quest The Trappings of Fate

[DuskWanderer]

I've made it out of the initial parts of Gordian Bind and arrived in-

Spoiler

The Gloomy Ruins

-so I'm going to cover my thoughts of the puzzles until that point.

Things I disliked:

Spoiler

• I love the idea of breaking the glass bottle to get a sharp object, however I think a clue that it's possible would be of value. Base Skyrim has no mechanics related to dropping items, nor does DD, so at least early on a nudge would be smart. Like renaming the object "fragile bottle" or something similar.
• The Iron Cuffs/Ball Chain key was a little annoying. While the spot is obvious in hindsight, the fact that the chain slows you down to a crawl means that if you don't find it right away and try to search the whole area for it you'll be in a for a rough time.
• The Bondage Doors aren't great. They're basically pure trial-and-error, which is the puzzle equivalent of bullet sponge enemy design. I don't find much enjoyment putting on and taking off combination after combination of gear through blind guesswork. I think they'd be improved significantly with a clue for each of them, similar to how the warning riddle notes later on hint you should deafen and blind yourself.
• I liked the idea of brewing a special potion to weaken the collar, although it just being a cooking recipe that's unlocked after finding four notes doesn't feel like reaching the full potential of the concept. Having to actually experiment or create the resist/invisibility potions yourself instead of finding premade ones could be better. But as it is I enjoyed it.

Things I liked:

Spoiler

• Other than figuring out the bottle drop and Bondage Doors, all the other puzzles were solid.
• Jurgin and Walker seem neat so far. Walker in particular clearly has more going on and the sense of mystery and anticipation is strong, with just enough early clues to make ideas form. I look forward to seeing more of them both.
• Even though the Bondage Doors themselves are annoying I like the process of finding the necessary items to pass through.
• The Gargoyles do a good job of making you pay attention to your surroundings instead of blindly running through everything.
• The actual visuals of the locations are well made, especially the Fungal Cavern.
• The writing remains compelling so far.

Bugs and Compatibility with Other Mods:

Spoiler

• As is already known, True Directional Movement causes most of the controlled player pathfinding to break and break badly. Since TDM is an extremely popular mod and makes the game feel better to play I'd highly recommend a patch for it.
• Unlike Snare to Loosen, all of GB's headwear items aren't using the appropriate BRRF models even with the patch.
• You can pickpocket Irkalla when she asks you to try to escape and take most of her items. Additionally, some Shouts like Fus Ro Dah can throw her into the air, cause you to get Stopped, and then she dies when she lands. This completely softlocks you. I'd recommend temporarily setting her as an Essential NPC for that part to avoid that and many other potential headaches.
• If you happen to have Dovahkiin Can Lean Too installed, which is recommended by a few other LL mods, there's a counter lean marker right next to the iron bars Jurgin stands beside that can be used to clip through the wall and skip the xcross room puzzles. Minor issue as the player can just simply not do the unintended thing that will obviously break stuff.
• There's some noticeable terrain gaps under one of the stone pillars in the Fungal Caverns beside the river, just past the first Gargoyle.
• If you happen to take off the blindfold/deafener inside the Gloomy Ruin (I was curious), when you are allured by one of the creatures sometimes the "After being violated you are thrown into the tentacles" message appears before the SexLab scene can fully start, which cancels it early.
• Additionally @RohZima made some excellent Apocrypha tentacle animations found here, and the description of the modpage says you can DM them to request usage permission for quest mods, if their addition is of any interest.

Overall I would say it's good so far even with the rough edges. Definitely rougher than Snare to Loosen but that's to be expected at this stage.

Edited March 14, 2024 by DuskWanderer

[Allen Harris]

15 hours ago, thvedis said:

Is this mod is compatible with LE? Or SE/AE only?

Frayed said it should be compatible with LE

[Frayed]

19 hours ago, thvedis said:

Is this mod is compatible with LE? Or SE/AE only?

 

3 hours ago, Allen Harris said:

Frayed said it should be compatible with LE

 

Keyword should. The first quest was confirmed to work fine on LE for a while, but I've had reports from some people that something in v1.2 broke it on LE. The second quest which is still in beta I'm not sure yet. But there's nothing inherently incompatible with LE, so feel free to give it a try and let me know if you run into technical issues.

Edited March 14, 2024 by Frayed

[Allen Harris]

3 hours ago, Frayed said:

 

 

Keyword should. The first quest was confirmed to work fine on LE for a while, but I've had reports from some people that something in v1.2 broke it on LE. The second quest which is still in beta I'm not sure yet. But there's nothing inherently incompatible with LE, so feel free to give it a try and let me know if you run into technical issues.

Fwiw, @Frayed, I *really* appreciate your work on this mod, lol.

[DuskWanderer]

On 3/13/2024 at 6:25 AM, Polonium said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Hi, I think I've encountered a bug early in the "Trial of the Toy" quest:
I get the quest objective to put the clothes on the table, but only the gloves "lock", the shoes and the outfit does not.
Further Irkalla seems to just go to her bedroom where she starts eating. I assume this is not intended behaviour.

Any thoughts on how to solve this? Thanks.

 

I've also just run into this exact issue. 

EDIT: I suppose in my case I was putting them on the wrong table. I was trying the one in the restrains room and not the one next to the pillory. Oops

EDIT 2: I've now encountered an issue with Trial of the Prisoner.
 

Spoiler

I put the embalming tool in the wall, yet when I receive the yoke I'm not getting any options to pick it with the tool. I'm only getting the "it can be used to pick locks" message over and over again.

EDIT 3: Console Command Solution:

Spoiler

If you encounter the same issue here's what you can do:

1. Open the developer console and type Setstage FrayEQ2_BoethiahTrial2 91
2. Then Setstage FrayEQ2_BoethiahTrial2 92
3. Once more Setstage FrayEQ2_BoethiahTrial2 93
4. You should now be past the wall tool part and can continue onward

 

Edited March 15, 2024 by DuskWanderer

[Encogt]

Spoiler

I am at the gordian bind where you in in irkalla room. When she let you off to eat, is there supposed to be a scripted walk? I could walk around but cannot find a way to progesss. none of the seats had a prompt to sit

 

Edit. I found the reason as i had the handcuff on which is weird as i had to remove infront of her.

 

And after i sit down nthing seems to happen other than me losing control

 

 

Edited March 15, 2024 by Encogt

[DuskWanderer]

Alright, having finished the second half of GB (plus a little more since I didn't expect the "You've reached 50% message" earlier, oops), here's my thoughts on that half.

 

Spoiler

Overall I think it was a lot more coherent than the first, and I ran into far less issues.

Stuff that worked:

• Most of the puzzles did not require hints or help this time, which was nice.
• I actually thought the bedroom puzzle was solid. Using the knife to free myself a little and then scavenging lockpicks to open the safebox and get the fortify potion made enough sense.
• The Tonal Fork puzzle was solid, and the note explained plenty for me to figure it out.
• I like the idea and presentation of the three trials. While they were quite buggy the objectives themselves worked well enough.
• Having the Dremora from earlier give hints on how to get through the final Bondage Door was a great idea, and I wish all the others had something similar.
• The Mephala puzzle was great and simple to figure out. I half-expected it early on when I noticed all the different staffs throughout the areas and made sure to collect them, and was rewarded for that foresight.
• The final confrontation was great. From what I can tell it was the "good" ending in which Bal was subverted and everyone lived.
• The writing was still fantastic throughout, a great blend of serious true-to-lore narratives with an adult quirk. Often most would've just prioritized the latter, setting be damned, but your faithfulness to the world is truly wonderful to see.
   

Bugs and Problems:

• When returning to the first Xcross room to trick Irkalla into believing I never escaped, there were some obvious and unaddressed inconsistencies that revealed I had escaped. Specifically the fact that all of the Gargoyles now had baskets on their heads... Small stuff I can imagine she'd miss, but those felt like a massive elephant in the room, so to speak.
• I was able to escape Irkalla's bedroom early due to the collar's control opening the door, and it failed to restrain me in time to keep me from rushing through before the ward could close.
• Similarly I ended up finding Mephala's hidden chamber *before* Boethiahs, which broke a few things and I reverted a save.
• The first two Boethiah trials were buggy, as already mentioned in prior messages.
• The third trial, while great overall, could use a little more of a nudge that you defy Bal by restrainting yourself and that the restraints are on Irkalla who you can pickpocket. I knew it quickly enough because I'd already pickpocketed her several times by this point, but since for the most part every other trial item is found somewhere hidden it's reasonable that most players would expect the same here.
• At some point when my items were returned to me after the trails, the gags that were in my inventory were not. I'm confident I had them on me prior and was frustrated to learn they were gone while talking with the Dremora later. I had also made sure to collect all of them throughout the map already... Reload time...
• When Irkalla elaborated on her plot to test if fate can be defied, there was no dialogue to recognize that in this playthrough I had already slain Alduin. Instead it acted like I hadn't yet. In comparison Snare to Loosen upheld continuity and Vile recognized we'd already met.
• On that note, while this is likely the nature of the mod still being WIP there didn't seem to be a followup to Vile's deal. I made it, didn't need it in the end, and felt like a fool (in character) and was interested in seeing what would come of my ill-planned bargain. Furthermore GB also has us "free" the Black Book in the lab and fall into the debt of Maphala, so I'm curious to see where all three of these loose threads go.  
• During the Irkalla boss I ended up getting fully restrained in a spot where I couldn't move to see the rest of the scene. Reload...
• It might be wise to have an option to disable the quicksave right before the boss, as many load orders try to disable them due to their instability and some even crash if they're attempted. Mine however was fine. I'm also curious as to how that Quicksave is set up because I noticed it makes a save file but it doesn't appear in-game beside my other saves on the character.
• And finally, it leaves me wanting more!

Combined with my prior messages, I hope these points prove helpful in the continued development of this continuously wonderful mod! Do not be deterred by all the rough edges in this early version, for they are merely the initial symptoms of realizing ambition as great as this.

Edited March 15, 2024 by DuskWanderer

[bob9890]

does anyone know where the

Spoiler

staff puzzle

is? It's the only thing I haven't done before heading down

Spoiler

the pit in the mushroom, which I still can't access despite Demora guy saying I have the right attire.

(that I know of). Thanks!

Edited March 15, 2024 by bob9890

[Allen Harris]

1 hour ago, bob9890 said:

does anyone know where the

  Hide contents

staff puzzle

is? It's the only thing I haven't done before heading down

  Hide contents

the pit in the mushroom, which I still can't access despite Demora guy saying I have the right attire.

(that I know of). Thanks!

You'll need the old

Spoiler

ball and chain 😛

There's a place with water that forces you upward. It seems like a bug, but it isn't.

You have to be overencumbered and have the ball and chain ankle irons on to get down it. Once you get down, you can find a door that needs a bunch of staffs (presumably cast in the right order) to open.

 

Edited March 15, 2024 by Allen Harris

[ftj]

On 3/12/2024 at 11:07 PM, asdfa94 said:

Papyrus.0.log

I know my install is a mess and there can be thousands of reasons why the game CTDs but I thought I would take the opportunity to see if someone can help me figure out how to read the papyrus log for any future issues.

(btw I CTD right after Irkalla finishes playing with herself and goes to the chest after tieing me up in her room)

Yeah i have the same CTD here, tried the console to skip the quest but cant fix, by the way i played on LE

[sivb1]

Hello, is there a way in the first part to not lose all magic effect affecting the player? or maybe had an option to do so? kinda anoying to lose any permanent buff

[sorrowsmith]

11 hours ago, bob9890 said:

does anyone know where the

  Reveal hidden contents

staff puzzle

is? It's the only thing I haven't done before heading down

  Hide contents

the pit in the mushroom, which I still can't access despite Demora guy saying I have the right attire.

(that I know of). Thanks!

 

The dremora guy sometimes gets it wrong   

 

[kucharczyk]

need help with device 
 

Spoiler

where the hell i can find gag before opening upper mushroom

 

 

[Zaflis]

I haven't played for a while now, but what i noticed with the 2.01 update:

Spoiler

 

 In the mushroom tower after the lift going up, there seems to be an invisible force pushing player towards the door. Even if i open the door by wearing right device the force won't go away. So i can't go down the lift and if i went up without the device i'd be totally stuck have to reload game, faceplanted to the door 😛

 

As for my progress

Spoiler

I found 3/3 Irkalla's notes on "whispering place" and talked to Walker about it. Nothing useful from there though.

 

I got some items from the blacksmithing area, including tonal fork. I tried going to the cave in water again and there's probably the first trial many posts mention about but the door is locked. I'm not really sure what to do.

 

So few things i've tried, i'm not sure if they lead anywhere:

Spoiler

In mushroom cave the stairs lead to a tunnel with wind blowing, but if you try to go in the collar takes control over you and walks you back.

 

Then in the mushroom house there is the shield bubble that would lead down, but it knocks me back with a dialog when i try. It doesn't seem to be related to anything worn even because the message is very different.

 

Then there is a door in the blacksmith area but it's locked.

 

Another door or 2 in mushroom house also locked.

 

Edited March 17, 2024 by Zaflis

[sgasheppard11]

On 3/15/2024 at 4:33 PM, ftj said:

Yeah i have the same CTD here, tried the console to skip the quest but cant fix, by the way i played on LE

having the same issue that you are

[ftj]

4 hours ago, sgasheppard11 said:

having the same issue that you are

Found a solution to skip this quest 

Spoiler

When Irkalla ties the PC to the X cross, you should first disable Irkalla, then setstage FrayEQ2 to 370 or 380, and finally enable Irkalla. 
 

 

[Frayed]

On 3/12/2024 at 11:07 PM, asdfa94 said:

(btw I CTD right after Irkalla finishes playing with herself and goes to the chest after tieing me up in her room)

On 3/15/2024 at 10:33 PM, ftj said:

Yeah i have the same CTD here, tried the console to skip the quest but cant fix, by the way i played on LE

5 hours ago, sgasheppard11 said:

having the same issue that you are

 

Noted, should be fixed next patch. Use ftj's workaround for now.

[pornomatic]

Spoiler

Hmm, can't seem to get the cuffs to unlock during Trial of the Prisoner. They don't unlock even after I pick them with the splinter, am I missing something?

 

Are there any incompatibilities I should know about? Any workaround possible? FWIW quest stage is at 54.

 

A solution would be much appreciated as right now it's effectively a soft lock of my save. A list of quest stages would probably help tremendously.

Edited March 19, 2024 by pornomatic

[sorrowsmith]

On 3/16/2024 at 7:44 PM, Zaflis said:

I haven't played for a while now, but what i noticed with the 2.01 update:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 In the mushroom tower after the lift going up, there seems to be an invisible force pushing player towards the door. Even if i open the door by wearing right device the force won't go away. So i can't go down the lift and if i went up without the device i'd be totally stuck have to reload game, faceplanted to the door 😛

 

As for my progress

  Reveal hidden contents

I found 3/3 Irkalla's notes on "whispering place" and talked to Walker about it. Nothing useful from there though.

 

I got some items from the blacksmithing area, including tonal fork. I tried going to the cave in water again and there's probably the first trial many posts mention about but the door is locked. I'm not really sure what to do.

 

So few things i've tried, i'm not sure if they lead anywhere:

  Reveal hidden contents

In mushroom cave the stairs lead to a tunnel with wind blowing, but if you try to go in the collar takes control over you and walks you back.

 

Then in the mushroom house there is the shield bubble that would lead down, but it knocks me back with a dialog when i try. It doesn't seem to be related to anything worn even because the message is very different.

 

Then there is a door in the blacksmith area but it's locked.

 

Another door or 2 in mushroom house also locked.

 

 

Spoiler

The tunnel with wind blowing is actually the exit from the quest area.  The water cave with locked door at end is meant to be done after you have found & cleansed both shrines (in my opinion), although you can collect the needed  items and work out the puzzle earlier- the clue to solving the puzzle can be found roughly halfway through the content.  On the mushroom upper level, there is one door that is a "future content" thing; it has a daedric looking shrine inside.  The other locked door on that level CAN be unlocked,  but the needed device is on the other side- Irkalla will take you in there when the time is right.  

 

The general sequence is "find & cleanse first shrine, various fun stuff happens, find & cleanse second shrine, more fun stuff happens, solve the mystery of the water cave/locked door, MORE fun stuff happens, find the big bad and sort everything out."

 

[WaterRabbit]

15 hours ago, Frayed said:

 

Noted, should be fixed next patch. Use ftj's workaround for now.

 

Could you also look into why the Boss combat music doesn't end after the last encounter? I have basically turned off music in my game because of it.

[Zaflis]

18 hours ago, sorrowsmith said:

 

  Hide contents

The tunnel with wind blowing is actually the exit from the quest area.  The water cave with locked door at end is meant to be done after you have found & cleansed both shrines (in my opinion), although you can collect the needed  items and work out the puzzle earlier- the clue to solving the puzzle can be found roughly halfway through the content.  On the mushroom upper level, there is one door that is a "future content" thing; it has a daedric looking shrine inside.  The other locked door on that level CAN be unlocked,  but the needed device is on the other side- Irkalla will take you in there when the time is right.  

 

The general sequence is "find & cleanse first shrine, various fun stuff happens, find & cleanse second shrine, more fun stuff happens, solve the mystery of the water cave/locked door, MORE fun stuff happens, find the big bad and sort everything out."

 

 

I haven't found a single shrine yet though.

Spoiler

Though there are a few gadgets in the blacksmith/enchanting area but i can't do anything with them, nor get that door open. I have explored the whole cave so many times i won't do it again.

 

[sorrowsmith]

4 hours ago, Zaflis said:

 

I haven't found a single shrine yet though.

  Hide contents

Though there are a few gadgets in the blacksmith/enchanting area but i can't do anything with them, nor get that door open. I have explored the whole cave so many times i won't do it again.

 

 

Spoiler

 Fully explore the Fungi Cavern; there will be a few places you can't get into. when you find & enter the gloomy ruin, one shrine is found there.... be sure to fully explore the maze.  Afterwards, check the spots in the Fungi cave that you couldn't explore before, and you should find your way to the second shrine.

 

[WaterRabbit]

4 hours ago, Zaflis said:

 

I haven't found a single shrine yet though.

  Reveal hidden contents

Though there are a few gadgets in the blacksmith/enchanting area but i can't do anything with them, nor get that door open. I have explored the whole cave so many times i won't do it again.

 

 

Spoiler

The second shrine is above the main mushroom.  Kind of to the left as you exit the top door next to the ladder.

 

[Zaflis]

5 hours ago, WaterRabbit said:

 

  Hide contents

The second shrine is above the main mushroom.  Kind of to the left as you exit the top door next to the ladder.

 

 

I think you mean this place? But if i try to go that yellow marked cave the collar takes over and turns me back.

Spoiler

 

Edited March 19, 2024 by Zaflis

[sorrowsmith]

9 hours ago, Zaflis said:

 

I think you mean this place? But if i try to go that yellow marked cave the collar takes over and turns me back.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Spoiler

Yes, it does NOW.... but after you've cleansed first shrine (gloomy ruin maze) and had fun time with Irkalla, it will be available. You will need an item from the smithing room (behind that master locked door) to activate the second shrine.  The key for that door is found in Irkalla's quarters iirc.

 

Edited March 19, 2024 by sorrowsmith