Oblivion

About this mod

A scholar has discovered that the blade known as Anduril Flame of the West - used by Aragorn in the War of the Ring - was hidden away in Tamriel. Unfortunately, the scholar disappears under mysterious circumstances before he can recover the legendary artifact. Can you follow the clues and recover Anduril before sinister forces get to it first?

Requirements
Permissions and credits
Mirrors
* Scroll to bottom for Frequently Asked Questions *

Name: Anduril Reforged
Version: 1.33
Date: 21/2/11
Category: Weapons
Requirements: Oblivion Patch 1.2.0.416, Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) version 0019 or higher
Author: Lanceor
Source: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36365
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=6520
http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/topic/3473-anduril-reforged/

Description
===========
A scholar deciphering ancient texts has discovered that the blade known as Andúril Flame of the West - as used by Aragorn in the War of the Ring - was hidden away in Tamriel. Unfortunately, the scholar disappears under mysterious circumstances before he can recover the legendary artifact. Can you follow the clues and recover the sword that was broken before sinister forces get to it first?

Quest Start
===========
Speak to Émile Lapérouse in Bravil. He hangs around the docks most of the time, but goes to the Lonely Suitor Lodge to eat and sleep. He will bring you up to speed on recent events and start you on your quest.

Details
=======
This is a weapon mod that takes the beautiful mesh and textures as created by Adonnay and Kohdi respectively and adds several ingredients that were missing.

1) The powers of Narsil/Andúril as described in Tolkien's works have been added. Among them:
- "...the sword of Elendil filled Orcs and Men with fear, for it shone with the light of the sun and of the moon." (The Silmarillion)
- "...Andúril came down upon his helm. There was a flash like flame and the helm burst asunder." (The Fellowship of the Ring)
- "The blade that is drawn from this sheath shall not be stained or broken even in defeat" (The Fellowship of the Ring)
- "Andúril rose and fell, gleaming with white fire." (The Two Towers)

2) The books infer that Andúril was a one-handed sword, but the movie version was mostly used two handed. To solve this, Andúril properly functions as a hand-and-a-half sword and can be used either one- or two-handed.

3) Priceless artifacts don't fall out of trees. Instead of dumping such a legendary artifact on the floor somewhere, a proper voice-acted quest was written so that you actually have to use mixture of brain and brawn to obtain Andúril.

4) Andúril is levelled and can be used from level 1 all the way to 40+ without unbalancing the game. Putting it back where you found it updates it (much like the Crusader relics). Damage output is roughly equivalent to the Sword of the Crusader up until level 25. But from there, it keeps leveling all the way to level 45 to become a truly legendary weapon befitting the demigod that your character has become.

Bonus Items
===========
Upon completion of the quest, you can obtain a set of xxfmanxx's Gondorian Guard Armor and Gondorian Knight Armor.

If you have completed the quest and you are level 25 or higher, you can obtain further bonus items from various other mods:
- The Shield of Elendil (Daedric quality, choice of enchantments)
- Lórien dagger (equivalent to perfect Amber quality)
- Gimli's Battle Axe (equivalent to perfect Madness quality)
- A full set of Gondorian Ranger Gear (equivalent to perfect Amber quality)

Install
=======
1. Extract the files to a temporary location.
2. Copy Anduril Reforged.esp, Anduril Reforged.bsa and the DistantLOD folder to (install folder)\Oblivion\Data\
3. Start Oblivion Launcher, click 'Data Files', place a checkmark besides Anduril Reforged.esp. Or use your favourite load order manager.

This mod requires Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) version 0019 or higher. If don't already have it, you can get it from http://obse.silverlock.org. OBSE is simple to install: just copy three files!

Upgrade (from any previous version)
===================================
1. Extract Anduril Reforged.esp and Anduril Reforged.bsa to a temporary location.
2. Overwrite the older version of Anduril Reforged.esp and Anduril Reforged.bsa in (install folder)\Oblivion\Data\. The DistantLOD folder does not need to be updated.
3. Continue as normal - the upgrade will not affect your saved games.

Uninstall
=========
1. Start Oblivion Launcher, click Data Files, uncheck Anduril Reforged.esp. Or use your favourite load order manager.
2. Delete Anduril Reforged.esp and Anduril Reforged.bsa.
3. Delete Tamriel_40_6.lod and Tamriel_41_7.lod from the (install folder)\Oblivion\Data\DistantLOD folder

Incompatibility
===============
Any other mods that modify the Cadlew Chapel or Fort Entius interiors may cause conflicts. Of the ones that I know of:
Cadlew Chapel Repair.esp - no conflict (other than the quest item being out of context)
CadlewChapel.esp and Cadlew Chapel Redone.esp - minor conflict. You'll have to search in an "illogical" spot for a quest item.
Cadlew Chapel - Scout's Lodge.esp - quest-breaking conflict. I'll post a workaround if you need it.

Andúril Reforged uses the DARK magic effect for its power attacks so it will conflict with another mod that also uses this effect. You can put Andúril Reforged *before* the other mod in the load order if you don't want to override the other mod's magic effect. (This will likely result in Andúril gaining new powers though.)

Known Issues or Bugs
====================
DistantLOD has been known to work erratically. If it is not working, it will be much harder to find "the statue". You can still continue with the quest using other clues given. I recommend running TES4LODGen (http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15781) every time you install a new mod that changes Tamriel.

History
=======
28/12/10 0.80 Beta - Beta release for playtesting
30/12/10 0.81 Beta - Fixes many bugs and balance issues based on playtest feedback.
01/01/11 1.00 - Release version
02/01/11 1.10 - Incorrect texture paths for Gondorian Ranger Armor fixed
08/01/11 1.11 - LOD files no longer read-only. Minor wording and AI changes
10/01/11 1.20 - Incorrect texture paths for *female* Gondorian Ranger Armor fixed
17/01/11 1.30 - FAQ added. Repacked bsa using BSA commander instead of OBMM. Hopefully this will fix the wonky textures for the ranger gear, axe and dagger once and for all...
18/01/11 1.31 - Repacked BSA again using OBMM, no compression. BSA commander seemed to generate an unreadable file. 7zipped to make file size manageable.
24/01/11 1.32 - Dagger and axe meshes re-optimised, textures re-saved from Gimp. OBSE detection code added.
21/02/11 1.33 - OBSE detection code improved. Fixed sword duplication exploit. Dagger sheath texture path corrected.

Contact
=======
You can find me at TESNexus, the Bethesda Forums and TES Alliance as "Lanceor".

Credits
=======
Thanks to these fellow modmakers for giving me permission to use their work as part of Andúril Reforged.

Adonnay - for creating the original Andúril mesh.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9185

Kohdi - for his breathtaking retexture of Adonnay's sword.
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29391

xxfmanxx - he created several sets of LOTR inspired gear:
Gondorian Ranger Gear http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=32307
Gondorian Knight Armor http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=31352
Gondorian Guard Cuirass and Shield http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=31299

Stoltie92 created a lovely rendition of Gimli's Axe and Aragorn's dagger: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=27400

alphaprime_01 and LHammonds for creating a beautiful second-age Gondorian shield. http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12703

Music:
"Movement Proposition" by Kevin MacLeod http://incompetech.com

Beta Testers:
A big thank you to John, nottlong, drakon136, Arion and the rest of the team at TES Alliance for helping me squash numerous bugs. "Rumor" has it there's a cooking waiting for you.

Special Thanks:
- All those who assisted me at the Bethesda Forums.
- Bethesda for creating Oblivion and giving modders free reign to let their imaginations run wild.
- TESNexus.com and Planet Elder Scrolls for providing file hosting and resources for authors and players alike.
- LHammonds for the Readme Generator this file was based on.
- Peter Jackson and crew for making the definitive movie adaptation of the Lord of the Rings.
- Last but not least, JRR Tolkien, the father of high fantasy, for creating the rich, mystical world that is Middle Earth and for weaving the legendary stories of its heroes and tyrants.

Tools Used
==========
Audacity - http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Construction Set Extender - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36370
GIMP - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14920
LipTEmplate.7z - http://www.4shared.com/dir/7624076/5c6300d5/VAP.html
NIFSkope - http://niftools.sourceforge.net/wiki/NifSkope
Oblivion Mod Manager - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2097
Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) - http://obse.silverlock.org/
Paint Shop Pro - http://www.paintshoppro.com/
Switch - http://www.nch.com.au/switch/plus.html
TES4Edit - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11536
TES4LODGen - http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15781
TES Construction Set 1.0 and 1.2 - http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/The_Elder_Scrolls_Construction_Set
Readme Generator - http://lhammonds.game-host.org/obmm/tools_readme_generator1.asp

Licensing/Legal
===============
Feel free to reuse any parts of the mod that I created. If my work was helpful to you, some credit would be nice. Feel free to let me know if you find an interesting way to use my stuff. The weapon and armor meshes and textures were created by other authors, so don't forget to ask them for permission if you use their work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a walkthrough for this mod?
Yes, Morann Mackay has made a video walkthrough. You'll find it here.

The sword/pedestal/powers/scroll/anything is not working properly!
  • You need OBSE 0019 or higher for this mod to work. Also make sure that Oblivion is patched to 1.2.0.416.
  • A pirated copy of Oblivion currently in circulation has a bug that prevents many scripts from working.
  • A small number of people (0.1%) have a problematic Oblivion installation. This results in things like not being able to grab the sword, duping of swords and none of its functions working. Try putting Anduril Reforged last in the load order. As a last resort, try reinstalling Oblivion. This bug has been extensively tested and is not the fault of the mod.


How do I make it 2-handed?
You should have a lesser power called Anduril technique. Casting this will let you change the way you use the sword. Make sure that Oblivion is patched to 1.2.0.416 and that OBSE 0019 is running. These are the usual reasons for the sword's functions not working properly.

Where is the entrance to the vault?
The entrance is quite tricky to find because it is invisible until it is activated. It is a very short distance due East of the statue and the area has a clue to indicate that you're in the right spot. If you're stuck, you can download a picture showing the location from the Files section.

I use the scroll and nothing happens!
Make sure you're in the right spot between the small statue and where the entrance should appear (download the spoiler file if you're not sure where that is). Merilnir's scroll needs to be used at midnight.

The scroll disappaeared! How do I get another scroll?
If you're not using OBSE 0019, the scroll will disappear when used. You'll need to install OBSE 0019 and roll back to a previous save.

Where is the big statue? There's no quest marker!
Stand on the bridge outside Fort Entius and scan the horizon - it should be visible North-North-East of your position. There is also a map in Merilir's Journal. If you're unable to view distant objects, you can download a picture of the statue as seen from Fort Entius from the Files section.

I've been to Fort Entius and got the book of quotes from Emile but the quest doesn't update!
Did you retrieve the journal at Fort Entius? It's needed for the quest to update.

Why do objects appear as a big yellow diamond with an exclamation mark in it?
It means that the meshes are missing. Make sure Anduril Reforged.bsa is in your (install folder)\Oblivion\Data directory.

The light from the sword messes up my stealth.
Narsil was reforged for Aragorn to put aside the ranger and become who he was born to be, not for him to sneak around in the dark. Keep your sword sheathed until you are about to backstab the target.

At what level do the side entrances open up?
They open at level 25. There are some good items with powerful enchantments inside, so that's why the level limit.

Does it work with Unique Landscapes - Entius Gorge?
Yes - no conflicts at all.

Is the mod clean? Are the meshes optimised?
Yes and yes. The mod was fully cleaned using TES4Edit and all meshes were optimised in NifSkope.

What does the Sunder enchantment do?
Basically, it's a very powerful disintegrate armor spell with a "flash like flame" which only occurs with power attacks.

How does the fear aura work?
It works on playable races and goblins. Hostile targets in the vicinity have roughly a 50/50 chance of fleeing in terror. The chance is greater if you are higher level, or if their confidence is low. The reverse is also true.

What are the sword's enchantments?
The powers are modelled after the books:

"the sword of Elendil filled Orcs and Men with fear"
Implemented as a lesser power affecting all hostile NPC's and goblins in the area. Affected enemies will flee in fear roughly half the time, modified by the level difference and confidence score.

"...for it shone with the light of the sun and of the moon..."
Casts a red light in the daytime, a white one at night/indoors.

"...Anduril came down upon his helm. There was a flash like flame and the helm burst asunder."
Implemented as a powerful disintegrate armor effect that activates during power attacks. Yes, there's a flash of fire. :)

"The blade that is drawn from this sheath shall not be stained or broken even in defeat"
While Anduril will get damaged in combat, it will never break.

"Anduril rose and fell, gleaming with white fire."
Reflective/glowing blade - bright enough to be noticeable, but not glaring like a lightsaber.