[Quest] Joining the Morag Tong

[Ibsen's Ghost]

@Seniosh - As stated initially, I could easily rewrite the diary so that it featured major characters from the chosen area (Steadhelm, Soluthis, whatever) so that's not a problem at all. However, it would be nice to have some tension between the traditionalist houses and the Imperialised ones. In which case, we could keep all the links with Cyrodiil intact and have Dermaine as an Imperial outcast who now resides in Morrowind and secretly assists Helseth's men from time to time. The traditionalists might want him killed and Helseth's plans / reputation damaged.

Dermaine is an entirely new NPC with no quests attached.

How would this factor into what's already planned? Well, I still haven't even had time to read through the MT quest ideas because I'm in the process of repairing my PC setup and installing a new graphics card but these were just ideas for possible writs. They are probably more in-depth than what you were expecting because they form part of an earlier idea for a story arc. I'm just hoping you can make something of them.

However, if you just think they muddy the waters of the MT quests and get in the way so they're liable to just confuse the player then no problem, but I'm sure it can be done.

@Bob -

...it is required that the Assasin report to the nearest guard and show proof of the writ...

Well, there's a ready-made implementation of that idea here in having the player hand over the diary.

@Seniosh -

...It spoke of "grey writs", but never described what exactly would cause a writ to stop being legal...

Hence the idea for an 'intercessor' that could intervene and suggest a course of action if events were to alter after the time that an initial decision had been made. These are things that would significantly affect the decision to verify the writ in the first place. It would make sense to have a more detached, ethereal power mediating on such matters especially as it distances Helseth from the matter of actually sanctioning or speaking to the MT but nonetheless maintains the MT's credibility. In other words, there are good reasons for these two forces to be separate and opposed but they might occasionally be forced into parley of some sort for the good of them both or for the good of MW as a whole.

Edit - I thought you might like to take a look at this diary so I attached it here. It's untouched since it's original form and therefore contains some gobbledigook names for days as I didn't know what the Cyrodiil calendar was at the time.

[Seniosh]

Ahh, see because you had all these already planned out, i assumed that there was some other quest being built around them.

I think i was getting confused with your Diary of a Redguard Necromancer. If he's an entirely new NPC (has he even been created yet?) We could certainly try to make a two-writ subplot or something of the like.

The idea of warring houses is always applicable in Morrowind, so the ideas will definitely show up in some form or other. Still not quite sure on the role of an intercessor between the Morag Tong and Helseth though. If he needed somebody assassinated he'd probably use the Dark Brotherhood, and then just deny all connections, instead of going through a more legal, and therefore traceable route.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Yes, I did have another quest built around it originally but I think this should work fine on its own.

It's funny you mention Anaster because I recently got a PM from brucevayne, who is basically the technical brains behind the project, saying that he was waiting for me to send some kind of .esp from ST which he could then implement into the game. Meanwhile, I was waiting for the basic sound set that could be used as a companion set in-game. Due to his lack of expertise with the language and my own lack of technical expertise, we misunderstood each other. Needless to say we should now see some results. Hopefully, I can then integrate Anaster into one or more of the continuous quests. My suggestion is to have a small degree of interactivity here, whereby if the player has Anaster as a companion, he can then use him to comment on and assist with the game. For this quest, for example, he might have something to offer on the subject of Dermaine's zombie state, in consideration of his voodoo practices. But I digress......I hope that Dermaine could be skinned and created or just renamed from an existing character.

On the subject of the intercessor, I am assuming that, at some point in history, the Morag Tong enjoyed a higher position of status with the government. The Dunmer appear to be moving further away from being the vassals of godlike powers and more independent as a nation and as a people. That makes sense as a civilisation. However, despite their immediate needs and desires, there may exist these 'grey writs' that are both subject to change and debatable as a matter of ethics. Therefore there may exist those rare occasions when old alliances and past dealings become momentarily revived (such as those with the MT). The government would then need some way of seeking guidance. The intercessor would represent that link with their past that they may be reluctant to deal with but who nonetheless holds the key to solving whatever unusual bind they find themselves in. If Dermaine is a House member then this hearkens back to an earlier time that formed the foundations of their civilisation. The intercessor is not a practical solution. It's an ideological one.