The Elder Scrolls Adventures II: Yokuda

The Elder Scrolls Adventures II: Yokuda would be an open-world action RPG for Wii U, Xbox One, PS4, PS Vita, and PC, and the distant sequel to the game The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard, made in 1998. My desire to make an idea is fueled by a few factors, the most important of which is my lifelong love for the Elder Scrolls franchise, and another being my passion for its lore.

Since there are already a few ideas on this site for main-series Elder Scrolls games, all of which I'm personally impressed by, I don't have much of a desire to create one myself. Instead, I thought it would be cool to whip up an idea for a second spinoff telling the tale of a pre-set group of characters and enriching the deep, amazing lore of this franchise.

My plan for this idea is to incorporate my favorite gameplay elements of all the existing ES games I've played, and tell my own interpretation of what happened to the island of Yokuda, from where the Redguard people hail, but that sunk into the ocean for somewhat debated reasons. I'm hoping to make this not only a decent layout for a possible RPG, but a tribute to one of my favorite game series of all time.

Plot
ESAII: Yokuda would tell the legendary story of Frandar Hunding, a master of swordplay and leader of the Sword-Singers, a group of the most powerful warriors in the ancient desert island nation of Yokuda. The story extends all the war from Hunding's young life to his older years, up to when he spearheaded the Yokudans' migration into the main series continent of Tamriel, where they founded the nation of Hammerfell, home of the Redguards.

The game's story would be divided up into rough stages that I will describe here, but I should say that even though this game has a set story, acted cutscenes, and a specific protagonist, these would not impede the games explorability at all. This game's main hub world of Yokuda, is massive in scale and would be fully fleshed out for players to experience.

Part 1: Hunding's Early Life
Frandar Hunding's father died during his teenage years as part of a revolt that took place when the tyrannical emperor of Yokuda, Randic Torn, was killed. Frandar is left to took after his mother and four sisters, during which time he becomes a master of the sword. He soon becomes renowned for his talent and is in high demand as a hired sword, but he is also challenged by numerous foes, including the evil Lord Janic and his seven Liches.

Around this time, Frandar also creates a combative art called the Shehai, or Way of the Spirit Sword, which eventually allows him to magically create swords from pure thought.

Part 2: Ultimate Mastery and Retirement
Frandar eventually brings the Shehai art to its greatest degree, through which he can convert his thoughts into an unstoppable weapon that can only be destroyed by killing its user. Shortly after this, Hunding retires to the desert, where he writes his learnings and philosophy down in what becomes the Book of Circles.

Soon enough, he goes into total seclusion until being sought out by his son Divad, a next-generation Sword-Singer, who claims that the group needs his help.

Part 3: The War of the Singers and Migration to Hammerfell
It turns out that the orcish Emperor Hira has formed an army of orcs with the intention of wiping the Sword-Singers from the desert. The Singers, meanwhile, have become scattered and vulnerable, making it necessary for Frandar to unite them under his teachings into what becomes the Army of the Circle, named for his book.

A series of seven battles ensues, which Frandar intends to culminate in the "falling of the Hammer upon the Anvil." Over these battles, the Army of the Circle became more and more masterful in the Shehai. The final battle in the war takes place at the base of Mount Hattu, which Hunding determines to end either their defeat or the death of Emperor Hira. Although outnumber thirty to one, the Sword-Singers prevail through sheer determination and skill.

Though fewer than 20,000 Sword-Singers survive in the aftermath of the war, they leave 300,000 of the enemy dead in their wake. After paying respects to their fallen, the Yokudans decide to leave their homeland in the face of their recent troubles and the impending destruction of the island. They vow to learn new ways on the journey there, and upon reaching Tamriel, they name their new home Hammerfell, after the exploits of the Sword-Singers.

Gameplay
This game would follow a pattern of gameplay similar to all other Elder Scrolls games: at its core, it would be a game about interaction, exploration, and combat, and this would go unaffected despite the set protagonist and story phases. Ideally, it would refine the gameplay to be responsive, efficient, and intuitive; presumably this would be an easier task considering that it's had several different interpretations over the years, but I'll go into further detail.

Combat
Given that this game would be about the rise of one of Tamriel's strongest warriors, there would be a great emphasis on the flow and physics of combat. This game would often involve fighting numerous enemies at once, or fighting several large, powerful enemies at once. Considering this, the slow, clunky, weighty combat physics in Skyrim wouldn't be carried on into Yokuda. Instead, it would be based more on the fast, streamlined fighting in Oblivion, the fourth title in the main series.

Despite this inspiration, Yokuda 's combat would be unique to every other title in the series, borrowing elements from various games while expanding on the basic formula.

The most common weapons in this game would be spears, shortbows, thrown projectiles like shurikens and knives, and very light swords, both long and short. There would be far fewer heavy weaponry in this game, particularly compared to Skyrim. The reason for this is, I see Yokuda as much more comparable to Asia, more specifically Arabia, than anywhere else in the real world. From what I know, ancient weaponry in those parts of the world is tailored more to speed than power. So it would be in this game!

Another major point about combat in this game is that the hit detection would be somewhat more generous, but mainly more accurate. This is to do away with the frustration of running up to an enemy and doing a power attack, only to not have it count because the 'hit box' is placed directly in front of the player, as opposed to in a certain area around the player. It might also take away the need to swing wildly during combat in order to have any effect.

One more important change would be intended to add realism to the combat, but in a way other than making the physics more realistic. Unlike every other game, there would be no consistent, repetitive rhythm to swinging a weapon around. Instead, swinging repeatedly will result in strikes moving at slightly different speeds from different directions at different intervals, to add more spice and unpredictability to each encounter.

Enemies
The enemies in this game would be pretty varied considering that it takes place on an entire continent, but they would be different based on the fact that they're living on a mountainous island. Assuming that Yokuda is comparable in topography and nature to Asia, the creatures would not be much different. Still, there would also be human enemies to contend with, as in every game. It's also notable that there would be a color randomizer for most enemies to make encounters a bit unique. Here's a rough list of the enemies in this game:

Creatures

 * Mud Crab - A standard but quick crab enemy.
 * Giant Crab - A much larger crab that is faster, quicker, and appears in more places than the standard mud crab.
 * Frostbite Crab - A unique, very powerful crab appearing in cold areas, mainly mountaintops. It has the ability to walk on walls.
 * Lyox - A feral, dark-colored, feline creature that looks and moves mostly like a lion, but has deadlier, more human-like front paws.
 * Mountain Lyox - A different breed of Lyox that lives in the mountains of Yokuda. It is a lighter, snowier color and is able to climb quite easily, making it harder to avoid, although it is less powerful.
 * Crux Wolf - A variant on the normal wolf, it appears in different colors all over Yokuda. It has been extremely successful for its sizable nose and ears, and its keen ability to traverse different terrains. It's a fierce predator, and will be hard to outrun, especially in packs.
 * Werewolf - The famous half-breed between man and wolf, it appears randomly in nature.  Some NPCs may also be revealed to be werewolves through quests.
 * Draco Raptor - Fire-breathing, speedy lizards that appear commonly in the world, especially towards hotter areas, such as deep mines.
 * Rexfly - Massive, speedy bugs that pester you mostly in jungle areas.
 * Winged Siren - Imposing, swooping birds that inhabits the mountains and cliffs of Yokuda, attacking and dodging the player from above. They're most easily countered by ranged weapons.
 * Claw Heron - A fierce bird species with very limited flight capability that dwells on the Yokudan coasts. Some of them will not attack unless provoked.
 * Copper Ogre - Hefty, scaly ogres that live mainly in deep caves. Some are larger than others as well.

Humanoids

 * Shaman - Conjuring, savage wizards who usually live in out-of-the-way areas, such as jungles or caves above ground.
 * Lefthanded Elf - A devious race of elves who became the sworn enemies of the Yokudan race. They were largely wiped out, but some remain, and seek to decimate unwitting Yokudans.  They would likely be the subject of a specific questline or two.
 * Bandit - These are exactly what they sound like: rogue petty criminals (usually in camps or caves) who steal money and equipment. Some profit, experience, and good reputation can be gained by fighting them.
 * Hiradirge - A rogue group of Ansei (Yokudan swordmasters) and earth mages who are rumored to be responsible for Yokuda's destruction. They would likely be part of the main questline.
 * Skeleton - Your standard skeleton enemy. It would come in multiple types, such as powerful skeletal warriors, mages, or conjurers.
 * Zombie - Somewhat like the zombies from Oblivion, they would come in more interesting varieties. Some would be stronger, some faster, etc.  In addition, the player might find zombified animals as well.  They would be found in large crypts for the most part.
 * Ghost - These would come in various types. Some would be specters, floating phantoms who use magic extensively.  Some would be ancestral ghosts that wield swords.
 * Viralai - These would be a unique type of enemy - fallen, malicious Ansei warriors re-awoken by the shifting of Yokuda and the magics of the Hiradirge. They would come in different varieties, much like the Draugr from Skyrim, but most would be difficult to kill in exchange for giving up better gear.

Magic
Magic has been a staple of The Elder Scrolls since the beginning, so despite the main character of this game being a tried-and-true warrior, I would probably include it anyway. Bound weapons (or conjured weapons) would be highly common in this game, considering that Frandar Hunding was one of the greatest practitioners of this kind of magic. Other types of magic from the major magical schools (Destruction, Restoration, Alteration, and Conjuration) would likely also make an appearance to the same degree that they did in Skyrim. Enchantment would take priority over spellcasting, and it would be easier to develop the skill in this game.

Weapons and Armor
The system of obtaining and using weapons and armor in this game would be similar to that of Oblivion, which I believe to be the best one in the series. Damage ratings would be small and easy to understand, with weaker weapons having ratings under 10 and stronger weapons being in the area of 20 and above.

Random enemies in the world, such as bandits, would also have random equipment with possible random enchantments and varied levels of damage from wear, so as to keep fights interesting. This would also apply to chests, and equipment generated would be adjusted to overall level of the player.

You may have noticed my reference to worn equipment; this is because it would be necessary in this game to repair damaged equipment, at the risk of having it weaken or even break. A higher skill level for a certain type of armor would make it wear out more slowly when used, and would also make it more easy to maneuver in. Weapons, however, would wear out at consistent rates, and weaken faster with heavy use.

Equipment Types
There would be various types of weapons and armor available in Yokuda; the selection would be noticeably different from what you might see in previous main-series games, because based on the setting, there would be less variation in what might be available in the way of gear. For example, there would be no orcish or elven equipment, because the Yokudans wouldn't have encountered any yet.

In place of these would be special metals native to Yokuda which have inherent properties, not counting possible enchantments. These would be among the most desirable equipment types in the game.

Weapons

 * Metalwood
 * Bone
 * Polished Bronze
 * Sleek Iron
 * Meteorite
 * Silver
 * Tempered Steel
 * Titanium
 * Ebony
 * Glass
 * Daedric
 * Sunsteel (causes mild fire damage with each strike)
 * Lodestone (causes more severe staggering)

Armor

 * Leather
 * Chainmail
 * Scale (extends underwater staying time)
 * Glass
 * Shadow (increases sneak slightly with every piece worn)
 * Storm Electrum (causes shock damage every time it's struck)
 * Bronze
 * Iron
 * Steel
 * Ebony
 * Daedric
 * Vampiric Alloy (saps some health every time it's struck)

Weapons
As you might imagine from the things I said earlier, the weapons in this game would be different than some of the main staple Elder Scrolls games, although it would share some with Morrowind. The weaponry in this game would be largely inspired by what you'd see in ancient Asian warfare, although there would be more conventional stuff in the area of heavy weaponry.

These weapons would be the main weapons in this game:
 * Swords
 * Katana
 * Wakizashi
 * Tanto
 * Scimitar


 * Blunt Weapons
 * Kama
 * Morning Star
 * Gada
 * Spears
 * Naginata
 * Trishula
 * Yari
 * Projectiles
 * Bows
 * Kunai
 * Crossbow

DLC
In much the same way previous Elder Scrolls games have had expansions to their open worlds, Yokuda would also have an expansion in the form of a world entirely separate from the main world.

Order of Diagna Expansion
This game's primary DLC would be an extra world where you could experience the story of one of the most famous Redguards in the history of the Elder Scrolls: the great warrior Gaiden Shinji, founder and first blademaster of the famous Imperial City Arena. But more importantly, he is the originator of one of the series's most famous sayings: "The best techniques are passed on by the survivors."

In point of fact, I was originally going to make this game about Gaiden Shinji, but I found out he wasn't part of the original sinking of Yokuda, and that story took greater priority for me. So, I decided to make a section for this little expansion I thought of, where the player could experience the most famous adventures of the great Gaiden Shinji.

The expansion would create a separate world in a separate timeline, taking place mainly in Cyrodiil, home to the Septim Empire, which for those who don't know is essentially the institution around which the affairs of the entire in-game world revolve. It is also the home to the Imperial City, famous for its Arena District which was founded by Shinji. Players would be able to place bets and spectate fights in the Arena, or take part in the fights in themselves, taking control as Shinji in whatever gear they happen to have.

The main storyline of the expansion would follow through from the formation of the Order of Diagna, a group of powerful warriors of Hammerfell, to the Siege of Orsinium, which was the climax of the war waged between the warmongering Orcs and an alliance between the Redguards and a race of intellectual wizards called the Bretons, and which ended in Gaiden's death.

After this occurrence, however, the player would still be able to explore the expansion as other members of the Order.