Memory Books

[raggidman]

I had been thinking that in Black Marshes normal books as in game objects would be one of the most valuable and expensive objects because the climate, plant spores and insects would be very hazardous to their continued health.

But if there are Power Crystals in Oblivion, there might be memory crystals in Black Marshes... which might be used as books. And wouldn't those Imperials just love to get their hands on them?

I did suggest to the Vvardenfell team in a thread about their Main Quest that certain important messages might be presented in the form of Dream Crystals - maybe the origin of these is in BM - and now that Morrowind has banned slavery...


Most important, even if the natives rarely use books, developers need them!

[KuKulzA]

well... oral histories and the Hist help keep track of things...
but memory crystals? ...hmm....


I have an idea... Argonians sometimes use unborn egss as soul gems, which probably infuses the spirit of the unborn hatchling with the soul of the defeated creature... but whatever

what if one tribe of Argonians uses unborn hatchlings to retain memories? like they put the egg to their head and with a complex ritual are able to completely transfer their memories to the hatchling who is kept in a [dormant, forever unhatched, and not really dead but not alive] state?

[raggidman]

uuurgh, gooey...

well I was thinking that there would have to be some kind of organic source, but I had thought about the Hist Trees - why are they worshipped?

If they produce memory crystals or dream crystals, then the Imperial Invaders might well have been misled about the nature of the link between the Hist and Argonians. The Argonians might be meditating rather than worshipping when seen by Imperials who had not been attuned to the crystals, or for obvious reasons told about them.

This offers a new option for a skill - meditation.

I will actually be very brave perfessor, and suggest that I still favor this 'Hist' option though it may be useful to hold the thought of the eggs too. I do not know the lore about the eggs and soul gems, but using unborn hatchlings as memory banks might be going a bit too far into yukkiness for such a vivid game as the Elder Scrolls is, thus turning some away from Argonians as a playable race?

[Remux Dreadfire]

What about they usethe fruit from the hist tree? Maybe the his trees fruit is crystals?

[KuKulzA]

I thought Hist tree's held it inside them....?
they are afterall very spiritual, magical, and sentient

[Remux Dreadfire]

What do you mean Kulkuza?

[SwedishFish]

I think oral histories are fine. There are entire African societies that retain their history this way. This crystal thing may complicate stuff.

[Remux Dreadfire]

I just mean't theyu use Hist tree fruit for soul gems

[raggidman]

KK and Remux: It could be that the Argonians sitting around a Hist Tree are sending their thoughts to it, and the tree takes in the thought and stores it in its fruit.

Swedish Fish: Oral traditions are fine, but then for books you have to have a teller for each storey - so do you fill up your backpack with each storyteller you meet, and take one out every time you want to hear a storey? :confused:

As Elder Scrolls are so very lore-oriented I cannot see any other alternative but to take the Lore with you and assemble it in a convenient location. You would not want to have to go find a moving NPC who might go from one side of th eProvince to the other in his travels every time you wanted to check up on a fact would you?

Admitted there are people who only want to hack and slash = the natural warriors of gaming, but there are so very many for whom the Lore is essential...

As stated books would have to be very well protected, but surely an Argonian/BM solution would be very powerful in role-playing immersability terms.

What would be important is getting the Lore behind it into a form that is satisfactory for all...

[KuKulzA]

though I think books should be non-existant outside of cities... you wanna learn lore? better be nice to village wisemen