This will be primarily an unmarked quest - this claim is for implementing the dialogue and scripting.
The situation: Ekil the Severed (formerly Ekil Knot-Tongue) was a Clever-Man in the service of King Gurm the Steadfast (r. 2E480-489), known for his wit and love of riddles. He wagered his neck in the king’s riddle contest, boasting that his head was all he ever needed, but lost when a mysterious stranger was able to solve his impossible conundrum. King Gurm was obliged to honour Ekil’s wager and take his neck, but kept the head and installed it to protect the treasure chamber of his barrow. Ekil’s lot is now to challenge grave robbers and other intruders to a contest of wits, guarding his king’s wealth and awaiting the end of the kalpa. However, he has never forgotten the mysterious stranger who solved his impossible riddle and cost him his life, and may appreciate the player solving that particular mystery as well.
Based on a rumour, note, or their own exploration, the player will encounter Ekil's head in what is currently Barrow_99, located at -111, 20. The head will be an activator that initiates dialogue with a creature (not NPC) hidden in the cell that serves as Ekil's disembodied voice. Ekil will explain his role as guardian of the barrow and challenge the player to a riddle contest, with three consecutive correct answers leading to a wall sliding down and access to King Gurm's treasure. A wrong answer will forfeit the contest, and the player cannot open the wall. However, before Ekil will ask any of the riddles he insists on the player filling his goblet (and has unique dialogue for different alcohol types).
Implementing this riddle contest is the priority. Once it is, there is a plan to introduce a full quest where Ekil charges the player with uncovering the identity of the mysterious stranger who solved his impossible riddle. More to come on this.
Dialogue to implement is in the first comment below. Locked until dialogue is written and interior is merged with section file.
Druadach Highlands Quest: Head in the Game [Tristior]
Dialogue and other text
Rumour - heard from a particular clever-man. Alerts player to Ekil's location.
Ekil's initial dialogue
Ekil's first greeting
Gurm the Steadfast:
Ekil's riddles
First Riddle and will let the player proceed to the next riddle with the following dialogue:
However, Ekil will gleefully accept as correct as well, and let the player proceed with the following dialogue:
An incorrect answer and Ekil replies:
Second riddle and will let the player proceed to the final riddle with the following dialogue:
* This option will only fire if the player has met Uncle Sweetshare/finished "The Moon Sugar Mystery" (BM_MoonSugar). Ekil will respond: and Ekil will gleefully respond:
An incorrect answer and Ekil replies:
Ekil's impossible riddle
If the player successfully completes the riddle contest, Ekil will greet them with some new dialogue:
If "No", Ekil replies:
Ekil's impossible riddle
Rumour - heard from a particular clever-man. Alerts player to Ekil's location.
Ekil's initial dialogue
Ekil's first greeting
Ekil's subsequent greetingWho dares intrude upon the tomb of King Gurm the Steadfast, who is blessed in the eyes of Kyne and Mara alike? In your quest for plunder, unworthy thief, you will find only the punishment our wise ruler has left behind for such as you.
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Which is to say, can I interest you in a riddle contest? You're under no obligation, of course, but it would break up the tedium and I'd be ever so appreciative. We'd both get something out of it, I suspect.
Ekil's post-contest greetingStill there, thief? How about that riddle contest?
TopicsAh, the witty thief again.
Gurm the Steadfast:
Riddle contest: (first time)The king I loyally served until he cut my head off and mounted it down where you find me now. But it's not his fault -- I did rather force his hand. A matter of honour, you see.
Riddle contest: (after first time)There was once a time when I was the foremost riddle-smith amongst the royal courts of Skyrim. But then I went and wagered my neck on what I thought was an impossible riddle, only to lose the contest and my head.
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So now I wait down here, at my king's pleasure, and guard his mighty hoard. Shall we riddle? I'll give you three and if you answer all correctly you'll have earned the respect and admiration of one of Skyrim's greatest minds.
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And if you fail any of them, well… you fail. No more chances. Usually I would unleash some of Gurm's most eternally-loyal on you, but one sees a lot of grave-robbers in a millennium and I've honestly run out. So instead you just fail.
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What do you say? Shall we commence?
The player's responses to either "riddle contest" are:How about now? Ready to try your wits against an empty, dried-out skull? Ha!
Ekil will respond to "Sure." with:
- Sure.
- Not right now, no.
The topic "riddle contest" changes to:Wonderful, simply wonderful. But listen. I've never entered a contest of wits sober and I have no intention of starting now. Would you fill my goblet there? I'm not fussy, and I'm sure Gurm still has alcohol lying around here.
Ekil will respond to "Not right now, no." with:Quickly, fill my goblet and we'll begin!
Riddle contest: (if the player has lost)No? Well, that's fine. I'll be here if you change your mind.
Riddle contest: (if the player has won)Rather fun, aren't they? But that's all you get.
Impossible riddle:Rather fun, aren't they? Meet me here next century and we'll do it again.
Ekil's responses to different beveragesIt remains inconceivable that my greatest work could have been deciphered so quickly, and yet I am forced to accept that it happened. Oh, did you want to hear it? Too bad, I'm afraid -- I didn't literally throw my life away on a masterpiece just to offer it up to any %PCRace looter who wanders through.
Ekil's riddles
First Riddle
Player responses - rather than list all possible responses, the player will be met with three choices of category (creature, object or abstract). Selecting each will bring up its possible answers. The player should have the option to go back and pick another category.Enthroned upon a mighty seat
Proud astride the finest furs
With gimlet eye he does survey
Those who kneel before him
I speak not of some bodily whole
But solely that which rests on high
One chance in two to gaze upon
Whenever good folk cast their gold
The correct answer is“Let’s see… a creature of some sort…”“It’s definitely an object. But what?”
- Your old king! Gurm the Steadfast, was it?
- I’ll say… the humblest farmer.
- Shor, of course!
- A bear. That ate a tax collector.
“It has to be something abstract. Like…”
- A castle, on a hill!
- A stalk of corn, freshly planted.
- The king’s… head?
- Uhh, is it… you know, a man’s…?
- Power. Definitely power.
- Greed, right?
- Ambition.
- Fear, of course.
Spoiler
"The king's... head?"
Spoiler
Very good! Whether on coins or a fat royal body, we do see a lot of kings' heads, don't we?
Spoiler
"Uhh, is it… you know, a man’s…?"
Spoiler
Ha ha! A man's what? You wouldn't mean his slippery slaughterfish, would you? The mighty bear that quivers beneath his trousers? The part of me I miss least, honestly. But yes, very good. I would also have accepted "king's head", though I'm glad to meet someone who can read a little fun into words.
Although the player can still talk to him, they cannot initiate the riddle contest again.Absolutely not! Gods, my first riddle contest in centuries and you manage to lose immediately? Get out!
Second riddle
Player responsesArms outstretched I do embrace
The sun throughout the day
Dancing to a whistling tune
I chew on uncooked food
But loved am I by hungry folk
For sharing my unmelting snow
The correct answer is“This time it’s a creature.”“It’s an object again.”
- A mad hermit.
- The Emperor, I’d say.
- A wandering bard!
- A fish, swimming in a river.
- Uncle Sweetshare, who is coming near, to spread his candy and his cheer?*
“Abstract. Very abstract.”
- The Mage. As in, the constellation.
- A mill, for making flour and so on.
- The moon, Secunda. The white one.
- A bearskin drying on a rack.
- Like… society?
- The weather. Right?
- In other words, happiness!
- I think… sleep.
Spoiler
"A mill, for making flour and so on."
An incorrect answer and Ekil replies:Yes, very good! Even if that was the easy one of the contest.
As before, the player can still talk to Ekil but not retry the contest.Not even remotely correct. Still, at least you lasted one round against Skyrim's greatest wit -- that pride you feel is reward enough, I should think.
* This option will only fire if the player has met Uncle Sweetshare/finished "The Moon Sugar Mystery" (BM_MoonSugar). Ekil will respond:
The player can reply one of two ways:Your uncle who? By Jhunal's mites, what kind of answer is that?
Ekil replies:
- He's this... man who lives in a... workshop in the snow. He spreads happiness with his... special sugar. You know what? Never mind.
- Uh... never mind.
Third riddleOf course. Do you realise that you're madder than I am, and I'm a head that's been mounted in a tomb for a thousand years? Also, no, that's obviously the wrong answer and you lose.
Player responsesTo southern lands I sail abroad
Twin swords coiled at my side
Without the gift my clan’s backs bear
The Harbinger will surely die
I am the greatest of my tribe
My wives and children always follow
Never will my rivals father issue
And cities fall before me.
The correct answer is“Okay, surely this time it’s a creature.”“Well, it was an object the first two times…”
- One of Ysgramor’s Companions.
- A ram… from Atmora?
- A ship’s navigator!
- A berserker chieftain.
“Abstract.”
- Ysgramor’s flagship, yes?
- A book of myths and songs.
- A merchant’s chest.
- A gnarled old tree, I think.
- It’s a disease.
- A harsh winter.
- A trap. In the abstract.
- Victory itself!
Spoiler
"A ram… from Atmora?"
At this point, the wall will slide open and reveal Gurn's treasury.Yes! Yes yes! You did it -- you lasted three rounds in a riddle contest against the greatest wit that Skyrim has ever witnessed! By Orkey's slough, I haven't felt this invigorated since they cut my head off! You know what? Why don't you take a look at Gurm's little hidden treasury back there? I know I'm supposed to be guarding it for him, but on the other hand he did cut my head off. If we meet again in Sovngarde I'll just tell him that Alduin burned it all before any could be saved.
An incorrect answer and Ekil replies:
As above, the player can talk to Ekil but not retry the contest.Oh, no! And to think, you were so close. But I suppose that losing is what you have to expect when facing Skyrim's greatest wit in a riddling contest. In fact, I think that's worthy of a song in itself. Run along, now.
Ekil's impossible riddle
If the player successfully completes the riddle contest, Ekil will greet them with some new dialogue:
This changes the topic "impossible riddle" to the following response:Say, friend, it turns out that you're quite the wit. Maybe you'd like to try your mind at the impossible riddle I mentioned earlier?
The player has two responses:Yes, the one that cost me my head. The king had called all the cleverest in Skyrim to his riddle contest, so that he could demonstrate the supremacy of my wit to all the courts in the land. I spent a year poring over the rune-truths of Jhunal and devising ever more ingenious ways to cast the bones, until I had created a riddle I knew no other could possibly untangle -- for the answer was a truth that none living could yet have seen.
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I was so confident in my cunning that I wagered my own neck on it. Only, that tall stranger, who kept himself hidden behind a mask and hood, needed think on it only two nights before returning the answer that cost me my head. How could he have possibly known what I had seen? What malign force could have been working against me?
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Ahem, sorry. Would you like to try your hand at the riddle?
If "Yes", Ekil states the riddle.
- Yes.
- No.
If "No", Ekil replies:
and then states the riddle.Well, too bad. I've waited an elf's lifetime to try this riddle and you're going to hear it.
Ekil's impossible riddle
Player responsesWhat is my deepest nature, tell me true
For if you lie I will cover the world
Men will kneel beneath my thunder
And flee towards the midday sun
Know that I do not exist and never have
And yet in the very moment I leave you
I will have always been above you
And the wise will speak at last of nine
The correct answer is "Talos." and will cause an excited Ekil to exclaim:“I thought you said this was impossible? It’s clearly…”
- Clouds.
- A dragon.
- Talos.
- Red Mountain.
An incorrect answer will receive Ekil's response:Yes, Talos himself! Incredible! I mean, not especially incredible since you're alive after he became the Stormcrown and Dragon of the North and all that, but it's still tremendously exciting to hear my greatest riddle solved by an honest mind. Now, perhaps, you can understand why it should have been so impossible for the wits and thinkers of my own time -- none but I had delved so far into Jhunal's mysteries and seen the future with such poetic clarity.
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And yet, that bastard worked it out in barely any time at all. I have sat here for centuries and yet I still cannot understand who they were or what sinister knowledge they possessed. You know what? I have a task for you. I want you to unmask the identity of this mysterious stranger.
This creates the "mysterious stranger" topic, with the following dialogue:Ha! I knew it was a most devious riddle, even for one who held the key of hindsight. No, friend, the answer was Talos. But now, perhaps, you can understand why it should have been so impossible for the wits and thinkers of my own time -- none but I had delved so far into Jhunal's mysteries and seen the future with such poetic clarity.
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And yet, that bastard worked it out in barely any time at all. I have sat here for centuries and yet I still cannot understand who they were or what sinister knowledge they possessed. You know what? I have a task for you. I want you to unmask the identity of this mysterious stranger.
With the player's responses being:Will you help me? You know the old expression: when a skull mounted to the wall of a king's tomb asks you to solve a thousand-year-old mystery, you say…
- Yes.
- No.
This claim has not been updated for more than three months. Please provide an update within a month or this will get revoked.
This is done, and is in the process of being integrated with its relevant interior.
Moving this to completed then.
Okay, this has been altered to match changes to the DH99 int. Found and fixed a bug while I was there. I don't want to merge it until we figure out the OpenMW issue, though.
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- Sky_iRe_DH99_EkilDialogue.ESP
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Merged into DS section file