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Discover the true meaning of the holiday season with this incredible in-game production of An ESO Christmas Carol by Vanquish Guild!
Now a holiday tradition, every year, social guild Vanquish puts on an amazing performance of Charles Dicken’s classic, A Christmas Carol, with an ESO-flavored twist. This year was their third production, and once again the guild did an amazing job putting on the holiday show. Check out the full play below and read an interview with the guild’s two leaders, Savina and Duck, about what goes into staging a production of this scale with ESO’s Housing System.
Tell us about Vanquish! How did you form and what kind of activities do you typically enjoy as an ESO guild?
Vanquish was formed on March 30, 2014, the first day of early access before the April 4th launch. What started as a group of friends has grown steadily into a solid 400-member family. Our events calendar is packed full of static events each week that include several types of daily quests, World Bosses, Dungeon runs, Fishing, Skyshard hunting, PvP, Normal and Veteran Trial events, and Cyrodiil both morning and night.
Of course, our not-so-typical activities are the most enjoyed among our members. Each year Vanquish rings in the new year with Baby New Year Trials. We celebrate Vanquish’s Birthday in ESO with a full day of back-to-back events including our very own VanquishDome dueling matches. Vanquish Roll Call is a semi-annual event usually in Spring and Fall. Our Pay It Forward Challenge runs for the month of December. Of course, December is also when Vanquish Presents An ESO Christmas Carol for the entire community to enjoy.
Putting on a play like A Christmas Carol is no small endeavor. How did this all start?
In early November of 2019, it started as an idea, a vision, and a curiosity to see if we could pull it off. Many of us listen to podcasts, go to content creator websites, watch streams, and learn from one another, and we wanted to find a way to give back to the community by doing something a little different.
The starting point was creating the stage. We knew from the start that two stages would be required to eliminate time from scenes loading and unloading. While a story is taking place on Stage 1, Stage 2 could be set for the next scene. The next objective of the stage was to eliminate as much of the outdoor lighting as possible. Having the scene setback into a box helped. The final part of the stage was to think of a way for the actors/actresses to go on/off the stage without being noticed. This we took care of by placing an illusionary wall, so to speak, that was set back a few meters from the other walls to create paths for them.
Now that the stages were set, our next challenge was how to bring the classic Dickens tale into Elder Scrolls. Using the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, we came up with the idea of using the order of the DLC’s to represent them, but there had to be a connection to the story. We all know the classic tale and how Ebenezer Scrooge was transformed. That was the core we had to focus on. As an adventurer in Elder Scrolls Online, many of us start with the main quest line at the Harborage and go on to eventually defeat Molag Bal. So how did we make everyone detest Scrooge? By having him choose what only 11% of the population of players chose: He sacrificed Lyris Titanborn. Booo!
Then, it was time to pick out stories within Elder Scrolls that could flashback to the original classic with the love he lost, Tiny Tim, and the loneliness. In our story we answered those with Naryu, Tim being injured, and dying alone.
With some imagination and screenshots from within the game, we wanted to represent the scenes that the audience would immediately recognize; the Harborage in Glenumbra, where you first met Rigurt in Wrothgar, the Vvardenfell docks, the quest “The Dreaming Cave” in Summerset, and Senchal in Elsweyr.
After three solid weeks of long nights, the stage was built, the story was written, and the scenes were complete. Our first production of an ESO Christmas Carol took place on December 14th, 2019, at 8:30PM EST.
How has your production of the performance changed since you first started?
This year, we moved the stage from the Meadows to Stillwater Retreat in Western Skyrim for the ambiance and lighting. If it wasn’t for the add-on Essential Housing Tools by Cardinal05, I would still be pulling out all my hair. With the cut/paste feature, I was able to recreate the stage and the scenes. It was a long process, mind you, with 700 items slots being used, so I had to do it in sections and cross check with inventory.
This year we also added a few more scenes to bring the current Blackwood chapter into the play and introduce characters Heem-Jas, Eveli Sharp-Arrow, and Sombren.
Besides the Blackwood Chapter being written into the play, we also added the Trial of the Ages to bring the story of A Christmas Carol to a full circle. I knew from the start that I wanted the audience to feel they were really witnessing the trial. To bring the Trial “to” them. Instead of the scene taking place on stage, we brought the floor up to the audience and built the courtroom right before them.
Our first production started with a script that was 43 pages long. In 2021, we added 31 more pages to the script.
How many guild members are involved in the show? Do you have a full cast and crew like other real-life productions?
Due to limited seating, we must keep the cast to just nine. Several cast members will log in and out during the performance to change characters to better represent the role they are playing. Sometimes the change of costumes, hair, etc., is more than enough. But if you are playing the role of Eveli, no costume or hair change is going to help if you were currently playing the giant Nord, Lyris.
In our latest production, our cast and crew are:
- @Cyfrinair: Ebenezer Scrooge (3 years)
- @DeSyreni: Bella Cratchit, Lyris Titanborn, Eveli Sharp-Arrow, Town Crier
- @Xrist04: Tim Cratchit, Varen Aquilarios, Sai Sahan, Young Scrooge, and Sound Editor (2 years)
- @Fripplethorn: Ghost of Christmas Past, Charity Worker #1, Shady Character, Sombren, EP Warrior, and Music Producer
- @TricksterToons: Ghost of Christmas Present, Naryu, Charity Worker #2, AD Warrior, and Ms.Copperton the Bailiff (3 years)
- @Dantheman5: Ghost of Christmas Future, and Darien Gautier (3 years)
- @Smithsylvian: The Narrator and Defense Attorney, Mr. Renault
- @Duck17: Rigurt the Brash, Heem-Jas, Judge Plavius, Set Designer, Playwright, and Producer (3 years)
- @Savina.09: The host of an ESO Christmas Carol and Trial of the Ages (3 years)
- @Nnamrak: Film recorder for YouTube
- @UniCajole: Film editor for YouTube (2 years)
What was the most technically challenging part of putting on this performance?
To be honest, the most challenging part was the writing. Yes, with Scrooge you have a lot to go by, but to make ESO part of the story and the characters, we had to be creative with it. Thanks to UESP and the Imperial Library, we were able to go to each character and find the dialogue they used in the game.
With each character, I would print out their entire dialogues and then go through them one by one, scratch what wouldn’t work, and then circle lines that would. Once all the dialogue was laid out, we had to piece them to fit the story we wanted to tell.
Do you have any advice for other guilds wanting to put on a show of their own?
When putting something like this together, you need to have an understanding spouse! It’s going to take a lot of time, sleepless nights, and stress. And having a supportive spouse makes it so much easier.
First, you need a vision. Not just an idea, but a vision to go with that idea. You already know it’s going to take a lot of time, gold, and possibly crowns to make that vision come true. Know the story you want to tell and make notes with pencil. We are in a world with tools at our disposal and endless stories to tell.
Second, armed with those, share your idea with those you can count on. See if there is interest to make that vision come to life. Always remember that the only thing that can stop you, is you. Well, that, and your spouse.
And third, allow your cast to show their personalities. They are as much of an artist as you are.
Where can the community find your guild and previous performances?
Vanquish can be found by using our website. We are on the guild finder, which will redirect you to our website. At our website, those interested can read and learn a little about us, see our events page, and some forum topics.
Our past two performances, and our contest entry for #TamrielTogether, can be found on our YouTube channel. We didn’t record all the shows, just one for each year.
Do you have a message you'd like to share with your fellow cast members, crew, and guildmates?
To Vanquish guildmembers, thank you so much for your support and encouragement. When we did our first show, we really didn’t know what to expect. Hearing the laughter, the comments in chat, the encouragement to others to go see it, was what inspired us to continue. Some of you even helped walk the lands of Tamriel, as the Town Crier, to advertise to those who wanted a little Christmas Spirit. So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
For the cast and crew, it’s incredible what we accomplished. The amount of work you put forth, your time and dedication, to give back to the community and Vanquish, speaks volumes. We did this together! Not only did we bring a story and laughter to Tamriel, we created a tradition. (That means all of you next year, and the year after….) Merry Christmas to you and to everyone!
A massive thank you to the folks from Vanquish for sharing the story behind this incredible production with us. As always, if you’ve seen or created something you think the #ESOFam would love, share it with us via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! Happy Holidays!
