Possible beginnings
A letter is given to the player by a family member or trusted servant.
The letter explains the quest.
Problems
Must make sure the player talks to this person. Must have
dialog options that tell the player that x wants to talk to them.
To be sure to talk to x before leaving town.
The player finds a doorway near their town.
Possible reasons for appearing could be that the Horn of Valer is found
and this triggered another event set up by the Aes Sedai.
Problems
How to make sure the player goes there and finds this door.
Could be part of the quests given by someone we know the player will
talk to and take a quest. Might be better to have the door appear
as soon as the player leaves town. Once they get x length away
from town and/or they take the journey that will get them out of town.
Or the place of the doorway could be given by the family member or
servant. Say the player is the oldest/youngest son/daughter of the
x generation or the signs in the sky of the battle or somewhat tell them
that they must send the player to the location of direst need.
All players find the same doorway in their travels.
Problems
This is harder to make happen since we can't force the player to take
any particular quests. Ways of doing this are having a person in a
particular town find them and tell them to go to the place. Maybe
have the event possible in several locations depending on the starting
point of the player.
Could be another quest such as the horn of valer that rumors talk
about. Only the "right" hero would find the door. The player
can find it since they are the "right" person because of ancestry.
Storyline - summary
Prior to the breaking of the world the Amerlyn Seat gave each of 13 members
of her most trusted staff a key. All of the keys are needed to open a
cache where weapons are stored. The weapons are not to help rebuild the
world but to help in the next fight with the Dark One. The
holders of the keys are told they must pass the key down through the
generations. When the time comes that they key will be needed the holders
must find each other and open the cache. The cache is protected by magic
shields which the keys will bring down.
About the keys
The keys are all quendiar and unbreakable. They do not look like
keys but other things like carved animals and such. The look of the
key will give a clue to the type of shield.
About the shields
In truth, not all of the keys are needed to bring down all of the
shields. It is not worked out yet how many of the keys can be
circumvented by deeds or puzzles.
- One or two of the shields were brought down already by robbers
trying to break in.
- One or more of the shields can be brought down by spells that the
player can learn.
- One or more can be brought down by fighting a boss.
- One or more by solving a puzzle.
- One or more of the shields is damaged and the key only partially
works - bringing down part of the shield but then trapping the player
and forcing them to complete the puzzle/fight/etc.
- One or more of the keys will not work and the player must bring down
the shield in some other manner such as fighting boss monsters or
working out a maze or puzzle.
Exactly what the shields are is not yet worked out. I assume there
will be ones made of the different elements of fire, spirit, earth, etc.
Whether that means a fire monster or wall of fire or rain of fire is not yet
clear. I think after the new game is released we can find good ideas
for this.
Bringing down the shields without the keys should be balanced with the
amount of work it takes to get the shields. This is to keep the
gameplay on the main quest about even. If the player wants try to do
it without the keys, they can, although there should be only a few clues
that this is possible.
About the key holders
The player must also use the other owners of the keys to help them or
they might have to kill them to get the keys. What the player will do
will depend on the alignment of the key holders, the race of the key
holders, the alignment of the player, etc.
This will also depend on the buddy system of the new engine. If it
is good, then creating a party of some of the key holders would be a good
option. If not, then all the keys must be given to the player or
stolen or taken from the owners. Forcing the player to drag around
other characters can become tedious especially since we cannot predict when
the player will pick up characters suitable. They could be the first
holder found or the last. Gameplay should be fun and not tedious.
About the cache
The player must also learn how to find the cache. This should be
able to be accomplished after obtaining a few keys in case the player wants
to open the cache without the keys.
I have not worked this out. Maybe something in the original
message. Maybe you have to have at least 4 other keys and their
original messages to figure out the location.
Storyline - details
Message from the family member
- dialog that indicates how long it took the player to finally come to
the family member. Length of time will change dialog to be annoyed and
not sure whether you are the right one.
-after family member has determined to entrust you...may take convincing
if really annoyed.
The following may change a little with each race. Parts of this
will be found in asking certain dialog questions.
"I have kept this secret all my life and now am entrusting it to you.
I was going to wait longer until you had proved yourself more but there
is no time. Here. Take this. It is a key. <take
the key>
Topic: What is this key?
This key was given to me by my father some years before he died.
It is supposed to open a secret that has been hidden since the breaking
of the world. I do not know what it opens. I only know that
whatever it is will be needed to fight the last battle. Whatever
is found must be given to the Dragon Reborn for it is he who will fight
that battle.
I am not the only one with a key. Thirteen others were given
one.
Topic: how does it work?
All of the holders of this key have watched it, waiting and hoping
it would never begin to glow because that meant the last battle was soon
to come. That they would have to go or find another to go on a
dangerous journey from which they may never come back.
See how it glows differently when you turn towards different
directions? The brightest glow is the direction you must go.
There you will find another holder. The closest one I was told.
Topic: key holders
You must go and find the other other holder and the key. There
are twelve others who hold a key. You should join and seek the
remaining keys. If you can join others. Some of the keys may
have been lost or the holder forgotten its purpose. However you
find the situation you must get all the keys, find what they open, and
take what you find to the Dragon Reborn.
Topic: help with journey
You must be very careful in who you chose to come along with your.
I I am sorry I must send you out on your own. If I could I
would send an army with you. But this must be done in secret.
The less people who know, the less chance the enemy can find out and try
to take this. Whatever this weapon is it must stay on our side.
Topic: ending dialog
It is time you forget childish things. This is the most
important thing you will ever do. I have a few more things to give
you that can help you. .....additional dialog on who to see to get
some provisions and money.
The vision or letter shows the following, a message from the current Amirlyn
Seat.
"There is not much time left before the destruction will be everywhere.
Before it gets here I must pass on this information. You thirteen are most
trusted of my aides. To others I have given means to help preserve lives
and our way of life. To others I have given means to help rebuild.
To you I am giving the means to fight the next battle. The Wheel turns and
ages come and go. Everything will be forgotten excepts scraps from one age
to another. This battle will come again and I cannot let that battle go
without some of the knowledge we have today. Without some of the weapons
we have to fight against it.
It is the smallest of preserves. Most must go to fighting now and
rebuilding now and preserving now.
I do not know what will become of you in the times to come. I hope that
peace will be upon the land when the next battle is fought. I can only
give you this small help for our children.
Here are thirteen keys; one for each of you. Together they will open a
cache of weapons. You are each entrusted to pass down the keys and the
information so that when the battle is foreseen the weapons can be found.
The keys and the weapons must not fall into enemy hands. You must be
careful to whom you entrust this knowledge.
When a time comes that the battle is near upon us the holder of the keys must
appoint someone or go themselves to find the others and open the cache.
Many, many years will pass before this happens. You are probably wondering
how your descendents will find each other. I have spelled each terangreal
with a spell that will point you in the direction of the nearest key. This
directional will get stronger as you get closer to the key.
|