The Dead of Soluthis

[Pride]

(Name WILL change)
Like most of my ideas, I've had this one mulling about in my thoughts for a while now. The basic premise of this quest is based around a set of murders in Soluthis of a very Jack the Ripper nature. The idea is that the player will help an incompetent detective in solving various crimes over several smaller questlines (kind of like Watson and Sherlock Holmes, only Holmes is the very opposite of his character in the stories).
These quests would probably conclude with an attempt to capture the murderer; perhaps revealed as an insane farmer, deluded citizen, psychopath hidden by relatives or something far darker...
Players would probably recieve small amounts of fame or gold as rewards and perhaps even earn the hopeless detective as a companion (which could lead to some interesting insights and comments on whatever quest the player is currently undertaking).
Thoughts?

[AnImpatientFan]

Originally posted by Pride
(Name WILL change)
Like most of my ideas, I've had this one mulling about in my thoughts for a while now. The basic premise of this quest is based around a set of murders in Soluthis of a very Jack the Ripper nature. The idea is that the player will help an incompetent detective in solving various crimes over several smaller questlines (kind of like Watson and Sherlock Holmes, only Holmes is the very opposite of his character in the stories).
These quests would probably conclude with an attempt to capture the murderer; perhaps revealed as an insane farmer, deluded citizen, psychopath hidden by relatives or something far darker...
Players would probably recieve small amounts of fame or gold as rewards and perhaps even earn the hopeless detective as a companion (which could lead to some interesting insights and comments on whatever quest the player is currently undertaking).
Thoughts?

Sounds good.
Maybe add a twist somewhere in there.
What if the detective WAS the killer. That would be an interesting scenario.

[Pride]

I hadn't thought of that, I think it would work well. Still would like to keep the detective as a comedic character and a companion, but if that doesn't work it certainly would be entertaining if those comedic actions of the detective became something altogether more sinister and twisted in nature.

[AnImpatientFan]

Originally posted by Pride
I hadn't thought of that, I think it would work well. Still would like to keep the detective as a comedic character and a companion, but if that doesn't work it certainly would be entertaining if those comedic actions of the detective became something altogether more sinister and twisted in nature.

Maybe you would work with him as a companion until the 3rd or so quest. Then maybe he could lead you into some place where he would turn on you with a bunch of goons.

[Pride]

Sounds good, not too keen on the bunch of goons though. Perhaps they could attack prior and 'kidnap' the detective, forcing the player to find their lair and in doing so uncover the murderer's identity.

[AnImpatientFan]

That's a good idea.
It wouldn't be impossible to implement either.

[Pride]

Ok then.
I'll begin a proper draft over the next few days and see how it turns out.
Thanks,
Pride

[DaughterOfKynareth]

Nice =)
I was just wondering what gender the detective is going to be?

[AnImpatientFan]

Originally posted by DaughterOfKynareth
Nice =)
I was just wondering what gender the detective is going to be?

I'd say a guy.
If we look back at most British comedic detectives there almost always male.

[Pride]

@DOKY the detective will probably be male, however I have decided to add a female character to the later stages of the quest.
This update is fairly rough and probably contains inconsistant information, but it should give a general idea of what it might end up like once everything that cannot be implemented into the mod is removed.

An update (Quest Overview):
In the Harbor district of Soluthis the player encounters a guarded crime scene, at the centre of which lies the mutilated remains of a Dunmer woman. The player is then approached by a detective, who requests the player's help in finding the murderer and encourages the player to search the area for clues. When the player finds a nightshade flower resting on the corpse, the detective dismisses it out of hand and claims that the item he has found leads to one of the parks in the city (at this point he will probably mislead the player by following his own footprints and walking in the wrong direction). Having arrived in the wrong place, the player spots a mysterious man fleeing through the gates and a woman's corpse hanging on, or lying beside, a tree and the detective makes several foolish remarks before telling the player to fetch a guard from a nearby watchtower. Returning to the park, the detective announces that they must find the fleeing man and requests that the player journey to a bandit filled cave nearby to investigate and then meet him in a tavern in the early morning after two days have passed.
The night before he meets the detective, the player recieves a note claiming that the murderer will be under the Reich Parkeep bridge at 4 in the morning. Arriving under the bridge, the player witnesses two young women run from a shadowy figure and after one of the women is cut down, the player wounds the murderer and saves the remaining woman. The murderer flees and as the guards appear, so does the woman. With the player left standing before a corpse with a bloodied weapon, they are arrested by the guard and taken to a prison cell.
When the player awakens in the cell, the detective is outside, and after asking some silly questions lets the player out of prison. Requesting to meet the player again in a day at a different tavern, he leaves and the player is free to go. Outside the prison, the woman the player saved appears and offers their thanks before making a hasty exit.
At the tavern, the player is introduced to three or four 'experts' in various fields relating to crime, each of whom have insights into the case. The detective announces that they are gathered here to plan a trap in which to catch the murderer and suggests they lure the murderer out using a woman as bait. At this moment a scream from outside reveals yet another woman has been murdered and the player is sent to find the woman from the previous night and get her to be the bait. The player will find the woman in the marketplace and once she agrees to the plan takes her to a spot outside the city.
When they arrive the trap is revealed; seven bandits and the detective emerge, taking the woman and after some exchanges between the player and the detective, the player is knocked into the river and blacks out. The player awakens to find themself in a small camp, having been rescued by the mysterious man from the second murder. The man explains that he saw the detective kill the woman and was being set up as a scapegoat. Having heard the tale the player decides to return to the city alone to get help.
Returning to the city, the player finds a wanted poster accusing them of the detective's crimes and must enter the city through stealth. Finding one of the recruited 'experts' the player explains everything and is told that the detective has disappeared, but that his heavily locked house might contain answers as to where he has gone. In the detective's hous the player finds a small note on which a location is marked on a crude map, hidden under a shoe. After finding this clue, the player is attacked by a bandit who is guarding the house and in the fight sets the house on fire. The player can choose to save the bandit or let him perish.
Leaving the city the player makes his way towards a cave, concealed at the bottom of a waterfall or cliff. Entering the cave the player encounters the man who rescued them before, now dying of wounds inflicted by the detective and his men. The man explains how he stumbled upon the location after following one of the bandits and attempted to free the woman, only to discover the detective has several other captives. As the man dies the player is left with a choice: Stop the detective at the top of the waterfall/cliff and save those captives, or save the woman being held in the tombs deep below(perhaps a timelimit on the quest).
To free the woman in the tombs the player must fight undead and a creature that will leave the player heavily poisoned and weak.
To stop the detective the player will fight bandits, before a duel with the detective will end in a jump over a waterfall (Sherlock Holmes style) just as the guards arrive. If the player has freed the woman, the poisons will make the duel much harder.
Although the detective's fate is unknown he assumed dead and with the player's return to the city they meet with the experts in the tavern (or if the woman survived, she will be present and they will gather in her house) and the formation of a detective faction is announced. The player is rewarded with a unique coat, an item of some sort and the use of the woman's house as a base (it will be donated to the faction if she is dead). The experts and the woman will then be available as comapnions with unique dialogue relating to various Silgrad quests and their personalities.