underdark	                     The Lloth Matriarch
A15   Westlands	                     Drakenraal

Well some area lakes name and/or boss ...
But that's the plan.

EDIT : corrected a typo, Thank Mathius

EDIT2 : for info, betwwen Chapter 1 & 2, you travel back in time to find some artifacts that will help you to slay Drakenraal. BUT in Act 7, a curse launched by Lady Jennira force you to commit suicide and be raised into the Mortuary of Sigil... Then you have to escape from here and return to the real world.

[Mathiu Silverburg]

Sorry for correcting you, but the Spider Goddess of Underdark is Lolth, not Loth.

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Brother Laz]

Lloth.

[Mathiu Silverburg]

Brother Laz, your post made me check the spelling of the name of Spider Goddess of Underdark, so I look at the index in the Shadowdale rulebook.
It's what I've found:

Lolth ( Lloth)

It seems that we both were correct

- Mathiu Silverburg[/u]

[Joel]

so, let's call her Llolth ??

[Mathiu Silverburg]

IMO better use one of the original spelling of her name. Use either mine or Brother Laz'a spelling.

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Joel]

I was joking, ... welll in fact Avatar of LOLth could be annoying isn't it

Thanks for the correction both of you

[Mathiu Silverburg]

Yeah Avatar of Lolth could be misunderstood by sb who haven't played ad&d before. So, let's stay with Lloth.



- Mathiu Silverburg

[Mathiu Silverburg]

I've got a question: in your french topic I've found sth called "Claws of Nupraptor"... tell me if I'm wrong but have you based this name on legacy of kain?

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Joel]

.... Legacy of ??? I don't know it ?

But i've maybe heard the name form somewhere else and just remember it

[Joel]

Act II - New Thalos : Ancient Foes
----------------------------------------

After leaving the Mirkwood forest, Jel'ral leads you to the Doors of New Thalos. There, yous stop into a merchand camp. No one is allowed to neter New Thalos for now. Ibrahim Shaim, leader of the New Thalos Cityguard and his men are guarding the Doors, preventing people to come out or in. Rumours of a strange disease begin to spread in the camp when you finally encounter Elminster The Mage. Elminster have been send to New Thalos to investigate this situation.

A2Q1 : The Black Plague :
Confronted to the refusal of Ibrahim to let you enter New Thalos,Elminster send you in the Water Supply of New Thalos to find out some clues. He thinks that something or someone has poisoned the water that come to the city. Deep in the sewers you finally found a pack of demonlike creatures that pour a strange liquid into the water tank.
After killing them, you return to Elminster with a bunch of this mixture.

A2Q2 : Hope for Miracle :
Elminster finally discover what the 'poison' is. it seems to be a mix of various poison once used by the Sez'Hazak murderer. Elminster wonders how such a substance has fall into the hands of these creatures. He send you back to the Sewers and ask you to find more evidence about this story. As you go deeper and deeper, more demons you found, each uglier than the other. In the very end of the Sewers, you encounter a Lesser Tan'Ari, a serpent demoness, that seems to lead the hordes of foulish creatures you have encountered. After being slaid, the Tan'Ari let a curious crystal drop ... By examining the crystal, Elminster finally found a remedy for the disease.

A2Q3 : When darkness falls :
At the time you return from the Sewers with your newly found clues & remedy, a strange darkness fell upon the city. Elminster think that's the cause of this phenomenon is an Invader spell. maybe some of them are lurking around and must be slayed. Send trought the desert, you finally found a ruined temple where a small group of Invader Nephilims have cast the spell. Breaking their magic circles stop the darkness and reveal a strange secret ...

A2Q4 : The Enely within :
New Thalos was once an Sez'Hazak headquarter, back to the time of the Great Wars. Destroyed by the armies of the Light, the Sez'hazak leaved but they have let a huge amount of magical devices and knowledge just under the city's fundations. After some discussions with Ibrahim, he let you enter the city to pour the antidote into the central water displaying system which is located behind the Town Hall. On your way, you found an ancient secret passage, close dby the Sez'Hazak during their flee. Following the passage, you enter into a mystic labyrinth guarded by a strange creature : Korrok.

A2Q5 : The Tomb :
The death of Korrok lead you to a small chamber where lies an ancient tomb. By reading it, you learn that a Greater Fomosian has been imprisoned by the Sez'Hazak in a mystic prison. They were trying to enslave it but failed and let it here, forgotten by everyone. The mere presence of the Fomosian is maybe the key to the presence of Invaders in New Thalos. They probably want to free the Fomosian and use it as a weapon.Elminster decide to send you to the prison of the Fomosian and ask you to defeat it.

A2Q6 : The Prisonner :
The Fomosian is imprissoned into a peculiar kind of prison. Located in some extraplanar desertic location, the prison is an unholy citadel build in the rocks. Using some artifact you found in the Korrok Tomb, you open a passage to the Fomosian custody.

Epilogue :
The death of the Greater Fomosian and the mere presence of the Invader such close to the civilize dland is a bad omen for Elminster.
He decides to follow you trough the land to find who is currently leading all this stuff. Elminster thinks about an old enemy of him :
Lord Krogthar who is ruling the Mount Doom Realms far on the west. You go back with Gal'Tyr, another rakashaan trader that will lead you
to the far west of Midgaard.

[Mathiu Silverburg]

Wow! bravo Joel!

and in Legacy of Kain there was a fortress called Nupraptor's Skull - from the name of it's owner.

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Rhonlore]

Legacy of kain eh... Only played Soul Reaver... anywho thats OT

I've been silently watching this MOD, and you clearly have outdone yourself Joel, good luck, and keep up with the good work

LOVE UR ACTS SO FAR WOOOOOOO!!!!!!

[Joel]

Act III - The Wastelands :
------------------------------

The trip with the Gal'Tyr caravans ends up at the border of a gigantic marsh : the Wastelands.
Known for being a dangerous place,
the Wastelands are relatively isolated from the rest of the realms. But your
fate is to cross them to reach the Mount Doom.
Gal'Tyr leave you at the 'Green Tarask', an ancient traveler outpost which
has been converted into a armored guarding post
to prevent the monsters from the Wastelands to come into the Realms.

A3Q1 : Elminster explains you what was the Wasteland before the cataclysm.
It was a gorgeous jungle of beautiful trees and animals.
Now, it's just a big marsh covered by dangerous mist. He thinks that an
ancient road leading to Mount Doom must lie somewhere in there.
He does send you to explore the near marsh to see if you can find some
clues. There you find some remains of a camp and a strange chest ...
Once opened by Gal'Tyr and its precious thief skills, it reveals a map.
Elminster tried to decipher the map but failed ... He asks
you to explore the jungle deeper to find some more clues.

A3Q2 : Allashya, the camp matriarch ask you to try to find his lost Son,
Reginald, that was lost in the deep Myst of the Wastelands.
Halas, you only found it's body, half-eaten by a pack of Ghoul ... Dying of
despair, Allashya make a funeral burning and enter mourning.
She gives you one of the favorite item or Reginald.

A3Q3 : You finally found a strange scroll in a cave. This scroll helps
Elmnster to decipher the map. The map was drawn by a renegade drow
ranger that once try to find the road to Mount Doom. He failed but found out
that a new race of monsters, half orc half troll, are roaming
the lands and have build a pagan temple on the ruins of an elvish city. He
speak of a strange relics that once activated can open
a portal to a location near Mount Doom. This relics, the Sextan of Poriatus,
was once broken and dispersed into the wastelands. Elminster
ask you to find it in order to go to Mt Doom faster.

A3Q4 : During your trip in the mists, you finally encounter Dritzz, the Drow
Ranger and its Shadow Panther !! The duel is hard but rewarding
Dritzz magically flees but let a backpack on the floor. Once opened, it
reveals a nice item and a part of the Sextan!

A3Q5 : Once the Sextan is completed, it show you the way to follow to enter
the Temple of the Trolloc. Finally rushing trought the elvish
ruins, you found the entrance of a awful temple : The Teple of Or'bor'orkg.
Fighting against various abomination, you finally enter the
Temple.

A3Q6 : In the temple, the various horrors you encounter are unbearable.
Various hideous mutants monster or demonic abomination are
being breed here by an hidden force ... Finally, you encounter Or'Bor'Orkg
an gigantic monster half-human half-demon that is the
sources of all this abomination. He guard a portal and when defeated, you
jump into it ...

[Mathiu Silverburg]

Nice work Joel, you've got good ideas for the plot. Have you ever thought of giving up programming and start bookwriting?

One more thing: as I can see you have some basis in d&d, does Or'Bor'Orkg also came from there? I'm just wondering what type of monster it could be...

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Brother Laz]

Silver: don't give him that kind of ideas until Cabal Wars is finished, dammit!

(Isn't it Drizzt, if you mean the good drow/Batman clone?)

[Joel]

[quote="Mathiu Silverburg";p="72162"]Nice work Joel, you've got good ideas for the plot. Have you ever thought of giving up programming and start bookwriting?
[/quote]

Yep, I thought of that ... I got some sci-fi novels under my desk that no one has still read.

[quote="Mathiu Silverburg";p="72162"]
One more thing: as I can see you have some basis in d&d, does Or'Bor'Orkg also came from there? I'm just wondering what type of monster it could be...[/quote]

Or'Bor'Orkg is just a name I dropped ... "He" look like an ettin, but hal human half demon.

[quote="Brother Laz";p="72298"]Silver: don't give him that kind of ideas until Cabal Wars is finished, dammit!
[/quote]

hehe ...

[quote="Brother Laz";p="72298"]
(Isn't it Drizzt, if you mean the good drow/Batman clone?)[/quote]

... Ok, must take an ortograph lessons here. Well Drizz is alway sbetter then the Evil LOL-th godess

[Joel]

Well, just a nice idea I've kept but well ...
As you see the current quest layout is somewhat similar to the
original one :
get tadada, go there, kill bob and so on ...

I was thinking to shorten the quetss required to go on the next act.
Say only having 3 or 4 such Story-related quest. And using the remaining to make additonal, side quest for higher lvl player.

Take Act 1 for instance, If I keep only the A1Q1,A1Q2,A1Q3 and A1Q6 quests as story quests and use the two others as side quest that get triggered ONLY by a high lvl player. For example having the Cursed Tower full of lvl 50+ monsters etc ...

Maybe it will be more fun ? Giving a sense to have high lvl player going back to earlier act??

[Mathiu Silverburg]

[quote="Joel";p="72330"]
Maybe it will be more fun ? Giving a sense to have high lvl player going back to earlier act??
[/quote]

Yes, I think optional side-quests are great idea. Doing quests in way 1-2-3-4-5-6-... could be kinda boring after some time, so if I had to choose I'll vote for side quests ( besides sidequests all always fun is ALL games ).

Have you noticed that we only discuss about ortography, when talking about drows? ( maybe a little elven sabotage... )?

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Joel]

[quote="Mathiu Silverburg";p="72344"]Yes, I think optional side-quests are great idea. Doing quests in way 1-2-3-4-5-6-... could be kinda boring after some time, so if I had to choose I'll vote for side quests ( besides sidequests all always fun is ALL games ).
[/quote]

Ok, I'll see what I can do with the current three acts ...
Obviously the Act 4-8-12 will be Story related only ...

[quote="Mathiu Silverburg";p="72344"]
Have you noticed that we only discuss about ortography, when talking about drows? ( maybe a little elven sabotage... )?
[/quote]

Thos epesky pointed ears .... Will Moradin crsuh them to oblivion !!

[Mathiu Silverburg]

I don't ask you to make most of the quests optional, but a few sid ones would be a nice change.

About the elves... have you look at elf's face from homm4 precisely? Have you noticed the facts that one-half of their face is man and the other women ( left - right comparison ). Imo it makes them suspisious...
( hope nobody it gonna take his note personally ).

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Aedeon]

Side quests! Yes! maybe you could make it so that when you came back with a higher level character the people in the town said different things to you, changed the dialog when you come back through. And people on acts your currently on can add that you might want to go back and check such and such town when you reach a certain level, or some sort of more sutle clues when your ready.