Summary
Oblivion Remasteredtakes players to many different, memorable, and strange locations for its quests. From Cyrodiil’s unique cities to haunting Ayleid ruins, even to the realms of the Daedra themselves, there are plenty of places to get lost inOblivion Remastered. But one, seemingly mundane place, is a small town off the beaten path, lost in the woods, with some deep, Lovecraftian themes.
Bethesda has been putting nods to H.P. Lovecraft in many of its recent games, such as the evolving mythos ofFallout’s Dunwich Borers. The Aedra and Daedra inThe Elder Scrollsare beloved aspects of the franchise, but sometimes, something unknowable is needed to shed new light on mysteries about the gods that some players take for granted. But beware, the Brethren have taken notice, and it is time to delve deep into Hackdirt.
A Shadow Over Hackdirt Is Oblivion Remastered’s Nod to Cosmic Horror
Players shopping atNorthern Goods and Trade in Chorrolmay be asked to rescue Dar-Ma, a missing Argonian girl, who was last seen heading for Hackdirt. When they wander south of Chorrol, expecting to find an ordinary town, there is instead something far more eerie awaiting them. Broken down ruins, boarded up buildings, and a town that seems swallowed up by the forest looms out of the trees.
Something is definitely wrong with the town, but something is even more wrong with the locals. They will be immediately distrustful, warning the player that they don’t like outsiders. Even theHero of Kvatchis greeted by a sneer. Asking questions about the town will reveal very little about the place, other than it was attacked some time ago, and asking about the Brethren will result in some warnings of very dire consequences.
Hackdirt’s Unsettling Nature Runs Deep
Bethesda took a lot of care in making Hackdirt feel hostile, as the merchants will have unique lines of dialogue just for buying and selling, accusing you of cheating them. Their disposition toward the player will be very low, and while it can be improved, it will never have a meaningful effect. The houses that remain intact are incredibly disorganized, with broken, moldy crates littering rooms, pictures hanging at strange angles, and mysterious trapdoors in the floor. The strangest behavior, though, is howNPCs will follow the player around Hackdirt, keeping their distance, but always within sight, adding a subtle sense of dread to the town.
Investigating Dar-Ma’s whereabouts will lead to many blank expressions, with characters insisting they have never heard of her, but with both her horse in town and her diary, it’s a difficult story to believe. However, Jiv Hiriel will help the player, inviting them to meet him after dark to spill the town’s secrets. But no one else will offer any cooperation, and sleeping at the inn will end up in a rude awakening as one of the Hackdrit Brethren will attack the player in their room. But the biggest way to get on the bad side ofHackdirt’s suspicious residentsis by taking one of the trapdoors to the tunnels below the village, and finding out what goes on below.
How a Shadow Over Hackdirt Puts a Spin on Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”
Lovecraft fans will immediately notice the similarities between Hackdirt andLovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.”In the short story, an investigator goes to Innsmouth, a largely forgotten seaside town with strange locals and a very unfriendly atmosphere. He finds out that the town had been attacked on multiple occasions, as well as suffered from a mysterious plague, noting that some of the people look strangely inhuman.
After meeting someone who wasn’t a local, the narrator is encouraged to speak to the town drunk, Zadok, who tells him how Innsmouth changed when Obed Marsh began a practice of ritual sacrifice to appease the mysterious Deep Ones. He explained how humans coupling with Deep Ones would produce children that looked normal, but would steadily turn into Deep Ones in adulthood, yearning to return to the deep seas. When Marsh’s rituals got townspeople arrested,the Deep Onestook out their fury on the residents in displeasure.
As the tales become more absurd, the narrator brushes it all off as the ravings of a drunk, who warns him they are being watched, but he takes no notice. When he is forced to spend the night in the town, the narrator is woken up to someone frantically attempting to break into his room, so he escapes. Having recognized that the entiretown of Innsmouthis now looking for him, he escapes by road, but comes across a sight he could never have believed.
A Shadow Over Hackdirt Isn’t the Only Time Bethesda Has Paid Homage to Lovecraft
Without spoiling the end of either, the parallels between Lovecraft’s story and theOblivion Remasteredquestare very clear. Bethesda is paying homage to the popular cosmic horror writer, making for an incredibly memorable location that could be so easily missed by players, and this isn’t the only time the developer has made such overt references.
Bethesda has been known to make a lot of references to Lovecraftian horror, particularly in theFalloutseries. Beginning with theDunwich Building inFallout 3, Bethesda has built up a narrative around strange, cyclopean entities, far older and more powerful than humans can imagine, whose roots in civilization go back way before the Great War. The studio built upon this with the Dunwich Borers quarry inFallout 4, and even the Cabot House quest line into ancient alien artifacts. EvenFallout 76has had its share of cosmic influences, and the question is up in the air about whatThe Elder Scrolls 6might add to deepen any Lovecraftian connections.
A Shadow Over Hackdirtis a quest worth experiencing for anyOblivion Remasteredplayer, and those left curious by it should also read the story that inspired it. The game is full of plenty of fascinating quests like it, so in between the Dark Brotherhood and the Mages Guild, players should make some time for Hackdirt.
