- Requires Nwn 1.66 and all expansions -
*As listed above... SoU, HotU, and CEP*
(The two hour listed length is only an approximate listing. Actual time taken to complete this module depends on the player's skill and character class.)
** For mature players only due to blood and gore, as well as occasionally adult subject matter, and situations that may be too disturbing for younger players to handle. Definately not for children! Player's discretion is advised. **
In a European border community during the year 1306 A.D. you have been newly recruited into the local Guard. But you never expected to be called in to solve a mystery that they could not, and even less did your mind expect... that this seemingly simple mission would soon pit you against a diabolical array of foes including a cult founded by a long dead murderer, a monstrous demon lord from a
distant plane, a killer so savage that the Guardsmen thought it was a wolf... and the walking dead. You will uncover the secrets buried in the old cemetary of Eldbrooke, probe the mind of a young girl who may well be insane, learn the dread doings of a village physician who has gone mad, and in the end... you may even discover why it is that sometimes we must question good and evil not in others, but within ourselves. (Any of the fighting-class characters will do best in this module, since there is a great deal of fighting to be done early on that magic-users would find tough.)
Disclaimer: The villages of Northridge and Eldbrooke are both fictional... and represent the sort of "here today, gone tomorrow" type of villages that popped up in the borderlands of many countries in the Middle Ages. This module is not intended to present historical medieval facts, but rather (like the Arthurian tales)is merely a legend set against a historical backdrop. So don't be too surprised when you encounter legendary creatures... such as orcs and goblins.)
Note: Pay very close attention to item descriptions; sometimes they contain an
important piece of information, or even clues, especially when you get down to Eldbrooke. Also, always talk to every character who does not attack you since anyone you meet, good or evil, may have information to reveal in conversation.
If you are meant to fight anyway... it will come up in the dialogue. (This is not a module that you can simply hack and slash your way through.) There are no Journal enties in this module... so you must keep your own notes. Lastly, there are two endings that await you: the "good" ending, if you can get the killer to fight you at the end... and the "bad" ending... which you can get
for letting the killer escape justice. Equal rewards either way though! That said, and without spoiling anything... I hope you enjoy this, my first actual module for Nwn. (Up until now I've only done portraits and prefabs!) So don't forget to vote for it, and be sure to post any comments. - Chaos_Theocrat ***Uncut at last! Now includes journal entries, map notes, and other highly important fixes.***
On the plus side, I found the plot to be engaging and well constructed. It definitely merits a re-play. My only criticisms are fairly minor: the word "it's" as the possessive form and a few typographical errors (although it's counterintuitive, "its" is the possessive form of "it," while "it's" is a contraction of "it is"). Also, I noticed that NPCs like Alice and the sergeant tended to walk around while my character was talking to them. In Alice's case, however, it made sense because she was probably agitated. Finally, it wasn't clear what needed to happen in a couple of places and I opened the module in the Toolset to see what was up. It's clear that a lot of thought and talented storytelling went into this. Thank you for creating and posting this module! MacMorris
Posted by dwong1207 at on05/18/07
Great mod. I came in as a lvl 2 Barbarian and it was pretty difficult fighting through the orcs and skeletons. If you plan on updating, you might want to consider toning down the fight just a little bit. Maybe a little too much hack n' slash for a mystery type module. Outside of the difficult fights, I liked the concept and what you put together. Something that might be neat is to have the character have some search skills and hide some clues and force the character to search for the clues. Otherwise, it's pretty linear. Just a suggestion.
Posted by PaulBlay at on05/12/07
Nice to see an author keeping an interest in his module.
Posted by chaos_theocrat at 2006-09-3012:10:44
Howatt, I am so glad it works for you now! Especially since the old ruins on the hilltop is where the storyline of the module starts to get interesting for the first time, as the plot begins to thicken and you near the town where the real mystery awaits. Thank you for letting me know that all went well too, as this matter concerned me greatly... Big Cheers, and good journeys!
Posted by Howatt at 2006-09-2710:24:06
Hey! An update! I did like you said and I emptied my override folder and voila! rocks all gone!! Now I can sit down and truly enjoy your mod. Sorry for all the trouble. This is the first time I've had this kind of trouble with a module. Now I know what to do for future. Thanks!
Posted by chaos_theocrat at 2006-09-1009:44:14
The bug that has been reported by both Howatt and ShadowSweetness seems to be somehow patch-related, possibly going back to 1.67 and the placeables it had added. Since it is not module-related in any way (I've expereienced not one problem on my end) I have decided to go ahead and email both the nwbugs section of Bioware, and also Maximus, with the full details of what you folks seem to be experiencing. This way, whatever is the cause of this on Nwn's end, it may well be taken care of, hopefully with the next patch. That's all I can do, I wish I could have done more. Farewell.
Posted by chaos_theocrat at 2006-09-1000:22:15
That is strange, Howatt, that you keep seeing rocks all over that area when I didn't put any rocks there. The copy of the module I just tested, I downloaded right off here before testing. It's a fresh copy, and the only things I put on the ground before the grassy ramp were a bunch of tall grass placeables and some ferns and underbrush, but not a thing to block passage, and no rocks of any kind! I'm looking at it again in the toolset... no rocks anywhere. Just the Pine Trees, and that vegetation I was talking about. I'm using Nwn 1.68 right now, and I didn't even patch the CEP before testing... but I didn't see one odd thing. If you really are seeing all the grass, ferns, and underbrush as rocks... and they didn't even come with CEP, they're all just bioware standard placeabels... there is something very seriously wrong with your Nwn somehow. No one else who posted here, save for you and ShadowySweetness, seems to have had this problem, either. But... there seems to be something very, very oddly strange with a lot of people's systems lately since the 1.68 patch came out. On my other module, Knights of the Holy Grail, someone reported a missin portal with a bioware standard placeable but no one else seemed to have that issue, just that one person. I think the way either 1.67 or 1.68 (I assume you have one patch or the other) is interacting with some people's systems, not every computer... is welcoming those patches with open arms. According to Bioware, you can't have ANYTHING inside of your override folder. If you do, it screws up the game somehow. That's how picky and touchy the new 1.68 patch is. Yet, with nothing in my override, it's all normal enough for me. While typing all this, I patched the CEP for this module in my toolset, and I'm going to take a look now... Ok, I still see the normal vegetation. Not a rock in sight at all on Old Forest way. I don't think I can help you with this one, I'm sorry but whatever is causing your problem it's very like the fellow with the vanishing portal... it's unique to your setup of Nwn somehow. Ah well, I tried to be of help... so no fault in that. It's just one of those things that's beyond any understanding. Perhaps your copy of the module is screwed up, or perhaps your Nwn is messed from one of the patches. Either way, you might want to look into this further on your end. I'm having no problems at all on mine, nor is anyone else I've been in contact with lately except those I mentioned in this post. Good luck in sorting your problem out, whatever is causing it, and farewell.
Posted by Howatt at 2006-09-0915:07:24
Sorry, I've decided to delete the game. I stand at the gate and face east, yes I check my compass, the only grassy ramp is surrounded by rocks and mushroom shaped rocks I cannot cross. There is tall grass but none out of the ordinary. Maybe my version is messed up or I am but I give up. Sorry.
Posted by chaos_theocrat at 2006-09-0820:23:28
Actually, if the directions I just gave still don't help, there is one last bit of advice I can give you: feel free to open up the module in the toolset and examine the layout of the maps... the area transition placements, as well as the terrain, and everything else. This might help to visualize where it all appears in-game. I know it helps me a lot sometimes when I'm playing modules that are difficult. The toolset info is almost like a built-in stragy guide in that anything you wonder about where it might be, you can find there. So... all is not dark if you can't find the way; there is always a way to find, if you know where to look. Farewell again.
Posted by chaos_theocrat at 2006-09-0820:09:05
I just opened up the module in the tool-set and I looked at the Old Forest Way area with the gate at the far south of the map. I hit Test Module, and in the game I made my way to the gate (it was a while, but worth it). From the wooden gate, I faced east so that in front of me was a patch of pine trees... between which lies... a LOT of VERY tall grass. Behind the tall grass is a hidden ramp up the hill. Where I am, there are NO pointed rocks anywhere. None. (You were probably on the west side, and not the east, as there are such rocks over that way, but not where I am at right now.) As I am walking up the hill... still facing to the east, I can see an area transition by pointing my cursor on the ground on the top of the hill as I am walking up it. I am between two rows of trees that go off the edge of the map, with some pine trees to either side of me. I will right now open my minimap. Ok, on the exact spot on the ground where the area transition is, there is a map pin with the message "Old Forest Hill" when you click on it. So, I am closing the minimap now, and I begin clicking down on the area transition (it's blue, and it's on the ground, and there are no glitches) I am being taken to an area called "Ruined Keep". I am exiting the game now, so I can finish writing this without having to hit the windows key to minimize the game screen every two minutes... there. Now, when following these directions, there is no way you cannot get to the Ruined Keep. Other people have found the way; if you look at the posts you will see they have completed the entire module. So it CAN be done. You just keep going the wrong way. If you followed the exact directions I have just posted just now there is no way to go wrong. Look at your compass, check your minimap, and look for the tall grass where there is no pointy rocks. Remember, if you are facing the gate east should be to your left, not right. Check your compass to make sure it IS east you are facing. I cannot get more accurate and specific than this. It's play-by-play as I did it in-game. So if this can't help you, nothing can. Good luck; I must be off!
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