Please... this terrifying critters as enemies in leveled lists please..
As I turn around a corner in a dingy dimly-lit dungeon, I am halted by a slithering noise, followed by a series of chittering sounds. I stand and sway in panicked alarm, glancing everywhere, my enchanted sword raised at the ready. But my hand is shivering slightly, there are goosebumps on my arm - has it suddenly become cold? Then the torches in the dungeon room wink out in puffs of smoke, as if a grim breeze reached out and snuffed them. I am surrounded by pitch darkness now, and when I quickly throw up a magelight spell to try to dispel the bonechilling fear that's now numbing my body, the magelight casts vague shadows on the grimy walls of the dungeon.
And then the shadows start to move, even as the chittering has turned into angry clacking noises, with flittering of wings and frittering of tiny feet on the cold stone floor. And those terrifying noises are headed towards me.
I whirl around, throwing out fireballs in blind panic, not sure who or what I'm targeting, I just want to keep these menacing terrors at bay. My magicka has depleted, and I stand exhausted as my magelight fades away, while the darkness closes in on me. Now there's unnerving silence, and I wonder if my fireballs chased them away.
I need to find the way out, escape this dreadful dungeon. I decide to sneak forward (where the heck is the door to the next room?), my muffled boots will help, my chainmail armor could take a few blows. I may be exhausted, but my reflexes belie my advancing age.
I crawl forward silently, until I hit something hard. Must be a wall or a boulder. I reach out with my hands, to feel it, to see which way I must go. My hands touch something slimy and stinky, coated on something shiny and slippery.
Like mucus ooze on hard chitin.
My magicka replenished to some extent, I throw up a candlelight as a reflex, but as I try to spring backwards, I am gripped by arms strong and unrelenting like a steel clamp. In shock, I look down to see more chitinous arms (feet? Appendages?) rise up around me, caressing me, tugging away at my armor and equipment. I am in the vice grip of a chitinous monster. My fate is sealed. I've led a long life as a mercenary and adventurer, but this dingy forgotten dungeon, shall be my tomb.
As I stare up into the most terrifying visage of my eventful life -- a black chitin-armored insectoid monster, with clacking razer-sharp jaws (Mandibles? My old mentor, an alchemist adventurer - his teachings to me, came up like some feeble echoes to my mind.), beady lidless glowing-yellow relentless eyes, hairy bisected head dangling on a neckless armored thorax on a bloated hairy abdomen -- I knew then that this dungeon would not be my tomb. Because I am going to be eaten raw by this ravenous monster. With a sudden cry of adrenaline-fueled rage, I bash my head encased in the armored helm into the insect monster's head, and it shrieks in pain but it still clutches me in its unrelenting grip. So I cast a fireball at its hairy mucus-covered abdomen, which catches fire instantly, and as the abdomen explodes in a hissing pop, the monster finally lets go of me. I fall back and grab my fallen sword as I throw another fireball at it, and see the creature writhe with eerie shrieks and clacks as it burns and burns.
I raise my sword and yell a cry of triumph, and wince in pain, as I realize my arms are bleeding. I throw up another magelight, and try to find my potion to heal myself and replenish my mana, when I hear it.
The thunderous echoing drone of hundreds of insect voices and noises as they erupted in anger, and the monsters of nightmares rushed at me. Biting my arms, jabbing at me, nibbling my legs, toppling me -- their slimy slick bodies smothering me, as I fought like a madman to get to my feet.
But it was no use, they were too strong, they were armored everywhere, my dagger barely made a scratch on their chitin (though I heard a scream as I managed a lucky amputation of some creature's limb), and my other arm was pinned down. But its fingers was free, and they found something that had rolled on the floor.
A scroll. With my last ounce of my strength and mana, I cast a diversion and an escape. A town portal. The last of my expensive scrolls was to be my savoir.
As the town portal sizzled and hummed into existence with a bright blue pulsating energy, it scared off the monsters off me, as they shied away to the corners retreating from this unexpected new danger. And with adrenaline fueled leap, I dove into the town portal, mentally thanking my Khajiit ancestry for this incredible agility. As I crossed through the strangely calm void of the town portal, I landed directly on top of a startled guard in Whiterun, who immediately cursed me and arrested me "for disturbing the peace".
Marched to the Jarl of Whiterun, to meet my justice, I begged for leniency, and explained my situation. But these veteran warriors and the court wizard (an odd fellow with an odd name Farengar secret-something) laughed at me, jeering at me for being scared by a few low-level chaurus creatures, though the Jarl's face furrowed in worried contemplation.
It was only when I held up my new prized possession - an segmented Insectoid limb, covered with oozing mucus and long needle-like hairs, which was clearly from no known beast or creature - that there was an awed silence, and dawning respect for me.
The Jarl commanded for the court healer to tend to my wounds, and assembled a posse of his finest warriors. I offered to help lead the way, but they bade me to rest. They didn't need me.
Because my town portal still stood there near the Whiterun market, shimmering under the warm sunlight, now guarded by the guards to keep away the curious onlookers.
The battle I had lost against the insects, could still be won by this Hold. (And if they did, would I get citizenship in this city/Hold, and maybe even a job and a house? My injuries still ached, and it was perhaps time for me to think of retirement from such foolhardy adventures.)
The grim fully-armored posse led by the Whiterun Housejarl Irileth herself and the wizard Farengar with his chosen battlemages, walked towards the portal, determined to vanquish the new evil. I followed them at a discreet distance (after somehow managing to fend off the ministrations of the kind healer), eager to see how many would return
As the posse was poised to enter the portal, they halted in surprise, when a regal-looking finely-clothed insectoid creature, taller than all of us, stepped out of the portal !
And in a chittering grating voice, he (Or was it as She? It? Some insects can change genders! Hermaphroditism, it was called, I think) asked to meet the King, as an Envoy and Ambassador of the Evolved Insect Races.
And thus began, a new history in the land of Tamriel - where man, mer and beastfolk learnt to coexist with the insectfolk.
The amount of effort put into this mod is insane, you could've just made the bugs as companions and call it a day. But you put effort into their town, their weapons,their food,their houses,their furniture,buildings,pets and everything else.
This mod is so fucking awesome and so underrated. Good job man!
Oh my god, this designs are SO GOOD! i just wish they were playable races instead of simple companions, ESPECIALLY the chaurus like character, i think is the best and i would definitely download a race mod like that to play every session of my skyrim
Haven't downloaded it but screenshots and the idea is cool. However I see these things more like enemies. That crab giant looks quite fitting to some pirate tale :)
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This mod is so fucking awesome and so underrated. Good job man!
Please, seek therapy
why?