Cult of Heroes brainstorming

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LiquidHurlant
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Cult of Heroes brainstorming

Post by LiquidHurlant »

"Each event is preceded by Prophecy. But without the hero, there is no Event."
"Born under a certain sign to uncertain parents."

The sainted ada of the cultus are Padomaic heroes, rivers, animals, hills, and relics who thematically go missing. Public efforts include the art of the "killing, questing, healing" verse, which lead the laity into the presence of the Dragon. The inner cult are knights who've received the Order of the Dragon, and they not only keep the Legendarium, but they kill, quest, and heal for real.

The cult's mainquest would begin after the player has been knighted in the Order of the Dragon. But otherwise, the Cult of Heroes "lay quests" are pilgrimage hikes. One, unmarked quest could be where the player stumbles upon the Song of Pelinal, lost in a grotto since Reman. Taking the folios to the Cult of Heroes may ignite a flurry of interest in Pelinalism. The consequence is a check against the Elder Council's bizarre, Ayleid sympathies.

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Infragris
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Post by Infragris »

My draft for the Cult of Heroes:
The Cult of Heroes
This Empire-sponsored cult came about in the early Third Era as a means to curb the growing tide of minor saints and heroes. The founding of the Septim Empire had been accompanied by the rise of new popular saints patronizing the modern Imperial ideals. As it became clear that there were far too many saints to plausibly worship – or even remember – at the same time, many pious Imperials feared that neglected saints would turn against the Empire and cause misfortune. The matter came before the Elder Council, who decided to sponsor a new cult dedicated to every saint and hero without distinction, thus guaranteeing their continued support.

The Cult quickly became popular among dignitaries and merchant-pilgrims, due to the convenience of having one shrine for all their patron-saints. In time, the cult developed a complex theology based on the erasure of identity in the name of purpose: the names of worthy heroes were deliberately forgotten in favor of their deeds and their adherence to certain heroic archetypes. The cult has a special dedication to the Six Champions of Cyrod, figures of legend who came to the Empire's aid in times of need, and whose exact names and deeds are almost completely erased.
Couple of thoughts:
  • I find the concept of the cult of heroes a little boring compared to some of the other cults out there, so I do not think we should spend too much attention to them - save for a temple or two in important cities. Not really "main quest material" in my eyes.
  • Personally, I equate the Order of the Dragon with the Order of the Imperial Dragon, which is the highest rank of the Legion in Morrowind. I do not think we should have another dragon order simply because Oblivion at one point mentioned one.
  • "Quest". I'm going to quote from TR's handbook here:
    The word ‘quest’. An NPC should never use that word. It should be a favor or a task or something, or trekking in the wilderness, but they should NEVER talk about actual quests. The ONLY time the word quest should be used in game is if you see it in book writings, and even then, those should be used sparingly.
    (This is acceptable)
    i.e. “I began my quest to figure out what specific ingredient(s) causes Mazte to taste like rat piss,”
    (This is not acceptable)
    NOT: “I was questing over near the ashlands when I noticed…”
    And again, both these examples are used in the context of reading out of a book. There is NO acceptable way that an NPC will ever use the word quest.
    I’m tired of talking to TR NPCs and hearing them say something along the lines of, “be careful questing out in this area” or “I always bring a raincoat whenever I go questing in case it rains.”
  • A renewed interest in Pelinalism would be better used in an actual Pelinal orr Shezarr cult.
  • Elder Council's Ayleid sympathies? First time I heard about these.

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LiquidHurlant
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Post by LiquidHurlant »

The PGE nearly glosses them entirely, so I get where youre coming from. Why spend all that time developing a cult that doesn't add much flavor? My thoughts for the Hero Cult sprang from that miscellaneous "quest" idea, the one about finding Pelinal's song in a Reman era dumpster, a la the scrolls of Qumran. I really had no use for the cult in mind.

Using the Hero Cult for Saints was a clever move. I can see the Saints personifying the "spirit of place." Perhaps even Heart Wraith-level bosses.

I forgot Oblivion had an Order of the Dragon thing going.

Isn't there Ayleid revivalism among the nobility? I just assumed the Elder Council were mixed up in it somehow...

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Infragris
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Post by Infragris »

The Ayleid Revivalists were envisioned as a kind of popular movement among urban elites with Elven roots, the Altmer Heartlands enclaves and such. Their reach is supposed to be kind of limited, though: they're more like one player among many, not a dominant force in Heartlands politics. They could be allied with Altmer/Bosmer representatives in the Council, but these in themselves are not the strongest faction. Pre-Oblivion, I think we should present Elven influences in Cyrodiil as minimal, to contrast the later Thalmor situation.

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