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The Tsaesci are not yet set as native from anywhere. They are not yet set as nomadic, but they might be at one point - basically once I get to do it.
They have another culture that is set as native from Anequina, but it doesn't exist at game start.

But these two things can change in what we'll see tomorrow!
Goblins how adorable!

Will they have some kind of tech malus or something? The goblins I slayed in the games seemed pretty primitive.
 
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DD - Warlord Rising
DD_13_title.png

DD #13 - Warlord Rising

Hello everyone! The first day of ModCon is already over, and for those who were able to catch the stream we hope that you enjoyed it and the EK2 panel!

In this fine evening we will talk about the first bookmark of Elder Kings II, 'Warlord Rising'.

In Elder Kings I, the earliest start date was set in the 450th Year of the Second Era, at the beginning of the Interregnum. The Elder Council had just seized power in the Heartlands and established the Imperial Commune 20 years after the last Akaviri Potentate was assassinated, and most of Tamriel was broken down in petty states and small feudal realms.

In Elder Kings II, we also want to explore the events leading up to the Interregnum, and some of the drastic changes that occured within a handful of years.

In Warlord Rising, we allow you to see and take part in the war between Attrebus Sosildor, General of the Colovian Estates, and the Akaviri Potentate remnants led by Aixnieras Chorak, distant descendant of the last true Akaviri Potentate Savirien-Chorak.

01_timeline.png


Meet the players - Attrebus & Aixnieras:

02_bookmark.jpg
NOTE: You might notice that the bookmark UI is a bit different compared to vanilla. Our UI wizard managed to make it so all bookmarks sharing the same date can be grouped together and only shown when needed, which considerably increases how many bookmarks we can make accessible.

Our first protagonist Attrebus Sosildor is a young but already famous general, who led some of the Cyrodiilic forces right after the assassination of Savirien-Chorak, as bandits and other nuisances were taking advantage of the chaos to harass the countryside.
Raised under the Prelate Claber of the Abbey of the Eight, he received the Prelate's burning zeal and hatred for all those who corrupt the land - Daedra, vampires, and heathens.
He sees the remaining Akaviri remnants as a dire threat to the people of Cyrodiil, and pledged to rid the Imperial Province of those who would oppress her.
After rousing the common folk and petty lords around Chorrol, he formed the Colovian Estates and got the support of Colovian great lords such as Kvatch or Skingrad, and even the Elder Council backs him - as they saw his war as an opportunity.

The other side of Cyrodiil is ruled by Aixnieras Chorak, son of a bastard son of Savirien-Chorak, the second Akaviri Potentate. After the assassination of Savirien-Chorak and his heirs, he managed to hold control over the Imperial Isle as the rest of Cyrodiil, and Tamriel at large, refused the rule of another Potentate.
As Attrebus was mounting his army against him, Aixnieras convinced most of the Nibenese lords to pledge themselves to him, if at least for a while, as this Colovian warlord would surely destroy the carefully crafted peace of the previous Potentates and upset the balance of power between Colovia and the Nibenay.
While Aixnieras cannot pretend to have any authority over Tamriel, he will have to rebuild what was once the Akaviri Potentate, which starts with defeating the Colovian Warlord...

The War - Attrebus' Overthrow of the Akaviri Potentate:

03_war_screen.jpg

As previously explained, Attrebus is leading a war against the Akaviri Potentate, with the first having the backing of most Colovian lords and the Elder Council, and the second holding the Imperial Isle and having the support of parts of the Nibenay.

Attrebus is also joined by his mentor and friend, Prelate Claber of the Abbey of the Eight, and his father-in-law, Ilavio Valentian, who stands to also take land should Attrebus' war end in a clear Colovian victory.
Aixnieras is joined by the Legionary's Council, the ruling body of the Imperial Legion. Due to the crumbling state of the Potentate, most of the Legion has been disbanded or deserted, but a few Tsaesci loyalists banded together and formed the First Legion.

This war is considered a total war, as no side will ever back down from the fight. The Potentate is fighting for its life, and Attrebus swore to destroy the Potentate once and for all and rid Cyrodiil of the remaining Tsaesci lords. As such, no white peace is possible. One side will have to triumph.

Attrebus' cause is however only as strong as he is. Should he fall in battle or due to a dagger in the back, his war will end and the Colovian Estates will shatter - with the Akaviri free to once again establish their rule over Cyrodiil.

04_death_warlord.jpg

A Triumphant Warlord:

05_triumphant_warlord.jpg

Should Attrebus win, the Potentate will be shattered and Aixnieras, or whoever is currently named Potentate, be imprisoned. Attrebus will seize all land directly held by the Potentate, and will annex all the land formerly held by the Tsaesci ruler of the Imperial Isle.
In the east, Attrebus' ally, Illavio - or his line should he die before the end of the war, will seize some land as payment for their help during Attrebus' struggle.

Cyrodiil will now be at a standstill... The order of the past four centuries has been destroyed, and the Imperial Province now stands at a crossroad...

Attrebus' Reforms:
The Elder Council agreed to help Attrebus' cause under one condition: That the Heartlands be ceded to them, and that Attrebus enacts a few needed reforms.
Attrebus' popularity and power thanks to the war make him a prime candidate for some required but unpopular reforms, and he would be an easy scapegoat should some lords grumble once the Elder Council takes over.

To this end, Attrebus is given a set of tasks, which are vague missions that the Elder Council requires you to fulfill. How exactly you accomplish these is left up to the General, but should you play as him you will have to act quickly - the Elder Council might support you but they are not known for their patience.

06_interregnum_decisions.jpg

As Attrebus, you will have a countdown before the Elder Council forcibly removes you from power, and leads Cyrodiil into the Interregnum.
To enact your reforms, you will have to show the Elder Council that you are actively working on it, by fulfilling some Required Tasks.


07_required_tasks.jpg

IMPORTANT NOTE: All the tasks you see here are work in progress. Their numbers are not final, what they require are not final, what they give in return is not final. This is an early draft of the process, so it may significantly change. The general idea however should stay.

As you can see, the Elder Council requires Attrebus to do three things:
- Deal with the Tsaesci Remnants of Cyrodiil - The Akaviri Potentate ruled Cyrodiil for long enough, and it is time that Cyrodiil take its own course, free from the tyranny of the snakes from Akavir. You will have to forcibly expell all the Tsaesci lords in Cyrodiil, and ensure that no province in Cyrodiil has the Tsaesci culture.
- Pay your debt back to the Elder Council - The Elder Council bankrolled you for years, and paid for most of the war efforts. It is expected of you to use your new power as lord of the Imperial Isle to pay your debts. While seizing the Imperial City alleviated most of it, what you owe to the Elder Council is still sizeable.
- Secure the Heartlands - As the Akaviri Potentate fell, the Heartlands were attacked and parts of it seized by dangerous foreigners. It is up to you to make sure that the Imperial Isle is safe.

08_debt_warlord_decision.jpg

We will take a closer look at one of Attrebus' required tasks, Debt of a Warlord.
As previously explained, the Elder Council funded most of your war effort, and they want you to pay them back before you hand the Imperial Isle back to them.

To this end, you have to give them a total of 2000 gold. How exactly you get this gold is irrelevant, the Elder Council's only wish is that you get it and hand it over to them. You may ransom some prisoners, raises taxes in Cyrodiil, or even take the Plunderer Tree and start raiding! Who knows.

Once you have the required gold, you will be able to take the decision and pay your debts, fulfilling your second task.

Each required task that you fulfill gives you 5 more years as Lord of the Imperial Isle, 5 more years that will be necessary to fulfill your other required tasks, or to work on more... Personal ambitions.

09_debt_warlord_event.jpg

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A Warlord's Ambitions:
Attrebus has been given emergency powers by the Elder Council, and while they expect you to only work on what they ask you to, you might be tempted to also serve your own ambitions.

These ambitions are also handled via the tasks system that was previously explained, but these tasks are required optional. They do not increase your time as Lord of the Imperial Isle, and some may even *decrease it*, as the Elder Council might start to get worried.

Some of these tasks can be used to elevate yourself as a Cyrodiilic Hero, or to rebuild the First Legion - who could very well be loyal to you and only you.

11_cyrodiilic_hero.jpg

The Colovian Cincinnatus:
Your powers are only temporary. The Elder Council needed you for a while, as Cyrodiil needed your guiding hand, but after a while they will expect you to hand them the Imperial Isle and usher the Interregnum.

12_colovian_cinmachin.jpg

The state of Cyrodiil once you hand back power to the Elder Council depends on your actions.

If you paid back your debts, the Elder Council will start much richer.
If you managed to Secure the Heartlands, the Elder Council will receive all the titles within the de Jure Kingdom of the Heartlands, and be known as the Lord-Protector of the Heartlands. Otherwise they will simply be the Lord-Protector of the Imperial Isle.

The Empire title that you held for a while will be destroyed, and the Interregnum will finally begin. Cyrodiil, and Tamriel, will now follow its own course, free from any Emperor or other tyrant... For the time being.

13_interregnum_cyrodiil_shattered.jpg

As Attrebus, your fate is now in your hands. You still control Chorrol, and still have friends in the Prelate Claber and your ally in the east. Perhaps it is time to spend more time with your family?

Or perhaps you wished that it did not happen that way?

The Colovian Caesar:
Of course, the Elder Council expects you to relinquish power.
But what if you did not?
What if you thought that the Elder Council stood in the way of what Cyrodiil needs the most?
What if you were able to placate the Elder Council long enough to get powerful allies and fulfill enough optional tasks to refuse the EC's claim, and instead hold on to the Imperial Isle for yourself?
IMPORTANT NOTE: This section is even more WIP than the rest. Most of it will probably heavily change before release, even though once again the general idea should stay the same.

14_interregnum_just_say_no.jpg


Powerful and ambitious players will have to be very careful and play their cards well. Attrebus' claim is almost non-existent at game start, and no one will accept your rule.

But over the years, you will have opportunities to make yourself more powerful. The First Legion might declare themselves loyal to you, you might get your father-in-law to back your claim by offering him the title of Imperial Count of Bravil, and the common people may support you, especially those of the Imperial Isle, if you shower them with gold and prosperity.

And when it is done, you may decide to convene the Elder Council, and tell them that their service is no longer required...

15_interregnum_just_say_no_lol.jpg

Of course, they will refute your claim. But while most would probably falter and back down, you may find yourself with enough backing and power to force the Elder Council's hand.

You will start a second civil war, this time facing the Elder Council's champion. Once more your actions will change how the war goes, and Cyrodiil will once more hold its breath.

If successful, the Elder Council will name you Potentate and leave you alone for the rest of your life. You will still be able to complete some optional tasks, and this time without the Elder Council behind your back.

However, keep in mind that even if you get named Potentate-for-Life by the Elder Council, the civil war will have been devastating for Cyrodiil. Having just seen the second Potentate brutal murder, the crushing war between you and Aixnieras, and the final war between you and the Elder Council, it will be severly weakened and you may be forced to relinquish control over most of Cyrodiil... For a while.

The Colovian Augustus?
Of course, Attrebus being named Potentate raises the question of Emperorship. Even though Attrebus holds a lot of power, and might be considered one of Cyrodiil's greatest champions, he still does not hold nearly near the influence of the likes of Reman or Alessia - he lacks the Dragonblood after all.
Him being named Emperor as a follow up to the second civil war is unlikely, but a possibility that we keep in the back of our minds.

For now, once Attrebus dies, the Interregnum starts. There is no way for him and his line to hold power beyond that.

A Victorious Potentate:
Now, what if Attrebus loses? What if the Potentate stays in power and crushes the warlord?
A Potentate victory is definitely possible and needs to also be explored. However work on it has not started yet, so you will have to wait longer - we first want Attrebus' side of the story to be complete.



That was a long DD to write, and I hope a good DD to read!
We hope that this week has been good for Elder Kings fans, but do not worry, it is not yet over! We still have a few teasers to show you over the week-end!
For those who couldn't watch it, you can find the replay of the first day of ModCon on Youtube!
And we are not alone, a lot of other mods have a lot of things to share and show.

Have a fantastic week-end, and we will see you next time!
 
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Goblins how adorable!

Will they have some kind of tech malus or something? The goblins I slayed in the games seemed pretty primitive.
The Goblins start with very few innovations unlocked and as tribals, so they would need a lot of effort to "catch up" with the rest of Tamriel.
 
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Hmm, the tooltip says you can secure the succession, but the diary says there is no way for his line to hold power beyond that. Maybe not for his line, but for Reman's line? IIRC there are Reman's descendants still alive in the bookmark even in EK1, so maybe if you married into that bloodline the children could become emperor after Attrebus' death?
 
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Hmm, the tooltip says you can secure the succession, but the diary says there is no way for his line to hold power beyond that. Maybe not for his line, but for Reman's line? IIRC there are Reman's descendants still alive in the bookmark even in EK1, so maybe if you married into that bloodline the children could become emperor after Attrebus' death?
As said, this part is heavily WIP and changes a lot quite frequently :p Maybe Attrebus' line will be able to hold the crown, or maybe not, it depends on how complex Attrebus' story becomes to fully put into the mod
 
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Possible tasks/missions for Attrebus
-find (racename) ally - make a friend/75 relation king-level ruler in Hammerfell/Skyrim/High Rock. It gives you lots of prestige and some event-spawned troops in second civil war. If you fullfilled at least 2, you will lose 3 years of rulership.
-establish official relations with Tribunal. Via decision you'll visit Vivec, Sotha Sil and Almalexia separately. You must gain favor of 2 gods at least. You should have 3 threshold of favor witch each (not passed, passed, approved). It will require great sums of money, loss of fame and piety level as you'll have to show respect to dunmer customs and tribunal temple. Should you succeed you'll have gifts from Tribunal.
-Reestablish proper Imperial court (future DLC feature). Main task from council - gain 2 levels short from max level of grandeur. Optional task - gain max level of grandeur. In this case fulfilling optional task will years of rule. And you'll get Elder Council defector choosing you as this council member got accustomed to your hospitality. He can steal some money you repaid to the council, effectively returning them to you.
-Start reconstuction effort - Main task from council - costruct a city, castle and church holding. Optional - construct 2 addiitonal. Stared via decision, you'll have immediatelly have option to increase taxes from every your vassal, gain coin upfront. Obviously - tyranny incured, opinion is lost. But if you use it properly, when optional task is fullfilled you'll gain 1 level of fame and general opinion of your guests and vassals as you'll be lauded as industrious and diligent

Some story events I want to see
-Delegation from hero worship faiths. They will obviously want money. If you want piety level increase, it can bankrupt you, as they will ask for tax exemptions.
-Bandit lairs outside heartlands. If you want to properly deal with brigands in Cyrodil, you can a)hire everyone of them, b)hunt them, but it will decrease max level of levies, their replenishments, -1 max man-at-arms regiments, -x knights. c)strong-arm dukes and counts to do it, requires you have fame and dread.
-Question of Order of Hour. You'll have to make a stance about it.
-Reorganisation of Colovia and Nibenay (2 separate) - you can make neat bordres, if you want. You can sieze some holdings for yourself.
 
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Is the handle of setting specific clothing possible or too much of a task in terms of 3d modeling ? I have constated that even while being able to create fantasy races, no mod actually use different clothes.
 
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Instead of being tied to static cultural graphics as CK2, the mod uses the CK3 system where children get features from both parents. So the kid of Reachfolk and Orsimer parents might look very much like a Reachfolk, but with slight tusks to reflect their mixed heritage. To this end the race traits have been discarded, even if very different physiologies still cannot produce children - Argonians can only get kids with Argonians for example.
Questions about the latest FAQ:
1) There won't be racial traits, but will there be traits for Khajiit subspecies? For example, Pahmar would likely have Prowess bonus like Giant trait gives for their size
2) Are you planning on introducing all bipedal subspecies eventually?
3) Will newborn's subspecies depend on game date to represent moon phases or it's randomized?
4) If it depends on date, when newborn is supposed to be Alfiq or Senche, will it default to Cathay/Suthay?
5) If all children supposed to inherit features, how will it handle for example Ohmes born from Cathay and Pahmar, or Ohmes and Cathay, will it inherit only part of the features (if one of the parents of the same subspecies) or parent dna will be generated radomly for them?
p.s. I really hope the mod won't use "furstock", it's such a stupid kinda-insulting word that looks like a combination of "fursuit" and "livestock"
 
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1. To be determined (probably no)
2. If someone makes them maybe
3. For now we only represent one furstock so
4. See above
5. See above
 
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No, it is to be determined. Being able to represent the Ohmes does not mean they will be in the final mod, nor that it means that every furstock will be represented
 
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The Goblins start with very few innovations unlocked and as tribals, so they would need a lot of effort to "catch up" with the rest of Tamriel.
Makes sense.

Do um, goblins have the ability to speak in TES? They made a lot of sounds but I don't remember them really ever saying anything.

I know they all use to be mer so they probably do have a way to speak right?
 
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Goblins can communicate as they follow a shamanistic and tribalistic organisation, with magic, architecture, religion, that sort of things. We also see Rieklings speaking the Common tongue in Skyrim (in the Dragonborn DLC to be more precise), so it seems possible for them to learn it.
 
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This is
View attachment 736585
DD #13 - Warlord Rising

Hello everyone! The first day of ModCon is already over, and for those who were able to catch the stream we hope that you enjoyed it and the EK2 panel!

In this fine evening we will talk about the first bookmark of Elder Kings II, 'Warlord Rising'.

In Elder Kings I, the earliest start date was set in the 450th Year of the Second Era, at the beginning of the Interregnum. The Elder Council had just seized power in the Heartlands and established the Imperial Commune 20 years after the last Akaviri Potentate was assassinated, and most of Tamriel was broken down in petty states and small feudal realms.

In Elder Kings II, we also want to explore the events leading up to the Interregnum, and some of the drastic changes that occured within a handful of years.

In Warlord Rising, we allow you to see and take part in the war between Attrebus Sosildor, General of the Colovian Estates, and the Akaviri Potentate remnants led by Aixnieras Chorak, distant descendant of the last true Akaviri Potentate Savirien-Chorak.

View attachment 736570

Meet the players - Attrebus & Aixnieras:

NOTE: You might notice that the bookmark UI is a bit different compared to vanilla. Our UI wizard managed to make it so all bookmarks sharing the same date can be grouped together and only shown when needed, which considerably increases how many bookmarks we can make accessible.

Our first protagonist Attrebus Sosildor is a young but already famous general, who led some of the Cyrodiilic forces right after the assassination of Savirien-Chorak, as bandits and other nuisances were taking advantage of the chaos to harass the countryside.
Raised under the Prelate Claber of the Abbey of the Eight, he received the Prelate's burning zeal and hatred for all those who corrupt the land - Daedra, vampires, and heathens.
He sees the remaining Akaviri remnants as a dire threat to the people of Cyrodiil, and pledged to rid the Imperial Province of those who would oppress her.
After rousing the common folk and petty lords around Chorrol, he formed the Colovian Estates and got the support of Colovian great lords such as Kvatch or Skingrad, and even the Elder Council backs him - as they saw his war as an opportunity.

The other side of Cyrodiil is ruled by Aixnieras Chorak, son of a bastard son of Savirien-Chorak, the second Akaviri Potentate. After the assassination of Savirien-Chorak and his heirs, he managed to hold control over the Imperial Isle as the rest of Cyrodiil, and Tamriel at large, refused the rule of another Potentate.
As Attrebus was mounting his army against him, Aixnieras convinced most of the Nibenese lords to pledge themselves to him, if at least for a while, as this Colovian warlord would surely destroy the carefully crafted peace of the previous Potentates and upset the balance of power between Colovia and the Nibenay.
While Aixnieras cannot pretend to have any authority over Tamriel, he will have to rebuild what was once the Akaviri Potentate, which starts with defeating the Colovian Warlord...

The War - Attrebus' Overthrow of the Akaviri Potentate:


As previously explained, Attrebus is leading a war against the Akaviri Potentate, with the first having the backing of most Colovian lords and the Elder Council, and the second holding the Imperial Isle and having the support of parts of the Nibenay.

Attrebus is also joined by his mentor and friend, Prelate Claber of the Abbey of the Eight, and his father-in-law, Ilavio Valentian, who stands to also take land should Attrebus' war end in a clear Colovian victory.
Aixnieras is joined by the Legionary's Council, the ruling body of the Imperial Legion. Due to the crumbling state of the Potentate, most of the Legion has been disbanded or deserted, but a few Tsaesci loyalists banded together and formed the First Legion.

This war is considered a total war, as no side will ever back down from the fight. The Potentate is fighting for its life, and Attrebus swore to destroy the Potentate once and for all and rid Cyrodiil of the remaining Tsaesci lords. As such, no white peace is possible. One side will have to triumph.

Attrebus' cause is however only as strong as he is. Should he fall in battle or due to a dagger in the back, his war will end and the Colovian Estates will shatter - with the Akaviri free to once again establish their rule over Cyrodiil.


A Triumphant Warlord:


Should Attrebus win, the Potentate will be shattered and Aixnieras, or whoever is currently named Potentate, be imprisoned. Attrebus will seize all land directly held by the Potentate, and will annex all the land formerly held by the Tsaesci ruler of the Imperial Isle.
In the east, Attrebus' ally, Illavio - or his line should he die before the end of the war, will seize some land as payment for their help during Attrebus' struggle.

Cyrodiil will now be at a standstill... The order of the past four centuries has been destroyed, and the Imperial Province now stands at a crossroad...

Attrebus' Reforms:
The Elder Council agreed to help Attrebus' cause under one condition: That the Heartlands be ceded to them, and that Attrebus enacts a few needed reforms.
Attrebus' popularity and power thanks to the war make him a prime candidate for some required but unpopular reforms, and he would be an easy scapegoat should some lords grumble once the Elder Council takes over.

To this end, Attrebus is given a set of tasks, which are vague missions that the Elder Council requires you to fulfill. How exactly you accomplish these is left up to the General, but should you play as him you will have to act quickly - the Elder Council might support you but they are not known for their patience.


As Attrebus, you will have a countdown before the Elder Council forcibly removes you from power, and leads Cyrodiil into the Interregnum.
To enact your reforms, you will have to show the Elder Council that you are actively working on it, by fulfilling some Required Tasks.


View attachment 736576
IMPORTANT NOTE: All the tasks you see here are work in progress. Their numbers are not final, what they require are not final, what they give in return is not final. This is an early draft of the process, so it may significantly change. The general idea however should stay.

As you can see, the Elder Council requires Attrebus to do three things:
- Deal with the Tsaesci Remnants of Cyrodiil - The Akaviri Potentate ruled Cyrodiil for long enough, and it is time that Cyrodiil take its own course, free from the tyranny of the snakes from Akavir. You will have to forcibly expell all the Tsaesci lords in Cyrodiil, and ensure that no province in Cyrodiil has the Tsaesci culture.
- Pay your debt back to the Elder Council - The Elder Council bankrolled you for years, and paid for most of the war efforts. It is expected of you to use your new power as lord of the Imperial Isle to pay your debts. While seizing the Imperial City alleviated most of it, what you owe to the Elder Council is still sizeable.
- Secure the Heartlands - As the Akaviri Potentate fell, the Heartlands were attacked and parts of it seized by dangerous foreigners. It is up to you to make sure that the Imperial Isle is safe.


We will take a closer look at one of Attrebus' required tasks, Debt of a Warlord.
As previously explained, the Elder Council funded most of your war effort, and they want you to pay them back before you hand the Imperial Isle back to them.

To this end, you have to give them a total of 2000 gold. How exactly you get this gold is irrelevant, the Elder Council's only wish is that you get it and hand it over to them. You may ransom some prisoners, raises taxes in Cyrodiil, or even take the Plunderer Tree and start raiding! Who knows.

Once you have the required gold, you will be able to take the decision and pay your debts, fulfilling your second task.

Each required task that you fulfill gives you 5 more years as Lord of the Imperial Isle, 5 more years that will be necessary to fulfill your other required tasks, or to work on more... Personal ambitions.


A Warlord's Ambitions:
Attrebus has been given emergency powers by the Elder Council, and while they expect you to only work on what they ask you to, you might be tempted to also serve your own ambitions.

These ambitions are also handled via the tasks system that was previously explained, but these tasks are required optional. They do not increase your time as Lord of the Imperial Isle, and some may even *decrease it*, as the Elder Council might start to get worried.

Some of these tasks can be used to elevate yourself as a Cyrodiilic Hero, or to rebuild the First Legion - who could very well be loyal to you and only you.


The Colovian Cincinnatus:
Your powers are only temporary. The Elder Council needed you for a while, as Cyrodiil needed your guiding hand, but after a while they will expect you to hand them the Imperial Isle and usher the Interregnum.


The state of Cyrodiil once you hand back power to the Elder Council depends on your actions.

If you paid back your debts, the Elder Council will start much richer.
If you managed to Secure the Heartlands, the Elder Council will receive all the titles within the de Jure Kingdom of the Heartlands, and be known as the Lord-Protector of the Heartlands. Otherwise they will simply be the Lord-Protector of the Imperial Isle.

The Empire title that you held for a while will be destroyed, and the Interregnum will finally begin. Cyrodiil, and Tamriel, will now follow its own course, free from any Emperor or other tyrant... For the time being.


As Attrebus, your fate is now in your hands. You still control Chorrol, and still have friends in the Prelate Claber and your ally in the east. Perhaps it is time to spend more time with your family?

Or perhaps you wished that it did not happen that way?

The Colovian Caesar:
Of course, the Elder Council expects you to relinquish power.
But what if you did not?
What if you thought that the Elder Council stood in the way of what Cyrodiil needs the most?
What if you were able to placate the Elder Council long enough to get powerful allies and fulfill enough optional tasks to refuse the EC's claim, and instead hold on to the Imperial Isle for yourself?
IMPORTANT NOTE: This section is even more WIP than the rest. Most of it will probably heavily change before release, even though once again the general idea should stay the same.

View attachment 736583

Powerful and ambitious players will have to be very careful and play their cards well. Attrebus' claim is almost non-existent at game start, and no one will accept your rule.

But over the years, you will have opportunities to make yourself more powerful. The First Legion might declare themselves loyal to you, you might get your father-in-law to back your claim by offering him the title of Imperial Count of Bravil, and the common people may support you, especially those of the Imperial Isle, if you shower them with gold and prosperity.

And when it is done, you may decide to convene the Elder Council, and tell them that their service is no longer required...


Of course, they will refute your claim. But while most would probably falter and back down, you may find yourself with enough backing and power to force the Elder Council's hand.

You will start a second civil war, this time facing the Elder Council's champion. Once more your actions will change how the war goes, and Cyrodiil will once more hold its breath.

If successful, the Elder Council will name you Potentate and leave you alone for the rest of your life. You will still be able to complete some optional tasks, and this time without the Elder Council behind your back.

However, keep in mind that even if you get named Potentate-for-Life by the Elder Council, the civil war will have been devastating for Cyrodiil. Having just seen the second Potentate brutal murder, the crushing war between you and Aixnieras, and the final war between you and the Elder Council, it will be severly weakened and you may be forced to relinquish control over most of Cyrodiil... For a while.

The Colovian Augustus?
Of course, Attrebus being named Potentate raises the question of Emperorship. Even though Attrebus holds a lot of power, and might be considered one of Cyrodiil's greatest champions, he still does not hold nearly near the influence of the likes of Reman or Alessia - he lacks the Dragonblood after all.
Him being named Emperor as a follow up to the second civil war is unlikely, but a possibility that we keep in the back of our minds.

For now, once Attrebus dies, the Interregnum starts. There is no way for him and his line to hold power beyond that.

A Victorious Potentate:
Now, what if Attrebus loses? What if the Potentate stays in power and crushes the warlord?
A Potentate victory is definitely possible and needs to also be explored. However work on it has not started yet, so you will have to wait longer - we first want Attrebus' side of the story to be complete.



That was a long DD to write, and I hope a good DD to read!
We hope that this week has been good for Elder Kings fans, but do not worry, it is not yet over! We still have a few teasers to show you over the week-end!
For those who couldn't watch it, you can find the replay of the first day of ModCon on Youtube!
And we are not alone, a lot of other mods have a lot of things to share and show.

Have a fantastic week-end, and we will see you next time!
This is all very cool, but I'm a bit confused by how the incentives for it all are meant to work for the player as Attrebus? It seems like you're given a choice between (1.) follow the councils orders and expend a lot of resources on tasks that only serve to strengthen a faction that's about to be released as independent & therefore a future rival, or (2.) expend a lot of resources on the tasks & then fight a gruelling civil war in order to secure an empire which will then immediately fall apart again anyway after your death.

So it all just seems like a bit of a wasted effort? Wouldn't you be better off just (3.) immediately granting the council their independence, and then immediately start trying to reconquer the rest of Cyrodiil with conventional casus belli?
 
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I wish to input some wishes about Nord end-game goals (once again, END-GAME, more than 100 years of gameplay away):
1)Old Kingdom - decision to reform ancient times (already 1k years away from interregnum). You can pass the Reach, but must take eastern High Rock, Bruma area and Blacklight area. Apart from obvious bonuses from new title creation - change nativity region, so you can culture convert.
2)Saartal - each Nord king, which controls needed province, have scholar trait have once-a-lifetime chance to start search and if successful, unearthing and excavating of site. Easy to fail, but some progress is saved within family, you heir can retry, if he's also proper scholar. A challange with high threshold of stats, and some wits of player to choose right answers. It would be OMEGA awesome if Magnus can be introduced in the nordic panthenon as one of final rewards.
3)True Name of Master - Draconic cultist only. Paragon of the Virtue, Living legend, Empire rank required. Using elder scroll you make Alduin an Akatosh. All other versions of Akatosh of all other religions are banned from having him as patron. Alduin patron is vastly improved.
4)Mer-killer. Killing altmers, falmers, dunmers and bosmers will yeild you great benefits, should you rack up body count. Nickname, life-long military bonus. Ticking Dyansty prestige if above 200 mers kill-count.
5)Journey to Sovngarde. Old very pious nords can find interesting choise of pilgrimage. One downside, there's problem with exit. Reminder - next time some will exit sovnagrde is 1k+ years away.
6)Return of Wulfhart. Should you control Vvardenfell, defeat Tribunal and Dagot Ur, a sertain spirit will fullfill his wish from First Council war. As this can count as ressurection of a god, one can expect change in Nordic faith. Children of Skyrim will be switched to (unobtainable only be this way) choldren of Shor tenant. This can be anyting. But surely something special. Unique innovation also should be also considered.
7)Cyro-Nords things. Should have at least some special interactions with Hero Worship faith, not only Imperials revired true heroes as dieties. Bruma as new center of Colovia, becuase down with Attrebus, he's rookie, show him how things are done.
 
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Are the council like an actual group of characters or are they basically like a vague offmap entity?
They are for now a vague offmap entity
 
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They are for now a vague offmap entity
Personally I am not a big fan of this. The Elder Council should be a combination of the most powerful people of the empire. So basically the most powerful nobles in Cyrodiil, guildmasters of the Fighter's guild and Mage's guild, Primate of the Eight Divines, emperor's councillors etc as well as representatives from the empire's various provinces.
 
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Personally I am not a big fan of this. The Elder Council should be a combination of the most powerful people of the empire. So basically the most powerful nobles in Cyrodiil, guildmasters of the Fighter's guild and Mage's guild, Primate of the Eight Divines, emperor's councillors etc as well as representatives from the empire's various provinces.
Yeah well you are most welcome to implement them :)
 
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Yeah well you are most welcome to implement them :)
To be fair I probably will when the mod comes out. I mostly am of the opinion that the Elder Council is being made a bit too contrived right now in EK 2 while I believe they can be given a more logical background.

Attrebus' war against the Potentate should be triggered by the Akaviri Potentate doing a major power-grab against the Elder Council (nobility of Cyrodiil and bureaucracy in the Imperial City), taking away their power and their lands and executing a great many of them while handing their lands and positions of power to loyal Akaviri nobles. An expedition from Akavir consisting of several thousands of soldiers could join them to balance out the issues they will have at the start.

The Elder Council in this case would be the nobles and their families who fled their estates with their wealth and loyal soldiers. This would be where the money and soldiers they provide Attrebus comes from.

If Attrebus wins he'd be faced with primarily 2 issues.

1. Dictating ownership of the retaken land.
This is an issue that could already be decided during the war. For example if you take land from the Akaviri you could automatically annex with the choice to either​
a. keep it for yourself, angering the Colovians and Elder Council​
b. share it with your fellow Colovian warlords, angering the council but pleasing your Colovian allies​
c. give it back to the original claimants in the Elder Council. This will please the council and gives you more of their money and troops for the war​
2. Determine centralization of the empire
Most options given in the DD make sense I think. Once again there would be 3 options​
a. Proclaim yourself emperor. This will majorly piss off everyone. Your vassals with hate it. The Nibenese and Heartlanders will lose large amounts Popular Opinion. A civil war will likely start immediately, unless you manage to placate both your vassals and populace just enough. This will create a hereditary empire with level 3 Crown Authority. The Elder Council will persist as a seperate entity and once again try and flee and try to find a powerful Cyrodilic or Nordic ruler(including your vassals) like the Tharns for example to rise up and fight against you. Also every succession will be extremely unstable with intense, but not unmanageable, Early Reign malusses.​
b. Be proclaimed high chancellor. Create an elective empire with level 1 Crown Authority where rulers rule 5 to 10 years. Lower-tier vassals together with people such as the Guildmasters of the Fighters and Mages Guild as well as the imperial councilors each get votes. Will make the Elder Council very happy and dissolve it as a separate body as it becomes the government. Stronger vassals however will likely try to use the imperial administration's weakness to build up power and try to either declare independence or make their own attempt for imperial power.​
c. Proclaim yourself potentate. Basically a middle-ground between 1 and 2. This will instead create an Elective succession. Only your most powerful vassals can vote or be elected and rule for life. Basically the middle-ground between the previous two options and probably the most sensible one for the player. Might cause a revolt, depending on your relationships with specific lords. Enough unrest will trigger a revolt. If you pissed them off too much the Elder council could persist and try to find(but not neccesarily succeed in finding) a new claimant to help them. Failing this they will dissolve but cause empire-wide problems, the scale of which is determined by how much they liked or disliked you. If you gave alot of power to the Colovians you could create essentially the same situation as the Akaviri Potentate was in at the start.​
The Elder Council's power is determined by the collective Popular Opinion and Control of Cyrodilic culture provinces. The more unhappy the populace and less control there is in the provinces, the more resources the Elder Council has at it's disposal.(not sure if this is moddable)​
Also I think forcing an interregnum after Attrebus' death is very deterministic. The Mede dynasty manages to somewhat hold the empire together over some generations despite not being Dragonborn. I think Attrebus's successors, whomever they might be, should face alot of problems but if they can weather it through they should be able to hold the empire together.
 
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