Video games set in Ireland..? Do it yourself! Skyrish Project

There are not many video games set in Ireland. What about adding a couple of them..?

If we are not planning trips to, blogging about, traveling in Ireland, probably we are fighting dragons in Skyrim.

We also blogged a bit (in Italian, so far) about the connections between Ireland folklore and Skyrim.

We believe that the Ireland of the Celtic Myths, the Ireland of Cú Chulainn and Fionn mac Cumhaill would be an awesome, beautiful new world for the Skyrim engine. Let’s name it Skyrish…

But how should Skyrish be like..?

Character Creation: Race adaptation

Just pick up the Races for Skyrish from the Lebor Gabála Érenn – The Book of the Taking of Ireland, and adapt the Skyrim Races to them:

• Fomorians – the most orcish in the Irish Celtic myths. So: let give them the Orc Skills (but not the Berserker Trait: we need it somewhere else!);
• Fir Bolgs – the most elusive and maybe less loved between the Peoples of the Lebor Gabála, so it sounds like Argonians for Traits, and Bretons for appearance. If they come to Ireland from Greece on rafts made of bags, they definitely deserve the Resist Disease and Waterbreathing Traits;
• Tuatha dé Danann – they are cool, Magic flows in their veins and they are a bit snotty: it sounds like Altmer, with their Highborn Trait;
• Milesians – outsiders, they come last, to stay: I’d say it’s Bretons’ style, with Magic Resistance Trait (but without Dragonskin power).

 Skills Adaptation

Combat and Stealth Skills are just fine. No Destruction Magic in Skyrish: it would be lore unfriendly. Anyway the “philosophy” of a lore friendly magic system needs some changes: we’ll talk later about them.

What we will miss

Dragons and Dragons Shouts, of course! Lycanthropy too: animal shapeshifting is ok, but it’s more in the Wrath of Nature: The Path of the Druid mod way. Vampirism is still in, instead, according to the Red Blood Sucker and the Dracula / Dreach-Fhoula myths.

Skyrish unique features

Some kick-ass NPC

Balor and his death-ray eye; Lugh, the Champion of Light (his sword, Fragarach, is quite similar to Dawnbreaker, but definitely older!); the greedy (and feminist in her own way) queen Medbh and, of course, Cú Chulainn.

He is the reason for which “Berserker” can’t be a Race Trait. And for which we need the concept of Class back in Skyrish. “Berserker” becomes “Riastradh”: the Battle Rage of the heroes. I think about it in terms of Perks (and in terms of a super-cool animation for the sparks from hair and mouth, and the huge eye!).

Powers for Warriors and Druids

I mentioned the “go back to Classes” issue. In an auld good indo-european way, Skyrish character has to be a Warrior or a Priest (a Druid in our case).

Two paths, each one is a Skill and Perks are powers of that only Skill.

The Perks in the Warrior Path are “Feats” (as for Cú Chulainn):

• Chariot Leap Feat: no, not that uncool stuff you find at the stables in Skyrim! We are speaking about a super-cool war chariot. With this Feat the Warrior can use the chariot as a weapon, crushing his enemies under it.
• Salmon Leap Feat: the Warrior can perform great jumps, swooping in the middle of a bunch of enemies.
• Cat Feat: just like Light Armor.
• Shield – edge Feat: just like Block.
• Hero’s Scream Feat: just like Battle Cry.
• The Gae Bolga Feat: the Gae Bolga is a “heroes only” weapon. Maybe it could be close to the Archery Skill (and, yes: you can fly on your Gae Bolga over the battlefield when you achieve the right perk…).

The Perks in the Druid Path are totemic: animals, plants and trees give strength and magic power to the Druids (so: lots of powers, in Skyrish, but no spells?). Original Skyrim Skills should be in too, but only the non – magic ones (A Druid can train himself in Block or One-Handed, but he will never be a Warrior).

• Eagle Swooping: a speed boost, something like Whirlwind Sprint Shout.
• Eagle Dodging: a temporary bonus to Light Armor.
• Eagle Talon: a temporary bonus to One-Handed.
• Horse Strength: temporary improves the carrying limit.
• Horse Loyalty: like Courage Spell.
• Wild boar Fury: like Fury Spell.
• Crow Cawing: like Fear Spell.
• Crow Scream: like Paralyze Spell.
• Falcon Eye: temporary bonus to Archery.
• Salmon knowledge: temporary bonus to a non – combat Skill.
• Snake Health: like Cure Disease Spell.
• Snake Life: like Healing Hands.
• Birkin tree Madness: like Frenzy Spell.
• Birkin tree Incapacitating Shadow: like Rout Spell.
• Bellflower weakness: Stamina Damage.
• Bellflower decrepitude: Stamina and Magicka Damage.
• Cowslip Disappearence: like Invisibility Spell.
• Cowslip Appearance: like Detect Life Spell.
• Sorb Protection: like Ward Spells.

Here are the Monsters… And the Artifacts

While Celtic Irish deities literally walk between the mortals, making possible in Skyrish to interact with Cernunnos (do you remember that deer – head guy in Blodmoon..?), Badb (the inspiration for Nocturnal) and many others, some creatures can become quite interesting enemies: the Banshee (quite close to the Wispmother), The Hell Hounds, the Fachan (a creature with only half a body but an incredible strength), or the dragon-snake Behir.

Skyrish will have of course some great artifacts and weapons: the sword Fragarach, Lug’s Spear of Fire, Dagda’s Cauldron. The Gae Bolga is a very cool spear for a character, and have a sling equipped with tatlums, projectiles made out of the brains of dead enemies, should be quite an experience! ;-)

Many of the medieval texts about Irish folk-lore are online and free, so it should be funny to have them inside Skyrish as books!

Last but not least, of course, the Irish landscape can be a great and inspirational place to play in: Giant’s Causeway (Bethesda already used it as an inspiration for Solstheim’s landscape in Dragonborn), Dún Aengus, Trim Castle, Glendalough, Cliffs of Moher…

Quests inspirations

Irish Celtic myths are stuffed with “playable” stories: factions, fratricidal struggles, druids’ curses, beautiful volitional women, super-human heroes, cows to… kidnap… ;-)

Last but not least, “the” Quest should be to reach the status of Ard Rí of Ireland, making the Lia Fáil to scream on the Tara Hill…

Skyrish: what happens now?

Now it’s up to you: if you are somehow interested in the Skyrish project, just… give us a holler ;-)

We think that it could be interesting to try a crowdfunding campaign for Skyrish and that the project can be very interesting also related to educational purposes (a “no magic allowed” version could develop into a simulation of the life in Ireland in the age of Vikings’ invasions, for example).

What do you think? Will you join the Skyrish project?