I Designed a Companion and Wrote Some Quests

Ilsabet · November 2023

So a while back ZOS announced that they were hiring writers for ESO, and total pipe dream that it was, I decided to put a portfolio together and YOLO in an application. Absolutely nothing came of it, but it was an excellent excuse to create a prospective ESO companion and write a couple of sample quests for him. I took the further opportunity to learn enough Twine coding to turn the quests into playable browser games that emulate how they would look and feel in ESO. And now I present them to you, the general public, because I worked hard on these and somebody ought to get some enjoyment out of them.

I should probably disclaim that this is not official ESO content, despite how super professional and official it looks. Also, considering I wrote these several months before Necrom came out, any potential similarities to other old man mage companions are entirely coincidental.

Our new friend is Torbyrn Windchaser, an elderly Nord warden who proclaims himself a master wizard. He might be a bit bumbling, but he means well, and he's determined to show the world what he's capable of (even if he's still kind of figuring that out himself).

Torbyrn's introductory quest is called Breaking the Ice. Just pretend it's in whatever the new chapter zone would be rather than a place that looks an awful lot like Glenumbra.

His second quest, unlocked after he's been hanging out with the player for a while, is Ashes to Ashes. See if you can guess how Torbyrn got the rapport boost to unlock that one.

Hope you enjoy. (And if you like what you see and you happen to have an uncle who works at ZOS, maybe put in a good word.)

Special thanks to @CasgarTheSomnolent for helping with photo shoots and playtesting.

Ilsabet · November 2023

Here's Torbyrn's "Meet the Character" introduction:

A letter delivered to Windhelm

Hedda,

I was right about ol' Torbyrn being up to something. Davina mentioned the other day that he's been going around buying clothes and traveling supplies, so I had my suspicions, and then he comes by out of the blue to ask if he could hitch a ride the next time me and Randolf took the wagon to Whiterun.

You should have seen his getup when he met us at the stable. I might've thought he was ready to hunker down for a snooze in that tatty robe. And that hat! Imagine the biggest, pointiest, floppiest hat you've ever seen, and then double the width of the brim and stick a big floofy feather in the band. It's a wonder it stayed on his head once the horses got going. I think Randolf couldn't resist picking up the pace a little, just to see if Torbyrn could keep hold of the fool thing. Might have been the best time we've ever made to Whiterun, and not just because time flies when you're stifling giggles.

I asked the old codger what he was up to, of course, but all he'd say was things like "There's a new breeze blowing for Torbyrn Windchaser!" and "Soon everyone will see what this razor-sharp mind can do!" Sounded like he wanted to prove something to somebody, but don't ask me where he's gonna find someone to fuss over him out west. At least back home we know what to expect when he gets those big pie-in-the-sky ideas, so nobody has to bat an eye when the inevitable happens. I almost feel bad for whoever gets caught up in his schemes without knowing what they're in for.

Anyway, we'll be here dealing with merchants for a couple more days, and if you haven't left for your trip with Marite by the time we get back to Windhelm, I can fill you in on any further scuttlebutt that comes along. I know you're probably holding up just fine and don't need any sympathetic coddling, so I'll just hope that hearing about our old friend's shenanigans gives you a few chuckles if you need 'em. And if I don't see you before you leave, stay safe out there.

Take care now,

Inge (and Randolf)

And our wizard's backstory:

Torbyrn has spent most of his long life in and around Windhelm, Eastmarch. Over the decades he has pursued many interests and vocations, often abandoning them as soon as they showed signs of "not working out" or he came up with a better idea. This gained him a reputation for being fickle and giving up too easily, although in his mind he was simply being sensible about knowing when to move on and prioritizing his own enjoyment and ambitions over being tied down.

This noncommittal approach extended to personal relationships, and his most notable romantic relationship (with Hedda, later a good friend) ended when she got tired of him paying more attention to his business schemes than to her. Since then he's been a steadfast bachelor.

In his old age, Torbyrn has come to recognize that his time on Nirn is growing shorter. Having spent (or, he might now say, squandered) his youth with nothing to show for it besides a reputation as a laughingstock, he has resolved to make the most of the time he has left. To that end, he has devoted himself to wizardry (as he understands it, which is not terribly well) and embarked on a journey to make a name for himself and claim some personal pride.

In his introductory quest, Torbyrn does his best blundering through combat encounters and tries to impress his skeptical friend Hedda by proving his mettle with a challenging dare. As a Companion, he shows appreciation for the player's strengths and relishes the chance to accompany them on their adventures, knowing that he can accomplish more with them than he could ever dream of doing alone.

And of course, since you can't have a companion without banter and rapport, here's a bit of the sparkling repartee you could enjoy if Torbyrn were actually in the game:

Tell Me About Yourself

"Now that I'm taking magic more seriously, I want to learn as much as I can about it. No one will say that Torbyrn Windchaser didn't give wizardry his best effort!"
"I have plenty of fond memories from my old endeavors. At least, I prefer to think about those instead of the not-so-fond memories."
"I try to keep my dealings above-board, but I understand that sometimes the line between good and bad isn't so straightforward."
"I could go for a good challenge. Do you suppose there are any more delves that need delving?"
"You know, I had a proper wizard hat once. Impressive thing, brim wider than a horse's hindquarters. Blew off in a stout breeze one day, haven't found its like since. Ah well..."

Sample Companion Chatter

Frequently makes comments related to his previous endeavors and tries to encourage the player (and himself) with often-grandiose pep talk
Occasionally sings a snippet of an old bard song while standing idle
When entering a town
- "Do they have a job board here? You can pick up some good gigs that way."
- "Ah, a little downtime would be nice. But let's not get lazy!"
When the player gains a level or Champion Point
- "Still learning and growing, I see. You're quite the inspiration!"
- "Look at you, getting even stronger. I'll have to work even harder to keep up with you."
When Torbyrn gains a level
- "Oho, look at me now!"
- "They'll never believe this back home."
- "One foot in front of the other, and pretty soon you've walked a whole mile."
When the player kills a critter
- "Did you do that on purpose? It's okay, my aim gets a little off sometimes too."
- "Whoops, sorry lil' guy."
When getting on a mount
- "Adventure awaits!"
- "Off we go!"
- "Can't slow this old man down!"
When the player steals (note: no rapport loss)
- "Just be sure to put that to good use, okay?"
- "I hope the previous owner won't miss that too much."
- "Maybe next time we can leave a little something in exchange."
When harvesting materials
- "I might have some ideas for that, if you'd like to hear about them later."
- "I could see becoming a gathering hireling, but I think my knees and back would have something to say about it."
When combat begins
- "Prepare to witness the unrivaled might of Torbyrn Windchaser!"
- "Ah, another opportunity to practice!"
- "Do you think we could talk this out? Oh, okay then!"
When the player dies
- "Don't give up, you have to keep trying!"
- "Wait, am I supposed to handle this on my own?"
- "Damn it, I should have spent more time studying restoration magic."
When Torbyrn spots a heavy sack
- "Ooh, over here! Grab it before someone else does!"
When visiting a giant camp
- "Did I ever tell you about my time teaching sign language to giants? They have some very rude gestures that I won't repeat."
When visiting an arena (ex. Hammerdeath Arena, the exterior of Maelstrom Arena)
- "I once thought about making my fame and fortune as a gladiator. But then I decided I valued my teeth."

Sample Rapport Modifiers

Likes:
- Completing an Undaunted Bolgrul daily quest: +125
  - "Ha-ha, no challenge can daunt Torbyrn Windchaser!"
  - "Personal safety isn't really a thing with these assignments, is it?"
  - "Another delve conquered. Bring on the next! ...As long as it's not too dangerous."
- Completing a Chapter zone delve quest: +125
  - "We sure are seeing some interesting hidey-holes here."
  - "We should check back here tomorrow for new leads. There's always more to explore!"
  - "As satisfying as it is to find treasure in a cave, I'll take treasure handed to us in a box any day."
- Entering a Mages Guild: +10
  - "The Mages Guild doesn't have an age limit, does it? I was just wondering if they were taking on new apprentices..."
  - "If I happen to set off a spell in here, it was definitely an accident. Unless it impresses one of the mages, in which case it was definitely on purpose."
- Spending 30 seconds listening to (remaining in the vicinity of) a bard: +5
  - "Do you think they'd let me up there for a song or two? Ah, nevermind, my voice isn't what it used to be."
- Cooking a meat dish: +5
  - "Ah, now that's an aroma that takes me back."
  - "I don't suppose you'd share that recipe with me? Just in case the whole wizarding thing doesn't work out."
- Helping someone in a random encounter: +10
  - "Don't forget to tell your friends about Torbyrn Windchaser, Master of... Oh, they're gone."
  - "Another good deed performed by Torbyrn Windchaser, Master Wizard! And his trusty companion."
  - "Take that, you ruffians! ...I've always wanted to say that."
- Petting or dancing with a dog: +1
  - "I wonder if I could make a living just walking dogs all day? Ah, what a life that would be..."
- Completing a daily crafting writ: +1
  - "Ah, nothing more satisfying than honest work, day in and day out, over and over... On second thought, maybe I'll leave that daily grind to you."

Dislikes:
- Abandoning a quest: -1
  - "You're not going to just give up, are you?"
  - "If you ever want to try that task again, I'll do everything I can to help you see it through."
- Murdering an innocent: -5
  - "Hey, aren't we supposed to be helping innocent folk?"
- Fleeing after being accosted by a guard while having a bounty: -10
  - "You know, if you'd just come clean, you could have salvaged your reputation instead of making it worse."

And just for fun, here's what I proposed for Torbyrn's warden combat skills:

Default Weapon: Ice staff
Animal Companions Line
- Dive: single-target ranged attack
- Scorch: AoE line attack (may have a brief delay)
- Falcon's Swiftness: party movement speed buff (triggers in combat only)
Green Balance Line
- Fungal Growth: AoE burst heal (may need to directly target allies rather than being position-based like the player version, in which case it may be single-target)
- Lotus Flower: Torbyrn's light attacks heal himself or an ally
- Healing Seed: healing-over-time AoE aura placed at player ally's position; player can activate a synergy for an extra burst heal
Winter's Embrace Line
- Frost Cloak: party defensive buff (triggers in combat only)
- Winter's Revenge: AoE damage-over-time attack placed at target enemy's position
- Frozen Gate: AoE portal placed at target enemy's position at least 15m away; enemies in portal area are teleported to Torbyrn's location
- Ultimate - Sleet Storm: large AoE aura that does damage over time to enemies and debuffs their damage done

Ilsabet · November 2023

If anyone's bored during extended maintenance and needs a quick quasi-ESO fix, here are the links for Torbyrn's quests again.

(They're actually playable in your browser of choice!)

Quest 1: Breaking the Ice

Quest 2: Ashes to Ashes

TheImperfect · November 2023

Sounds good, would prefer if he was young though as Azander is already old. He sounds a little Shalidorable.

TheImperfect · November 2023

Ilsabet wrote: »

If anyone's bored during extended maintenance and needs a quick quasi-ESO fix, here are the links for Torbyrn's quests again. (They're actually playable in your browser of choice!)

Quest 1: Breaking the Ice

Quest 2: Ashes to Ashes

I haven't finished it yet but this is fantastic!

LunaFlora · November 2023

he sounds awesome!

YffresTrill · November 2023

Oh, I love this doddering old coot! Really enjoyed Hedda and Passes-Swiftly, as well. Fantastic writing! Thank you for sharing this, it was delightful.

Ilsabet · November 2023

TheImperfect wrote: »

Sounds good, would prefer if he was young though as Azander is already old. He sounds a little Shalidorable.

Yeah, when Necrom was announced and we started hearing about Azandar I was like >_____>

But by that point it was pretty clear that I wasn't going to be getting hired to create actual companions for ZOS, so we don't need to worry too much about the overlapping demographics.

And their personalities and, let's say, levels of actual wizardly expertise are quite different so hopefully nobody would think they're carbon copies.

I do enjoy thinking about their dynamic if they ever met, though. I think Torbyrn would be pretty starry-eyed over Azandar's magical prowess and would probably be furiously taking (heavily misspelled) notes on all the lofty-sounding arcanobabble Azandar comes out with. But I think he'd also see through the more bombastic elements of Azandar's personality and I could see them just chilling and trading war stories over tea.

Ilsabet · November 2023

ComradeBiscuit wrote: »

Oh, I love this doddering old coot! Really enjoyed Hedda and Passes-Swiftly, as well. Fantastic writing! Thank you for sharing this, it was delightful.

Yaaaay, glad you liked it.

I love all my characters but I think Hedda is my favorite. I love her cheeky personality and the way we see another side of her in the second quest. And I will never turn down good banter.

evan302 · November 2023

Perfect way to pass time while maintenance is extended. I needed an ESO fix. I absolutely loved Hedda and enjoyed playing through the quests. Nicely done!

Ilsabet · December 2023

I realized I forgot to post Torbyrn's "Meet the Character" letter, so that's been added to the second post.