howie on 10/8/2002 at 20:47
I finally finished the layman Imperial Cult Quest yesterday. Before leaving out the front door, I stopped and talked to Lalatia Varian, Oracle of the Imperial cult. She sent me on a mission to find Skull-Crusher. The mission itself wasn't that big of a deal but the shrine was the coolest one I've seen. If you haven't done this one yet it's worth the trouble to go do it.
It's to bad the designers didn't allow the player to advance farther in this cult. It's weird that I/we can do more than the minimum required to advance to the highest level, as she gave me more missions to complete, even though I'm at the highest rank achievable.
One other thing. Where is Cyrodil City ? I see it in many of the AI's talk menu but the message is always the same with no referance to it's location.
Forsythe on 11/8/2002 at 00:48
Hmm.. I think they gave so many 'extra' quests as you can say "I give up" and skip any but the "Oracle" quests. No idea why they did so, though...even the almoners quests can be won by giving your own money/items and claiming they came from whomever you were supposed to beg from. (well, I know that works w/ the "gather cash and Cyrodilic brandy"-type quests at any rate)
As to Cyrodic City, it's outside the scope of the game and (presumably) far away on the mainland somewhere.
howie on 11/8/2002 at 01:01
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....though...even the almoners quests can be won by giving your own money/items and claiming they came from whomever you were supposed to beg from.
Thats exactly what I did! :cheeky:
I maxed out on the cult with the almoners quests. ....hmmm...a not suppose to happen that way cult. I don't know why the gal keeps giving me quest. I suppose she doesn't know all the rules, I guess I'll just have to kill her and stand in her spot to get to the top rank of oracle. :p ;) :ebil: :cheeky: :thumb:
Forsythe on 11/8/2002 at 04:17
Something always bothered me about that... she's "the Oracle", and thus is too hoity-toity to trade with me as a low-level, and then when she deigns to speak with me she demands I swear an oath to "obey" her. Yet, "Oracle" is only the 7th rank in the Imperial Cult, and "Primate" (like many, my rank by that time) is the 10th. Yes, I know she's a real oracle in that she has visions and 'my' rank was purely heirarchical, but that's where my problem with the setup lies.
howie on 11/8/2002 at 04:38
It's a long way to the top but no way to get there dude.:( I feel your pain.....:(
WingedKagouti on 11/8/2002 at 11:32
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Originally posted by Forsythe Something always bothered me about that... she's "the Oracle", and thus is too hoity-toity to trade with me as a low-level, and then when she deigns to speak with me she demands I swear an oath to "obey" her. Yet, "Oracle" is only the 7th rank in the Imperial Cult, and "Primate" (like many, my rank by that time) is the 10th. Yes, I know she's a real oracle in that she has visions and 'my' rank was purely heirarchical, but that's where my problem with the setup lies. Well if you read what they tell you when you join up, you should know that you are a laymember (only partially devoted to the Imperial cult) while they are clergy (fully devoted to the Imperial cult). Primate is the highest rank for laymembers which is still a lower rank than the medium-high clergyman ranks even if they have the same name. And no, there isn't any way of becoming a member of the clergy (and what an exciting game that would be, not allowed to treck around as you wish, having to wait years for a promotion etc.).
Kilana on 11/8/2002 at 20:38
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Originally posted by howie One other thing. Where is Cyrodil City ? I see it in many of the AI's talk menu but the message is always the same with no referance to it's location. <img src=http://www.boomspeed.com/kilana/map-tamriel.jpg></img>
It's on the tiny island in the center, vvanderfel is the big island with a volcano in the upper right.
Edit: Perhaps I should have cropped it... hmmmForsythe on 11/8/2002 at 23:16
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Originally posted by WingedKagouti
Well if you read what they tell you when you join up, you should know that you are a laymember (only partially devoted to the Imperial cult) while they are clergy (fully devoted to the Imperial cult). Primate is the highest rank for laymembers which is still a lower rank than the medium-high clergyman ranks even if they have the same name. And no, there isn't any way of becoming a member of the clergy (and what an exciting game that would be, not allowed to treck around as you wish, having to wait years for a promotion etc.). Hrm.. perhaps I didn't make myself clear. (I already knew all of what you typed above.) My qualm is decidedly not with the fact that Primate is the highest layman rank. My qualm is not that she's higher up on the food chain than I, if one follows the story faithfully.
The rank "Oracle" is only midway up the player-accessible Imperial Cult heirarchy. Lalatian Varian, the Oracle of Ebonheart's Imperial Chapels, is on that heirarchy if you examine her via the editor. Her rank is "Oracle". Something is screwy with that. :weird:
WingedKagouti on 12/8/2002 at 02:08
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Originally posted by Forsythe The rank "Oracle" is only midway up the player-accessible Imperial Cult heirarchy. Lalatian Varian, the Oracle of Ebonheart's Imperial Chapels, is on that heirarchy if you examine her via the editor. Her rank is "Oracle". Something is screwy with that. :weird: They did the same with the Ashlanders. I guess that it's so they can use the standard response to the 'background' topic for people in a faction, even though they might as well have given her a special dialogue for that (they have done it for a bunch of other characters). Nothing spectacular about that. And if you want to view it in a RP light, just take it as she only got that rank because she recieves visions.
Forsythe on 12/8/2002 at 03:50
Hmm... regarding your comparison to the Ashlanders, yes and no; yes, they gave the Wise Women the rank of 'Farseer' in the Ashlander heirarchy, but no, players cannot get that high. Further, the Ashlander heirarchy serves to illustrate that they hold the Wise Woman in almost the same regard as they hold the Ashkhan because of her visions. There's no implication that one earns the rank 'Farseer' through performing duties; it's likely assigned if one shows the gift of visions. As such, there's no real contradiction there.
On the other hand, the Imperial Cult has "Oracle" as a rank that any random Johnny-off-the-street layperson can earn by doing enough gofer duties; it denigrates the whole idea behind what a true Oracle does, namely, having visions and being a spiritual leader.
As to a better way to rig it, an easy way would be to make a 'Imperial Cult priesthood' faction and give it a highly positive 'reaction' to the 'Imperial Cult' faction; that way, there'd be an implicit looking-down-the-nose at laypeople until they get to a certain rank, instead of the existing "getting goo-goo eyed at the player once they get Disciple rank" (most Cult members being ranked as Adept at best). That, or do like the Ashlanders do and make it impossible to go higher than a certain rank.
