Name: Return of Shadows
Version: 1.0
Date: 12/05/2009
Category: Quests and Adventures
Requirements: Oblivion Patch 1.2.0.214 [SI or non-SI], Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE)
Author(s): Tc2r, GamerDude, Cinkei
Source: http://www.daxontakemura.com/samples/ReturnOfShadows/index
Forum: http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=820143&st=120
Homepage: http://www.daxontakemura.com/samples/ReturnOfShadows/index

Description
===========
Many have forgotten the tales of long ago, the vile stories that would send chills up the spine of any hero...Many have forgotten what was never proven to really exist...

Long ago Namira used the powers of ancient darkness to destroy her enemies; to destroy those who crossed her path.

Stories say she was weakened though. That she could no longer directly influence the world of tamerial. Stories say her reign of fear ended then... Stories say all was well once again... Yes, the stories say this... because she wrote them.

However in the shadows, Namira's true followers continued her will. Gifted with the ancient skill of death and darkness they now shape tamriel to the will of Namira. The ShadowKnights are out there and one thing is very clear...

"JOIN THEM, OR PERISH!"


Location
========
There is no set location you, the player must go. When the time is ripe, The shadows will find you. If I were you, I would load this mod and forget about it until the events happened of their own accord.

Details
=======

I. Lore
II. Theme
III. Added Abilities
IV. Armor
V. Quest
VI. NPC Interaction
VII. Interior Designs
VIII. Advanced Scripts
IX.Credits
X.
XI.

I. Lore

"Many have forgotten the tales of long ago, the vile stories that would send chills up the spine of any hero... Many have forgotten what was never proven to really exist... Long ago Namira used the powers of ancient darkness to destroy her enemies; to destroy those who crossed her path. Stories say she was weakened though. That she could no longer directly influence the world of tamerial. Stories say her reign of fear ended then... Stories say all was well once again... Yes, the stories say this... because she wrote them. However in the shadows, Namira's true followers continued her will. Gifted with the ancient skill of death and darkness they now shape tamerial to the will of Namira. The ShadowKnights are out there and one thing is very clear... Join them, or Perish."

II. Theme.

Return Of Shadows revolves around you being everything that represents the opposite of a Paladin. If you thirst power and the destination is what matters, then you must do many things to gain the favor of Namira. Your task will include but is not limited to killing innocents, killing heroes, killing without reason, Lying, Cheating, Using others, Sadness, Anger, Betrayal, revenge and heartless acts.

The quest style will be either that of a complete force of destruction, or a blade of the night. Your charges are absolute, to disobey is to die. The quest will have a variety of elements of life. You will come across passion, pain, love, loyalty and many other emotions. We have done our best to bring you deep into the path of the Shadowknights.


III. Added abilities.

When you accept the gift of Darkness from Namira, When you realize that You've lost it... that you can kill. You will be given the powers only those of the night know of.

The Shadowstep: The ability to step through the space between light and darkness and cross a small distance in an instant, pitting you behind your target. The Shadowstep will also be used in quest to position you in key places.

Cloak Of Shadows: The cloak of shadows is the key to any shadowknight. When it is fully charged, you will gain many bonuses from it. Such as temporary invisibility, Anti-Paralyze, Repulsion and many others. However A shadowknight should never neglect their cloak, for when it is neglected the side effects can be very hazardous. Such as Instant lost of fatigue, Poison, stat buffs to enemies, and even your death if neglected long enough. If the shadow knight is a truck, the cloak is the engine.

You will have a chance to gain many abilities as you play through this mod.

??? Add spells of darkness (shadow clones, etc.)


IV. Armor And Weapons

Specialized armor for the Shadowknights will represent all that is dark and of the night. Shadowknights are not tanks, they are strong but stealthy, and the armor will reflect these thoughts. I have done my best to ensure that nothing in this mod is what I would call "broken" as in giving you a bonus over the game. The armor while very unique and cool looking, will not have stats far above other armor.

There will be a few special pieces of armor that were created for this mod, I hope you enjoy them :).

All Credit goes to my Armor modder CLACI. Though he is completely new to modding, his work so far has been above average and amazing.

Specialized Weapons have been created to add to the immersion of this mod.

Credits go to Claci and ???????

V. Quest

The Quests in this mod will all center around dark themes, The Main Quest will follow your entry into the Order of Shadowknights, and the war between them and the heroes of Tamerial. These quest will usually involve the player having to be heartless or as cold as possible. I am doing my best to keep each quest interesting and fun, while also meaningful. The Main quest line will usually involve you facing heroes (who are justified in their name). The quest will also utilize custom effects such as the ability to Shadow Step.

There are also a few side quest that you will be given interesting rewards or unlock special access to items and abilities.


Modders who are interested in adding their quest/creating quest for this mod, please feel free to message me. I will answer all questions and there is still a lot of time for your additions.

I would also like to make it known that one of the best sources for inspiration and amazing storyline so far has been my friend Mysteic. While I know it isn't any "hands on" help. Without him many of the quest would never have existed so he should be given credit for his part as well. on that note DONT ASK WHO HE IS I WONT ALLOW YOU TO USE HIS AMAZINGLY GINORMOUS BRAIN!! YOU STAY AWAY FROM THIS "never ending story" DREAMING FOOL OR I"LL FIND AND DESTORY YOU... only joking...right.

VI. NPC Interaction.

We are going through great lengths of testing, trial and error, and programming to give each NPC added by this quest a life of their own, Included with personality and style. From Mirage, the death hungry commander, To Silvonous, the Wisecracking vampire with a sick sense of humor. From the very first interaction with a npc of this mod I hope you will notice the difference.

While I do not have any voice actors available to me for this project, we are taking every step to ensure the immersion will be of top level.

NOTE: Voice acting is being planned for later releases of this mod, though it will not be included in this release... SO DON'T BEG FOR IT!!!

VII. Interior Designs.

The Haven [Lore/Somewhat-Technical]: A masive underground... haven; occupied by several NPCs and filled with ever fascinating gadgets as well as combat supplies. The Haven serves as a home for all who server Namira. It includes areas to keep your skills honed (such as the training room) as well as areas to satisfy needs and create supplies (gardens, potion sorter, alchemical apperati, spellmaking and enchanment areas, forges, mines, and specialized equipment for use of Namira's favored subjects. The haven is an entire city of sorts, it is a self-sustaining wonder!

Most credit for the haven goes to Gamerdude (a.k.a. Dwayne); the rest goes to Tc2r (we would of course, not have a haven with him adding all the NPCs).

???Other Locations:

VIII. Advanced Scripts.

Advanced Scripts were added to create a more immersive and more entertaining as well as useful mod.

The following scripts were created by Gamerdude (a.k.a. Dwayne S.); for more detailed and technical information, visit the scripts section of the website

Alchemical Scripts:

Potion Sorter: Un/Slightly modifed version of base script (see below). Constrained to one container (activator version) rather that working on any.

Forge/Item-Creation Scripts:

Namira's [Insert Catchy Name]: Allows for combining of materials and the Orbs of Namira to create customized and enchanted weapons (Derived from Item Maker)

Forge: [Unimplemented]: Allows for creation of common armor from materials found in the haven's deep mines where the ore deposits are extremely rich and plentiful.

Training Room Scripts: They allow for the better training of the player by allowing them to actually raise their skill level.

Archery [Technical Explanation]: They track the arrows path and then based on impact location on the target and distance traveled, increase the player's skill level by an appropriate amount.

Melee [Lore]: Namira shall summon a training subject(s) (creature) of your choice for direct combat experience. Luckily, you are under Namira's Protection in the training room and thus you have no fear of death or permanent injury. Though you may be injured in the training session. Also, if Namira is pleased with your efforts, you will be rewarded appropriately.

Base Scripts which have been modified to meet the specific requirements of this mod:

Potion Sorter: Allows storage and retrival of potions and poisons by effect or type (potion/poison)

Item Maker: An advanced script that for creation of items from lesser objects (accompanied by mining and refining scripts as well)




Install
=======

Standard
========
1. Extract the files to a temporary location.
2. Examine the folder structure and make corrections where necessary.
3. Copy files to (install folder)\Oblivion\Data\
4. Start Oblivion Launcher, click 'Data Files', place a checkmark beside the .esp file(s).

Oblivion Mod Manager (OMOD-Ready)
=================================
NOTE: This mod is released in what Lhammonds calls "OMOD-Ready"
1. Start Oblivion Mod Manager
2. Click on the "Create" button
3. Select "Add Archive"
4. When prompted to import conversion data, select yes
5. Click "Create omod"
6. Activate the mod (select from right pane of OBMM and then click Activate"

Installer
=========
NOTE: When running under Windows Vista, the installer will need to run with Administrator privlages (right click and select "Run as Administrator")
1. Run the installer (Vista Users, see above note)
2. Review and Accept License Agrement
3. Find and select your Oblivion Data folder, it should already be done for you (Commonly "C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data")
2. Let the installer do the work for you

Uninstall
=========
1. Start Oblivion Launcher, click Data Files, uncheck the .esp file(s).
2. Delete the files/folders associated with the mod.

Example #1 (unique folders to your mod - RECOMMENDED):
Oblivion\Data\Meshes\ShadowKnights
Oblivion\Data\Textures\ShadowKnights

OMOD Uninstall
==============
1. Select mod from right pane of Oblivion Mod Manager
2. Click on "Deactivate"
3. Optionally, right click on mod in right pane of OBMM and select "Delete"

Incompatibility
===============
There are Very Few Incompatiblities that I can think of from this mod. We have worked hard to ensure it will work with most other mods of it's nature

This mod makes minimal edits to existing resources, so any incompatiblity should be minor; though, it may have trouble with landscape mods that change the height of the landscape at areas used by the mod, if so, compatiblity patches will be made

Known Issues or Bugs
====================
ShadowStep is sometimes glitchy (about 3/100) Just beware of this :P.

History
=======
1.0 Released Mod o.o

Contact
=======
Tc2r (a.k.a Tc):
*PM (BGSF): ....... "Tc2r"
PM (TESNexus): ... "Tc2r"
E-mail: .......... "[email protected]"
*YIM: ............. "Tc2r1"
Xfire ............ [private]

Gamerdude (a.k.a. Dwayne S.):
*PM (BGSF): ...... "Gamerdude"
PM (TESNexus): ... "Gamer Dude"
*E-mail: ......... "[email protected]"
*YIM: ............ "Dwayne_Sykes2000"
Xfire: ........... "Gamerdude08"

Cinkei (a.k.a. [private]):
PM (BGSF): ....... "Cinkei"


*Preferred means of contact


Credits
=======
Development Team:

Dre 'Tc2r' White - Team Leader, Head Scripter, Creator, Writer
Dwayne 'GamerDude' Skyes - Scripter, plotter, Interior Designer.
Cinkei - Armor Creator, Weapons Creator, Mesh/texture expert.



Support Team:

Anthrop G - For all his help with scripts, story, plot holes, spells and teaching me bit by bit how to script! Thank you Sensei!

James 'Mysteic' White - For his help with plot and lore, we thank you for all the information and golden storyline you added.

Kittytoaster - For your work on the weather, we thank you for the amazing touch it added. As well as for your help on giving us more ideas.

TheTalkieToaster - For all of your help with scripting, without you we probably would never have gotten much done. Thanks alot!

DarkRder - For your assistance with Contruction set and scripting troubles.

Qazaaq - Your help with advice, storyline, testing and error checking was much appriciated!

ADETH - Your advice on characters and plotline. Mainly your focus on Aigues and all the help you gave us. As well as spell names and abilities

princess_Stomper - your character was what inspired Mirage. Thanks for allowing me to use her likeness :) ( http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/princess_stomper/Misc/ScreenShot53.jpg )

Kyoshiro Mibu - Thank you for creating the sword for Dre'Mond the Khajit Night, You took from me the vision of the sword I imagined and made it reality, thanks again :)!

shadow3356 - For all of your help testing things out and ideas you gave us! You sir have a very very dark mind :) thanks for sharing it!

Nivea - Your help on armor and clothing choices for a few of the characters! thanks alot :).




Credited Work:

7th Keeper's Wooden Sword - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15058

Alexander Wolf's Dark Wings - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5480 - Used on Ryuk the DeathGod partner of Mirage.

skeletonk- http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12785 - Dark Illusion Armor Used on Nimbrinia, The Night, a main character of chapter 1

Lera and Pizz -http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15533 - 2hnd sword and a few clothing pieces used on one of the Mirages. Without which, we would not have created the effect that Celesta has.

Ren - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4431 - Used a few eyes and hair styles from t his amazing artistic work.

candykilobyte - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=13518 - For the death note book texture and original script for following players.

the_devils_avarcardo - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3731 - For work done on the original green scythe used by the shadowknights.

James Blake - Bany Arwyll -Base of the Shadowknight Haven, of which we completely changed but we did start with this so yeah :)

Quairtra- semi Precious Stones Resource used to create namira's orbs

Cenkai's Credits and Thanks:

LordMaddog- Maddogs Fantasy Mod http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10416
(Dead sword)

Bloke- Ringwraith mod http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4311
(Hood, gauntlets)

Nico- Dreadwave Armor http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9611
(part of armor)

Zira- Armor texture help



Acknowledgements:

Thanks to all of those who supported us!
Thanks to all of the fellow modders on the forums who freely gave advice.
Thanks to Bethesda for creating Oblivion.
Thanks to TESNexus.com for the a one-stop-shop resource for authors and players.
Thanks to LHammonds for the Readme Generator this file was based on.
Thanks to God for creating us all.

Tools Used
==========
3D Studio Max - http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax
Adobe Photoshop - http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family/
Blender - http://www.blender.org/
GIMP - www.gimp.org/
BSA Commander - http://letalka.sourceforge.net/morr/index.htm
Oblivion Mod Manager - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2097
Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) - http://obse.silverlock.org/
TES4Edit - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11536
TES4Files - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8489
TES4Gecko - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8665
TESsnip - http://timeslip.chorrol.com/TESsnip.html
TES Construction Set - http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_utilities.htm
Readme Generator - http://lhammonds.game-host.org/obmm/tools_readme_generator1.asp
Wrye Bash - http://wrye.ufrealms.net/Wrye%20Bash.html
MS Paint
Winzip
WinRar
7z


Licensing/Legal
===============
You must contact me and obtain my permission before re-packaging any part of
this mod. If I do not respond within 2 weeks, Please contact one of the other Developers of this mod. If you are unable to reach anyone within 3 weeks, feel free to use parts of this mod however you wish, as long as you give credit for the work we've put our hearts, mind and time into.

A note forom gamerdude: We reserve all rights to use OUR work in any way we see fit, including removing your rights for it. K, just had to add that for legal purposes. Have fun with the mod!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3GFvC3hj-0


http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29078