Author: Kris Takahashi

Trailers and Teasers – Hope Lies

Kris Takahashi Storytime 5 Comments

“Howdy stranger. Take a seat by the campfire, we got plenty of room.”

The girl tips her cap and smiles. Both the fire and the invitation are warm enough, but the man to her right doesn’t seem too happy about it. His stare stretches for thousands of miles, far enough to see the back of his own head. It’s bald and dirty, with a scar running across the middle like a zipper.

“Oh, don’t pay him no mind. He ain’t much for talkin’. But, if you make trouble, he’ll put two…”

The girl makes a peace sign with her fingers, before pointing them at her head like a gun.

“…in your skull.”

I tell her I’m not here to make trouble, waves, or even conversation. All I want to do is rest my aching feet. The girl sympathizes. She tells me her soles are so worn not even Jesus can save them.

Maybe it’s the pun that makes my shoulders relax, or maybe it’s her southern charm, but I drop my knapsack on the dirt with a great big thud. Guns, ammo, and whiskey spill onto the ground like a diary.

“You starting a war, sheriff?”

Maybe.

“Then you’re gonna need a good deputy.”

Maybe I will.

“The name’s Hope,” she says, breaking the silence. “Hope Lies. Funny name, I know. German, I think. The lying part, not the hope.”

I ask her the obvious. Well, does it? Does “hope lie?”

“I don’t know,” she says, “You’ve been traveling these wastes. Why don’t you tell me?”

3DNPC v3.06.2

Kris Takahashi Releases 5 Comments

2014-06-08_00004

Happy Monday! This is the second of ten updates before the release of version 3.07.  Today, I decided to sneak in one of the NPCs for a later quest, Amras, into this version by plugging him into Robber’s Refuge.

Another major change is a suggestion by LoneWolf to start A Rose Without Thorns earlier. It still requires hitting a trigger box elsewhere in the world as opposed to completing Diplomatic Immunity in order to create some chronological space, but otherwise at some point you should be able to return to Kynesgrove (provided A Blade in the Dark isn’t running) and start the quest.

In any event, ideas and suggestions are always welcome as they help make the mod better, so be sure to mention them in the forums.

3DNPC v3.06.2 (74MB)

New NPCs
• Amras (Patric M. Whitstone)

Re-Recorded NPCs
• Callen (Viridiane) – Remaining 20%

All Fixes and Tweaks from v3.06
• Fixed instance where Marla was disabled if player returned to Jilkmar first
• Fixed instance where arriving on a day other than Morndas started Fenced In but left Swims-In-Wind disabled
• Altered prerequisites so Rose Without Thorns can be started without progressing in the main quest
• Minor typo and sound file fixes

Fan Art – Erevan by Numeriku, Agonalia

Kris Takahashi Art 3 Comments

interesting_npcs___erevan_by_numeriku-d7l2fo2

It’s always good to have some of the lesser known characters get a little artwork, and Erevan is no exception. This one was done in MS Paint I believe by Numeriku, and he looks quite distinguished.

3ce1079c0f5c

This next one requires a little context, it’s a sketch done by Agonalia based on Erevan’s exile. The poor Elf was left to die in an ogre pit, but the brute ultimately ignored him and chewed on his goat jerky instead. Why? Because Erevan, you see, was spoiled meat. Metaphorically. I’m sure he would’ve been just tasty otherwise.

ac63d1309bb8

Desperate for food, Erevan ate the ogre’s raw, bloody leftovers, and that’s what we see here. I think. I mean, it’s also possible Erevan went completely insane, and this picture is depicting him petting his new friend – there, there – right before he tells him about his day. That’s the power of these blog posts. With a single sentence, I can turn all your favorite characters into crazy people.

But in all seriousness it’s pretty cool to have the backstories sketched and drawn. Really though, any sort of art – doodles, sketches, paintings – is appreciated. Thanks to all who’ve contributed.