Thief: The Dark Project missions
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This article outlines the plot and the missions of the game Thief: The Dark Project.
Mission titles are followed by their design credits, with the primary architect listed first.[1]
[edit] A Keeper's Training
Randy Smith, Greg LoPicollo, Mark Lizotte
"A Keeper's Training" is an optional mission where the player can become familiarized with the game controls. It also provides Garrett's back-story. The briefing tells of Garrett as a youth living on the streets of the City. One night he tries to pick the pocket of a strange cloaked figure ("People just passed him by like he wasn't there"). The man catches Garrett in the act and reveals himself to be a Keeper ("You have talent lad. To see a Keeper is not an easy thing, especially one who does not wish to be seen"). The man then invites Garrett to follow him.
In the mission proper Garrett/the player is led through the Keeper compound via vocal instructions, introducing the player to the game controls and weapons. These include: moving silently and invisibly, the bow, sword and important physical manoeuvers.
[edit] Lord Bafford's Manor
Dorian Hart
Some time after leaving the Keepers, Garrett takes a simple job: "Break into a guarded mansion, steal another fat nobleman's priceless trinket and leave quietly" (just how long it has been since Garrett's training is never stated, but the kind of job he is willing to attempt and the connections he has made suggest he has estabilshed himself in the meantime). Garrett's task, given by his fence Cutty, is to steal a valuable scepter from a large manor house while the master is away.
The mission comprises the entire manor house (three floors plus vaults and cellar) with some surrounding streets. The player begins the mission near the guarded front gate of the house. Note that on 'easy' difficulty it is only necessary to pick up the scepter (and get the required amount of loot) to complete the mission. On higher difficulty the player must also exit the building.
[edit] Break from Cragscleft Prison
Mike Ryan, Tim Stellmach, Ian Vogel
Garrett returns from the Bafford job to find that Cutty has been arrested by The Order of the Hammer. Angered by this he sets out to get Cutty out of their penitentiary on Cragscleft so he can be properly compensated for getting the sceptre. The building also houses a factory and ajoins a mining complex. The lower levels of the mine are abandoned due to haunting and offer a good way in.
The mission comprises several levels of the mine plus the factory/prison and barracks, introducing the undead as well as the Hammerites to the game. Cutty dies from apparent pneumonia shortly after Garrett reaches him, his only offering being some information which was confiscated and in the prison's evidence safe, located in the top floor barracks (here the mission objectives change accordingly). The info concerns a fellow thief named Felix and his plan to go grave robbing in search of the fabled Horn of Quintus. This information is then discovered to have been stolen by an escapee thought to be still in the complex somewhere. On 'easy' difficulty finding the missing evidence is enough to end the mission, but on higher difficulty several other things must be done including leaving the complex and even finding Garrett's friend Basso and carrying him out through the mines.
[edit] Down in the Bonehoard
Dorian Hart, Nate Wells
Now without a reliable fence and stuck for money, Garrett decides to use the lead Cutty gave him and go after the Horn of Quintus for himself. The horn is said to be somewhere deep in the "Bonehoard", the catacombs on the outskirts of the city, and Felix and friends have a head start.
The mission comprises several sections of sprawling underground tombs which are linked by the tunnels of the poison-gas spewing creatures called Burricks (the mission is their introduction). The largest of these is the Halls of Echoing Repose with its interconnected octagonal towers that are several stories high. The Horn can be heard mysteriously blowing its mournful tune throughout. The mission contains several side quests and some secret objectives. On higher difficulty levels other treasure is added to the objectives besides the horn and new areas are opened up.
[edit] Assassins
Mike Ryan, Greg LoPiccolo
Garrett sells the horn for a tidy profit and decides to buy some new tools (lockpicks) from the merchant Farkus. Garrett explains that selling to an independent thief like himself is a risk that few merchants take, but the alternative is for him to join up with one of the city Wardens and have them take a share of his profits. The Wardens have been threatening Garrett over his independent status for some time now.
Initially the objectives state that the mission will involve trying out the new lockpicks in a bit of random burglary at the Hammer temple. However, things change quickly. The mission begins in Farkus' shop as an arrow flies through the window and kills him. The arrow was meant for Garrett and the task now becomes tracking the assassins. Most of the mission area is a large, convoluted section of the City's streets which the player must tail the assassins through. The second part of the mission begins at the mansion of warden Ramirez (previously mentioned in documents from Lord Bafford's Manor) who sent the assassins. The mansion is sizeable, having two floors along with basement and courtyard. It also has a large compliment of guards, servants and an alarm system. Garrett decides to teach Ramirez a lesson by stealing the purse of gold from his belt in his own home. The difficulty level alters the complexity of the route the assassins take through the city and higher difficulty can see that many of Ramirez's hoods are out searching the streets when the objectives are complete and its time to return home.
[edit] The Sword
Sara Verrilli, Nate Wells
Garrett's humiliating of Ramirez gets him some notoriety and he is contacted by a woman named Viktoria (mentioned briefly in some previous missions as someone of interest in the City's underworld) who represents an unnammed client. Her client wants Garrett to steal a magical sword owned by the reclusive nobleman named Constantine. He is a new face in the City and his house was constructed recently making a map difficult to come by. The word is that the house's layout is bizzare and confusing to navigate in.
The mission consists of Constantine's mansion, a maze of strange architecture and gardens that take on more surreal dimensions the deeper you venture. This is the first mission where on every difficulty level it is necessary to exit the building once the objectives are complete.
[edit] Cutscene #1
Viktoria visits Garrett at his home and takes him to collect his reward and meet the client in person. The 'client' turns out to be Constantine himself ("I am a collector Mr Garrett, and there are some items that are not available for purchase"). He and Viktoria were testing Garrett's suitability for an even greater theft; the gemstone known as The Eye. It's hidden in a sealed Hammerite cathedral and Constantine offers one hundred thousand for its return. Garrett naturally takes the job.
[edit] The Haunted Cathedral
The Hammerite cathedral in question is in an abandoned section of town that was walled off decades ago. The cause of the disaster is not known, but rumour tells of hordes of zombies and raging fires. Garrett must make his way through the ruins to the cathedral. Burnt out and collapsed buildings obscuring overgrown and leaf covered streets make up this mission. The way through to the cathedral on the hill is not straightforward. Ghosts and zombies as well as other fauna have taken over. It is also pitch dark and one of the necessities is finding and starting up the old power grid. Upon arriving at the cathedral it is found to be sealed with magical wards, a plaque reading "Warning: Great evil resides in this place, and it is no longer fit for men. The doors are sealed to protect us from that which lies within. Do not remain here". At the rear of the building The Eye itself speaks through an open window, telling of a secret place in a nearby grotto with information on how to get the door open. Inside is found a trap-ridden and abandoned Keeper library with scrolls and a table map of the city telling where the "keys" lie.
[edit] The Lost City
Mike Ryan, Tim Stellmach, Greg LoPiccolo
The wards on the cathedral are opened with talismans corresponding to one of the classical elements. The Keeper information Garrett found says the Fire and Water talismans are hidden in a place called "The Lost City". Using a stone key breaks the Keepers' seal on the underwater entrance. After a long swim, players find themselves in treacherous underground caverns among the half buried ruins of an ancient civilisation. Navigating the now convaluted layout of the place and identifying some of the old landmarks is a large part of the challenge. The ruins are now occupied by burricks, craymen and fire elementals, but documents give hints to the former civilisation that lived here. Some 'precursor' technology still functions, notably the automatic lighting in the rooms of most buildings.
[edit] Undercover
Dorian Hart
The Hammerites took the other half of the "keys" and keep the talismans of Air and Earth somewhere inside the city's temple. Since the place is crowded and active 24 hours a day Garrett decides to enter in disguise. His contacts get him the uniform and reference to enter as a novice. Novices are not allowed to speak while in temple and can move about the place almost freely. Plenty of sneaking is necessary to get into forbidden areas however. The temple is not a particularly large building. It has two main floors with barracks and other quarters, a chapel, garden and a cellar which connects to vaults that contain a number of tombs. The temple has a large population of Brothers and an alarm system. The challenge is first in finding where the talismans are then dealing with the elaborate security system that protects them.
[edit] Return to the Cathedral
Randy Smith, Mark Lizotte
Garrett returns to the abandoned Hammerite cathedral with all four talismans in hand, ready to face retrieveing The Eye from atop the sanctuary altar in the midst of wandering undead. After placing the talismans and entering the building the doors close behind him, sealing him in. Retrieving the Eye from a nave filled with all kinds of horrors is now only the first part of the challenge.
The mission consists of the cathedral itself, including some upper rooms, towers and cellar, and its outer cloister and monastic buildings. These include St Yora's (dormitories), St Tenor's (a factory), St Jenel's (observatory and other functions), St. Vale's (a library and scriptorium), and a cemetery. Once retrieving The Eye and exiting the back door of the cathedral players meet the rather friendly ghost of Brother Murus who offers to help you get out. The remaining objectives chiefly involve helping Brother Murus have his grave consecrated so that he can rest in peace, with other objectives added according to the difficulty level. Although not a large mission in area, Return to the Cathedral is crawling with dangerous undead and not straightforward.
[edit] Cutscene #2
Garrett returns to Constantine with the Eye to collect his payment. Constantine is virtually speechless with joy, so he says. Viktoria hovers nearby and declares the Eye 'defective'. Constantine agrees that the Eye is 'completely blind'. Garrett asks for his money. To give Garrett his 'compensation' the two transform. Viktoria grows bark on her skin and her limbs extend like tree branches. She commands "bow to the Woodsy Lord and offer up your flesh eye so that his eye of stone may see". She violently pins Garrett to a column with one arm and pulls out his right eye with the other. Constantine grows horns, cloven hooves and a tail. He booms "Did you think those poems were mere words manfool? Look at me! I am the Woodsy Lord, the Trickster of Legend". Viktoria passes him Garrett's eyeball which The Eye grasps, glowing as blood trickles down its sides. Vines entangle Garrett as the two leave. He blacks out.
[edit] Escape
Garrett is awakened by two Keepers who have found him and are cutting him free of the vines. One says "Since you left us, you have been a stone rolling down hill. Now you must aim this remarkable momentum. It is passed time for the balance to shift". The Keepers then leave quickly at the sound of something nearby. This briefing is of interest as a turning point in the narrative and is marked by narrowing the gap between Garrett the character and the player. Garrett at this point is no better informed about what awaits than the player and fittingly most of the art in the briefing presents Garrett's point of view as he is awoken by the Keepers.
The mission begins in the strange chapel-like building from the garden in Constantine's mansion. However the main doors are locked, the only exit being a side door that leads down into the caverns of maroon rock that make up most of the mission. The caverns are almost as maze-like as Constantine's mansion, replete with flickering lights, gravity defying water and trees growing far from light. Here players find a menagerie of beasts; armed talking monkeys, giant praying mantis creatures, fire elementals and plenty of giant spiders. Players must find the equipment to survive and a way back to the surface. It is in this mission that players find clues to the "Dark Project" itself.
[edit] Strange Bedfellows
Sara Verrilli
The Trickster has got the Eye, and Garrett's own eye. To take revenge on him, Garrett seeks the help of the Hammerites and returns to the temple from where he had previously stolen the two elemental talismans. Unfortunately, the Trickster had already visited the Hammerites and wrought his vengeance upon them, so Garrett arrives to find the temple overrun with the nature god's minions. He locates a few members of the Order hidden underground, and they agree to help him.
[edit] The Maw of Chaos
Mike Ryan, Sara Verrilli, Greg LoPiccolo
The Hammerites inform Garrett that the Trickster has descended into his realm to perform a ritual with the Eye so that he can open a portal between the city and his territory for his beasts to conquer the city. The Hammers have built Garrett a booby-trapped replica of the Eye. If Garrett can swap it for the real thing, it should cause the Trickster some trouble, if he does not notice it. In order to deploy the counterfeit Eye, Garrett goes into the Trickster's otherworldly realm, the Maw of Chaos, which is occupied by apebeasts, craybeasts, bug beasts, spider beasts, frog beasts and fire elementals.
[edit] The End
It is snowing and Garrett is walking alone in a street. His empty right eye socket is now filled by a replacement mechanical eye. A familiar Keeper comes up behind him, saying that all things are as written in their prophecies. However Garrett does not want to have any connection with the Keepers anymore and walks away. The Keeper merely says 'Nothing is changed. All is as it was written. The Trickster is dead. Beware the dawn of the "Metal Age"'.
[edit] Thief Gold missions
The Thief Gold re-release of Thief: The Dark Project intersperses three new missions with the original roster.
- Thieves' Guild
Sara Verrilli
Set between "Assassins" and "The Sword". Garrett had planned on robbing Lord Randall's vase collection but the Downwind Thieves Guild beat him to it. However Garrett hears that dividing the score has caused some problems and the guild's leaders, Donal and Reuben, have had a falling out over the prized sapphire vase. Garrett plans to settle this disagreement by stealing it from them.
The mission consists largely of extensive sewer tunnels and associated facilities with vaulted rooms providing the makeshift living quarters of the thieves. Connected to these sewers are the houses of the guild's leaders. After negotiating a guarded resturaunt and the Overlord's Fancy gambling den that it fronts, players must find their way through a maze of bricked sewer tunnels heavily populated with guild members.
- The Mage Towers
Rafael Brown, Sara Verrilli, Mike Chrzanowski
Set between "The Haunted Cathedral" and "The Lost City", Garrett must acquire the Talisman of Earth. It is guarded by a foreign mages clan known as the 'Hand Brotherhood'. They reside in a castle-like compound, practicing their carefully guarded arts.
The mission takes place in the compound itself, which consists of a large outer wall with four huge towers (one for each of the elements) and a central keep of three floors and a dungeon. The mages employ civilian guards to patrol the hedged inner grounds and the keep but defend the towers themselves. Each tower is home to one of the elemental arts and a corresponding group of the mages. Players must find out how to get into the towers and then deal with the bizarre confines in which the mages practice (In the Thief Gold version of "The Lost City", Garrett is only after the Talisman of Fire and is besieged by some mages instead of craymen in the middle of the mission.)
- Song of the Caverns
Set between "The Lost City" and "Undercover". Garrett has discovered that the Keepers have stashed the Talisman of Water in a series of hidden caverns located deep below the city. According to their map he should find it in a shrine located in the lowest cavern. He thinks there shouldn't be anything too threatening other than a few venomous spiders. The section of the map marking the talisman states 'Stand not against us, lest you feel the sting of ignorance's barbs.' Giry, an old informant of Garrett's, had made a home for himself in these caverns after he lost his job tending the ticket counter of a nearby opera house. However Garrett only finds Giry's body, covered in spider webs. It turns out that the Talisman of Water has been moved to the opera house. The opera house ex-owner is living in the cavern under the house, and has given Garrett a map and a key to steal it back. (In this game's version of "Undercover", Garrett only needs to find the Talisman of Air.)
[edit] References
- ^ Carlson, Rich. Thief & Thief 2 level designer credits. Retieved 9 March 2007
| Ultima Underworld series | Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss - Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds |
| System Shock series | System Shock - System Shock 2 (co-developed) |
| Thief series | Thief: The Dark Project - Thief Gold - Thief II: The Metal Age - Thief: Deadly Shadows |
| Flight Unlimited series | Flight Unlimited - Flight Unlimited II - Flight Unlimited III |
| Other games | Car and Driver - British Open Championship Golf - Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri - Jane's Attack Squadron |
