The Old Gods (Primigenians).

Discussion in 'Side Quests' started by JohnBlackhill, Jun 2, 2013.

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Did you like this Idea? =)

  1. Yep! Totally awesome and looking further to see it in Starbound!

    62.1%
  2. It's a good one, but it needs a bit of more work on it.

    13.8%
  3. Meh, not bad at all.

    10.3%
  4. Not much, I don't like the idea of Older races and gods in my universe >.<

    10.3%
  5. Hell no! It's horrible -_-

    3.4%
  1. JohnBlackhill

    JohnBlackhill Void-Bound Voyager

    1. Introduction.

    (I recommend listening towww.youtube.com/watch?v=8SVy9AFRaqY while reading the introduction ^.^)

    You just exist from FTL travel with your ship. In that very moment, the sensors onboard detect some strange interference in one of the planets on your current star system. This interference may be caused by a Signal that comes codified in a strange language or math code. Sensors also tell you that, by the age of the (dying) star and the gravitational gradient of this system, this planet is old, very old… After a few seconds, your onboard computer ends decyphering the message: It's a loop of numbers that, when decyphered, reads repeately "Evil Within. Keep Away".

    After considering it, you decide to go down to the surface. Looks like the planet lacks from a breathable atmosphere, so you set up your hazmat suit and your weapons to explore the ancient planet and look for the origin of the signal. After teleporting to its surface, you find that the planet is covered by an eternal ash rain, like gray snow. This is a strange phenomenon indeed, because there are no active volcanoes on the surface.

    A few hours later, you find what looks like a middle-opened door of some kind of shelter. The shelter looks modern, but it's surrounded by remnants of an older construction. All the remains are very ancient but they have some technological traces on them, like stone blocks with circuits printed on them that emit a green, dying glow. According to your scanner, the Signal comes from inside, so you resolve to enter.

    There are no traces of life inside the structure, only books and other technological gizmos that won’t work because of the lack of the energy. You just keep walking and wondering about what is this place, when you find some kind of ruined elevator. Of course, it doesn’t work but you see a ladder that goes down into the darkness. You check your scanner and it reads that the signal is below you, so you grab the ladder and go down.

    It almost feels that the darkness inside is “alive” (it is like is moving very slowly). When you reach the last floor of the shelter, after a few minutes of walking, you find an open door that leads to a cavernous area. You enter what looks like to be ruins of some kind of Old Race. Many documents show traductions in various languages (Avian, Human...) of big stone tablets that are floating on the walls (maybe they emmit some kind of magnetic energy?).

    The documents talk about "something" that was sealed aeons ago in this vault. A creature of enormous power that, if freed, will try to open some kind of dimensional vortex in order to lead its "master" into our dimension. This race somehow managed to trick this Harbinger into the vault, and sealing it using the spiritual energy of almost the entire race, making it dissappear.

    As you walk deeper and deeper, you realise that the darkness starts to be more dense, and your flashlight is not enough to disipate it. Anyways, the light provided by the techno-rock blocks is enough to guide you through the ruins. After a few minutes, you reach what looks to be a big room, with many cables around converging on a wall and on a switch. Further investigation reveals that this switch will restore the power to the facility. You activate it...

    After a few seconds and a big hum, all the small lights around you get lit, showing that the wires are connected to some kind of big door, full of hieroglyphs made of that Tech-Rock stone. You wander around looking for some info, until you see some kind of holographic journal. You activate it and a human scientist's figure appears. It starts to talk:

    "We made a terrible mistake. We thought that the door was only emmiting energy, instead of sealing something using it. Now, connecting the wires to this door and leeching its energy just weakened the seal, and something is trying to break it from the inside. Everyone is starting to see weird things, visions... People is starting to dissapear... I will shut down the device this night. The other scientists will be mad at me, but we don't have a choice..."

    Suddenly, the hieroglyphs at the door stop glowing and the lights start to fade out very slowly. The door slowly opens, and “Something” starts to crawl from inside. Your teleporter does not work at this depth, so you ran to the elevator shaft in hopes of running away from that “thing” before all the lights go out..

    Something behind you emits a scream that cannot come from any animal or being that was born in this universe or dimension…

    After reaching the upper level, you feel that the darkness increases behind you, like if it is alive, trying to reach your suit. You run desperately to the front door, only to find that is closing. In the last moment you manage to pass through it, reaching the surface. You can now see that there are some ghostly figures that wander without objective, looking to nowhere. One of them that is next to you mumbles “We managed to get it sealed…” repeatedly.

    You just power up your teleporter, and you got beamed up at the same time “something” breaks the old shelter’s door…

    After appearing inside your ship, you find that something like a big shadow leaves the planet and jumps into FTL. Your computer indicates that it emmits some kind of dark energy. This should make it traceable. The destiny of the galaxy is in your hands. You must find the creature and kill it before it opens the portal to allow its master to reach this universe and consume all life...

    2. The Old Gods – Information.

    I’m an avid reader of H.P. Lovecraft, and I love the idea of “things” that are far beyond our understanding or comprehension. No one knows what lurks in the dark, empty void of the space.

    The Old Gods plot is designed for High Level – Endgame content players. This means that until you reach that level or meet certain conditions, you won’t be able to find the planet where the plotline starts.

    When awaking this “thing” in the planet, you started an apocalyptic chain of events that will make your galaxy disappear. This “thing” is the harbinger of the Old Gods, and will wake them one by one to prepare them for the “final ascension”, when Azathoth (The greatest of the Old Gods) will consume the galaxy in a maddening vortex of pain and blood. The Harbinger was sealed by the Firstborn (or the First Race) at a very high cost, in order to prevent its master to reach our dimension. It is possible to learn more about the Firstborn by investigating the ruins before opening the door and letting the Harbinger escape, or after defeating him by returning to the remains of the shelter.
    IMPORTANT: Nothing is going to happen to the server or your universe's planets. The galaxy will remain normal even when you wake up the Harbinger =)

    Bosses are optional - They may be not added to the quest in order to get it implemented on Starbound!
    Of course, you will have to find those Lesser Old Gods in order to defeat them and prevent Azathoth from entering this dimension. The thing is that a mortal being cannot “kill” an Old God (Its body gets destroyed, but it resurrects again at the side of its master Azathoth), so you have to complete a reverse ritual using some drops they leave when killed (Some kind of strange jewels that, together, seal the entrance to our dimension from the maddening plane of the Primigenians). To find those beings, you will have to search to “strange” and “weird” things over the galaxy (this means deserted cities in no time, disappeared ships, asteroids with abandoned space stations and so on). Once all of them are defeated, you will be able to travel where Azathoth will enter this universe, and seal him once and for all.

    The galaxy will remain normal at all times. NO PLANET WILL BE DESTROYED in this quest ^^ There will be only a few planets generated in order to accomodate the Old Gods, and they can be Hardcoded or created with the planet randomizer =) These planets will only be generated if you start the quest.

    This quest is meant to be singleplayer, though you can invite friends with lesser level to join in order to complete it =)

    3. The Old Gods – Enemies.
    In this part I will describe some of the bosses of the plotline, as their names from Cthulhu Mythos converted to Starbound ones =) ALL the names could be changed in order to evade troubles with rights and things like that. I use Lovecraft's names in order to have a base to portrait Starbound's Old Gods:

    Azathoth (Ashtarhatoth, the End Of All): The god of gods. He dwells in the empty regions of the space, in another plane of existence, where he sleeps awaiting for the right moment to return to our dimension. If he success, the entire galaxy will be consumed in a vortex of blood, madness and pain. There’s possibly no way that a player can kill Ashtarhatoth, though it could happen to seal him by destroying its body and gaining some time to end the ritual of closure.

    Cthulhu (C’thun’e, The Priest of Madness): One of the 5 lesser gods that will try to open the dimensional vortex to summon his master. He sleeps deep in the ocean, inside the ruins of an aquatic city, awaiting the Harbinger to wake him. No one has ever seen its appeareance, not even the Ancient race.

    Nyarlathothep (Nayarl’tep, The One That Deceives): One of the 5. He doesn’t have a definite form, because he can change it to whatever he wants. He roams the space, consuming the life of every sentient race he finds. You can find him in a planet that has been recently “harvested” (this means empty cities, desert worlds that where once jungles…).

    Shude’Mell (Shademellius, The One that Crawls): One of the 5. He appears to be a giant sandworm, and thus you can find it inside a BIG desert planet, deep beneath the surface.

    Shub-Niggurath (Shudd-ugurathi, Mother of the Forgotten): One of the 5. “She” is some kind of epic-sized goo that spawns weird and antinatural aberrations when awake. It could be found in Jungle planets, deep inside a strange temple.

    Yog-Sothoth (Yoggoshth, Roamer of Dimensions): The last one of the 5 and also the Harbinger that you woke up. Looks like some kind of worm-like creature but without a definite form. It is the one that will fulfill the summoning rite and will use its powers to open the portal. It can be found at Lava and Magma worlds deep beneath the surface, leeching the heat from the core.

    4. The Prize:
    After killing these entities of beholding power and closing the gate to Ashtarhatoth’s plane one and for all, you will be granted some kind of pearl of weird looking. This pearl allows you to travel instantly with no fuel consumption (once installed properly on your ships engines) to any star system you desire, though you will need certain bits of Ancient Race technology to make this work, maybe returning to the planet where the Harbinger woke up, and scavenging the ruins where he was sleeping, behind the sealed door. In there, you will find final information about The First Race and their civilization lore.


    I hope this will add a bit of seriousness and fear inside the Starbound universe!

    Thanks for reading, and please leave your (constructive! >.<) opinion! ^^

    Edit 01: A few grammar and format mistakes were corrected =)
    Edit 02: Added many suggerences courtesy of Witness [Ruins inside the first vault rather thar dispersed through the galaxy | No server impact | sharing quest with friends of lesser level | No planets destroyed in the quest] (Thanks a lot! =D)
    Edit 03: Added the possibility to return to the Harbinger's ruins to scavenge Old Technology to make the Final Boss Gem work, and to know more about the First Race =)
    Edit 04: Modified Introduction to meet new ideas and an easier implementation.
     
    D.M.G., DrFlashbang, Vaeros and 2 others like this.
  2. MEWMEW

    MEWMEW Existential Complex

    HMMMMMMMMMMM. I don't like it. But I'm sure many more people will like it. Good luck
     
  3. The Thing

    The Thing Existential Complex

    Ah well, Lovercraft mythos is alway popular. The thing is, in Starbound, I think that they just dont fit in the mood of the game. Unless they get slightly "cartoonised" if you will, the madness, fear and total alienation side of them lessened, they might fit more, but then, what is the point? Starbound is not about the scary dark void of eternal coldness that is space but about amazing discovery, wonder and brightly colored worlds. From the look of it, also more on the comic side of things.

    For mod? Sure thing, couple that with madness meter, grimmy texture pack, higher survival difficulty and you got yourself a pretty good Cthulu game in space.
    Edit: The quest and Game Master system Tiy talked about would allow for sucha level of creativity in that game, a horror Starbound could be made with only a few changes and additions. I can already see a server with the players desperatly fighting off hordes of zombies and mutated creature, looking for lost artifact pointing out the location of the ancient ones and the ways to stop the end of the universe.
     
    JohnBlackhill and MEWMEW like this.
  4. JohnBlackhill

    JohnBlackhill Void-Bound Voyager

    Oh yes! Of course they should be cartoonised =) There could be even a normal version which shouldn't be so dark and gloomy, and a mod version that is made Lovecraft style =) I was thinking in something like Eye of Cthulhu in Terraria ^^
     
  5. Witness

    Witness Giant Laser Beams

    I like the premise itself, though I agree it may be a very different theme than what Starbound was planned to show. But I still hope that some more serious, grim etc events and adventures will find their place in the world.

    I am not fond of ripping beings from Cthulhu mythos. I am not sure if anyone holds any rights to them, but if they do, adding even half of what you suggested the way it was portrayed is asking for trouble. Possibly it would have to be dumbed down, too.

    Some random, creepy, mysterious creature of vague origins fleeing to some small moon after player escapes the structure, where it can be followed for a showdown may be very simple by comparison, but far easier to be turned into a quest and won't force it upon the player. I also do hope that 'vortex of pain and blood' thing was meant to be fluff-only. If it would be actual game-world destroying process it'd be very unbalanced, kinda pain to be made and total disaster on multiplayer servers - 'Hey, there, new player! Enjoying our server? Well, pack yourself and get out, because the only really powerful player currently unleashed an apocalypse and then logged out - so you're screwed!'.

    The part of the quest in the introduction is nice, but some technical things would have to be ironed out and possibly simplified for the sake of increasing chances of being added.

    For example, again - on multiplayer servers there could be people of different level (of equipment). How the game would recognize that this guy here is powerful and the other is not would need some additional algorithm, and that aside, a planet which would be visible only for chosen guys isn't a good idea. I'd rather have it just normal planet of high-difficulty rating with strong monsters roaming the outside - but not the inside of the complex.

    Other thing is the message that is being decyphered in the beginning. The idea is nice if you'd have a book or a movie, but in game I bet many players won't move till they get the whole thing readable. And it's actually fine with me, since it's vague enough that they should get the info about the evil nearly straight away, with tiny cutscene or in plain, already decyphered English at the complex entrance.

    Aside from that, making different kind of ruins, long journey filled with logs etc is a really lot for what's just a side quest. A few logs, informations I'd rather have in this one particular structure which is holding The Vague Being. Not only it would allow easy access to some background lore but would make this one particular place unique. And far easier to be implemented than whole facilities of this particular race strewn around the galaxy, that one has to find and explore.
     
    JohnBlackhill likes this.
  6. JohnBlackhill

    JohnBlackhill Void-Bound Voyager

    I will response you paragraph to paragraph, It will be easier and more undestandable =P

    All of this lore should be "Starboundized" in order to make it fit in this colourful universe. I didn't forget that Starbound is all about exploration and experiences, but I'll like to see, as you said, a little bit of "serious" content for us the mature players too! It shouldn't be as "OMG NECROMORPHS! DEADSPACEOMGRUN!!!", but it will be cool to implement a few side quests that show that this colorful universe has a "not so bright" side =)

    Of course all the names of Cthulhu Mythos should be changed in order to avoid copyright problems! >.< I just used them to portrait how those bosses will be =) They could just have diferent names and playing mechanics that fit in Starbound's universe.

    The universe destruction was meant to be fluff-only ^^ I am the first one that hates to see everything destroyed. It shouldn't have a timer or anything that "starts destroying planets until you defeat the Big Boss of the Primigenians". The "Vortex of blood and pain" is just some kind of mythological reference, nothing to worry about while playing (though the player will not know this ;P).
    Talking about the deserted planets with cities and jungles where bosses can be found, they should be generated when this side quest starts. They have to be unique worlds that doesn't affect the gameplay at all, have a "random but special seed" that randomizes them but without ripping out any of the features they have to offer (i.e: boss sanctuary, special characteristics like abandoned cities and so on...).

    I don't have any problem with this! In fact, as the introduction is mantained as something "scary" (not too much though) it could be modified in any way =)

    This side quest was meant to be independent for each player. This means that only the players with a certain level could access this side quest (but they can invite friends of lesser level to it). Of course this can be changed in a new mechanic: You can access this quest anytime you find the Vault Planet, but you cannot have enough power to defeat the mobs or the bosses so you have to return later. That's why the "vortex of pain a blood" shouldn't be real =)

    Yup, I like that idea too. "Evil Inside" written in the doors of the underground vault =) Oh and the message was meant to be decyphered ONLY when you return to your ship after running away from the creature =) I thought in another way of decyphering this message. In Mass Effect 2 DLC "Arrival" you have a countdown of two days of real time until something happens. There's people in youtube that waited all those days just to see if something happens, and it does!! Maybe the message could be decyphered in a few hours real time (though it will be fully decyphered when you return to your ship, meaning time was distorted in that place.

    I like your idea. In fact, the facility could be built over a big dungeon that holds many archaeological artifacts (maybe even fossils of the pre-order goal!). And in the deepest place of it, the door that seals the Vague Being.


    Sorry for the big text! >.<
    Oh and I liked many things of your response! With your permission, I will add them to the main post (I'll give you credit for it! ^_^)
     
    D.M.G. likes this.
  7. Witness

    Witness Giant Laser Beams

    That I am sure we agree on without saying from the very beginning.

    Planets popping into existence would be a problem. Maybe adopting one of the yet uncovered dungeons and sending coordinates to the player (fluff-wise, ship system were able to track very unique energy signature of the creature or some such) would work better? Generally, I believe the set should be ready before the play, so to speak - as stuff randomly happening because of magical trigger will take away much from the immersion, especially on the more populated servers where sudden changes may be very well noticeable.

    The problem with multiple bosses or cities is also focus - I'd like the quest to be focused. You saw and released amorphous evil being - here, that's what you should concentrate on, this is what you caused and have to clean up after getting to some given coordinates where the showdown can take place. Additional bosses or ruins spanning the galaxy may seem like an epic journey recipe, but they'd muddle the picture a bit and decrease chances for quest to be added as it becomes a very big thing this way, not just, well, a side quest.

    Why not to make the whole creature-is-released-and-flees-to-predetermined-location automatic? This way the level of player won't matter for plot progressio and nothing will get messed up. Natural selection will take place on the way to the facility if the planet will be high level - strong players will get through, weak will get killed by the mobs. It will be also easier to code it that way instead of making power scaling, equipment power restrictions and who knows what new features just for the sake of this one sidequest. Player just finds the tomb/containment facility, enters, releases the Evil Stuff of Doom upon getting far enough, they both get away, facility lies empty, the hunt for weakened Evil Stuff of Doom that Escaped begins. On the surface life goes undisturbed, till sidequest resets and another adventurer/sucker activates it.

    That's why I have a problem with it. Because players won't wait till 'running away from the creature' bit, but just get annoyed they didn't get messgage deciphered already after waiting 2 minutes IRL, on their ships, staring at the console. And to reiterate, I do think they should get this deciphered straight away, since it's not a book and knowing this info beforehand won't spoil the mood. Quite the opposite, it may encourage the curious.

    Won't work, unfortunately, especially on multiplayer servers where people will come and go - and sometimes they just need to no matter what they want. Unless you'd restrict it by makign independent countdown per player or it being single player thing only, both being rather bad choices. Not to mention the fact that someone would have to code this all. That's why I prefer this bit as one of the streamlined and simplified ones - just a curious low-power signal you decypher instantly upon checking description of the planet or seeing the door upon arrival at the facility.

    No need to credit me, I am just a random person who wanted to share some critique as I'd like to see something like that - I just believe some things should be adjusted so it will be fun and functional while not overly complicated to code and play.
     
    JohnBlackhill likes this.
  8. JohnBlackhill

    JohnBlackhill Void-Bound Voyager

    Hmm you are right about the planet creation, I like your idea of them being there and not generated just when the quest starts =)

    About the multiple bosses, I love the idea of an epic travel between worlds of high level. This quest is meant to be something that you can do with end-game gear, so you can squeeze the game a little bit more and get an awesome item =) Anyways, if bosses should be left out, "fake" signals in the map can be used to make the player explore a few planets until he reaches the good one. For walkthrough-proof's sake, the planet where the Evil Guy ends up should be selected ramdomly between a few planets (Let's say... 4 planets) Reason: The Evil Stuff of Doom just scaped and jumped across a few planets, so it can gain some time to prepare its master's arrival by deceiving you. No bosses, no randomly generated planets on start of the quest. Just normal planets, and one where the Evil Stuff will try to summon its master.

    I totally agree with this. Using the planet level will make the implementation easier because of leaving out the "player level" concept. In the other hand, I don't like the idea of waiting the sidequest to reset (I've played a few MMORPGs and waiting for something to respawn or reset just breaks the immersion >.<). Could this be implemented client-side? I mean, the planet will show on the server's map, but to avoid a waiting line, it is executed client-side so you can explore the planet and the facility without waiting. This also adds a point of lonelyness (except if you bring friends with you) and also adds a sense of the unknown too (exploring a planet alone or with a small group, no people around, deadly mobs...).

    If you see it that way... yup, it could be annoying. Also you have a point on getting it deciphered right away and making people curious. Seeing the planet's high level and the signal warning can be more appealing that going to investigate an undeciphered signal.

    I'll modify the Introduction as soon as possible to fit these new things ^^ Again, thanks!
     
  9. BurningSprite

    BurningSprite Big Damn Hero

    What about the Great Race of Yith, Iä, and the Black Goat of the Woods?
     
  10. Commander Benny

    Commander Benny Phantasmal Quasar

    your blowing my mind man! but I think the rewards should be randomized. maybe you luck out and get, "The ring of azeroth" and can now make yourself as powerful as a god, but still mortal.
     
  11. Untrustedlife

    Untrustedlife Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    Lovecraft has always been a popular inspiration for suggestions in this game.. making it a few quests would be nice. (its always fun to find ancient things, and i do belive cosmic horror should be a thing in starbound (even if they purposefully make it not scary))

    It appeals to multiple playstyles :)
     
  12. Blarzek

    Blarzek Void-Bound Voyager

    I really love to see this in the game :chucklefish:
     
  13. EchoesOfRain

    EchoesOfRain Big Damn Hero

    I don't see how this wouldn't fit into starbound. It promotes exploration, makes for more interesting boss battles/encounters, and adds more lore. would definitely love to see something like this
     
    Untrustedlife likes this.
  14. Commander Benny

    Commander Benny Phantasmal Quasar

    I just realized something. what if one of these dark creatures from another realm... is actually "it" that all the possessed crystal temple soldiers refer to?
     
  15. Vaeros

    Vaeros Void-Bound Voyager

    Alright I Skimmed your Idea and I like it. I am willing to admit I have not dipped into the Lovecraftian books but I consider myself a fan of the ideas behind them. First Time i ran into a Tentacle planet I will be honest and say I wasnt looking before I hit warp and damn near lost my mind when I saw those massive things from Orbit and was like "SO MUCH NOPE!!" and tried to warp away... only to find that i had only given it enough coal to make one jump. needless to say when I got down there I was massively disapointed that there was no other special danger about the planet other than it being super creepy.

    They MUST do something with this planet type and mini biome type by the time the finished game comes out. Its to big not to be and your idea is on the right track. If not straight up Lovecraft stuff it should be some other similar cosmic horror that we may want to deal with
     
  16. starwarsfan1011

    starwarsfan1011 Void-Bound Voyager

    I love the idea but maybe a different prize??
     
  17. D.M.G.

    D.M.G. Master Astronaut

    I think the prize that you get at the end is, and by FAR, the less dangerous thing you could get from Ancient Beings relics x)
     
  18. Ozoner

    Ozoner Poptop Tamer

    I love it, i like the serious mood of this story and it's very well thought out. My addition is that I think you should add npc's or make a crew member a close friend to add attachment, and then kill them! Add stakes and retribution, but that may be too dark
     

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