Lorkhan's Arena - Landscape Loading Screens
By Publicola

Version: 1.4

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Contents
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1. Description
2. Artwork - Landscapes
3. Artwork - More Landscapes
4. Artwork - Borderline Landscapes
5. Artwork - Deprecated Landscapes
6. Recommendations
7. Lore
8. Changelog
9. Credits & Permissions


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Description
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This mod is a collection of photorealistic loading screens based on official and fan art of Morrowind's beautiful and alien landscapes.

It is designed to be used alongside my 'Lorkhan's Arena - Interior Loading Screens' mod.

There are two collections available in 'Main Files' and showcased (in full) in the 'Images' tab.
- Lorkhan's Arena - Landscapes -- this set of 61 images is the primary collection, comprising my favorite images.
- Lorkhan's Arena - More Landscapes -- this set of 30 images is the secondary collection.

There are also two supplemental sets available as 'Optional Files'; I added a selection of these to 'Images'.
- Lorkhan's Landscapes - Borderline -- I no longer recommend using these 21 images.
- Lorkhan's Landscapes - Deprecated -- I tested these 45 splash screens and now recomemnd against using them.

To install, simply download whichever sets you want to use, and enable in the mod manager of your choice (I use MO2).

I highly recommend removing the default loading screens from your game if you use my mod. The original files can be found in Morrowind/Data/Splash -- if you'd prefer not to delete them outright, simply create a '/Splash/default' sub-folder and move all of the vanilla .tga files into that.


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Artwork - 'Landscapes'
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I did not create any of the art in this collection. The 61 landscapes in the primary collection were created by:

Alexey Rudikov (7 images) https://www.deviantart.com/alexeyrudikov
Dead End Thrills (3 images) http://web.archive.org/web/20201109025536/http://deadendthrills.com/gallery/?gid=97
Dominik Zdenkovic (6 images) https://www.artstation.com/dominikzdenkovic
Elder Scrolls Online (21 images) https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Loading_Screens
Joseph Watmough (3 images) https://www.artstation.com/watmough
Roman Dubina (2 images): https://www.deviantart.com/romandubina/gallery/50186850/skywind
Skywind (8 images) https://twitter.com/TESRSkywind/status/773565020089290752

Along with these 11 other artists:
Alfred Khamidullin (1) https://www.artstation.com/artwork/L2rOkr
Belissa Minomi (1) https://www.deviantart.com/minomi9/art/Seyda-Neen-419341298
Creathor (1) https://www.deviantart.com/creathor4005/art/Crookback-bog-537236284
Darek Zabrocki (1) https://www.darekzabrocki.com/morrowind
Eric Shoemaker (1) https://kire.artstation.com/projects/RDXRr
Feliks Gresiczek (1) https://www.deviantart.com/fel-x/art/Volcano-Eruption-425537464
Feng Zhu (1) https://www.reddit.com/r/wallpapers/comments/77p0wj/morrowind_1920_1080/
Jonas De Ro (1) https://www.deviantart.com/jonasdero/art/Land-Of-Skyrim-329803112
TES Legends (1) https://en.uesp.net/wiki/File:LG-load-Houses_of_Morrowind.jpg
Rayph Beisner (1) https://www.artstation.com/artwork/J9PAR0
Thorn Spine (1) https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4yEyq


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Artwork - More Landscapes
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The 30 images of this secondary collection were created by:
Elder Scrolls Online (6 images) https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Loading_Screens
Rayph Beisner (2 images) https://www.artstation.com/artwork/J9PAR0
Roman Dubina (6 images): https://www.deviantart.com/romandubina/gallery/50186850/skywind
Skywind (9 images) https://twitter.com/TESRSkywind/status/773565020089290752

Along with these 7 other artists:
Belissa Minomi (1) https://minomi.artstation.com/projects/316xJ
Bethesda Official (1) https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/morrowind
Dead End Thrills (1) http://web.archive.org/web/20201109025536/http://deadendthrills.com/gallery/?gid=97
Dmitry Prozorov (1) https://www.deviantart.com/tamplierpainter/art/Dawn-in-Vivec-351425886
TES Legends (1) https://en.uesp.net/wiki/File:LG-cardart-Red_Mountain.png
Raihan Erviansyah (1) https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lRz5Oo
Vernon Trier (1) https://www.deviantart.com/nvdgaming

I enjoy & recommend this set; however, I personally no longer use them, as I prefer to have my favorite images (from the primary set) appear more often.


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Artwork - Borderline Landscapes
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The 21 'borderline landscape' screens are based on the following art:
Dead End Thrills (2 images) http://web.archive.org/web/20201109025536/http://deadendthrills.com/gallery/?gid=97
Dominick Zdenkovic (2 images)https://www.artstation.com/dominikzdenkovic
Elder Scrolls Online (4 images)https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Loading_Screens
Roman Dubina (3 images) https://www.deviantart.com/romandubina/gallery/50186850/skywind
TES Renewal: Skywind (9 images) https://twitter.com/TESRSkywind/
TES Legends (1 image) https://en.uesp.net/wiki/File:LG-cardart-Mushroom_Tower.png

I tried out each of these 21 images, and while I think they're fine, I no longer recommend using this set.


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Artwork - Deprecated Landscapes
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The 45 'deprecated landscape' screens were based on the following art:

Belissa Minomi (5 images) https://minomi.artstation.com/
Dead End Thrills (10 images) http://web.archive.org/web/20201109025536/http://deadendthrills.com/gallery/?gid=97
Elder Scrolls Online (8 images)
Mica Olsson (2) https://www.artstation.com/artwork/3qk96B
Roman Dubina (8 images) https://www.deviantart.com/romandubina/gallery/50186850/skywind
TES Renewal: Skywind (8 images) https://twitter.com/TESRSkywind/
Vernon Trier (2 images) https://www.deviantart.com/nvdgaming
Beyond Skyrim: Morrowind (1) https://static0.gamerantimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Beyond_Skyrim_The_New_North_trailer_screenshot.jpg
TES Legends (1) https://en.uesp.net/wiki/File:LG-cardart-Unite_the_Houses.png

I tested each of these 45 splash screens, and now recommend against using them. They are provided here as a resource.


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Recommendations
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Any and all of these loading screens can be used on their own, but these are designed for use alongside my 'Lorkhan's Arena - Interiors' mod.

You can also check out 'More Loading Screens', with splash screens featuring creatures and characters from Morrowind. I personally play with the primary collections from 'Landscapes' and 'Interiors'. However, as Socucius Ergalla tells us: "The choice is yours."

I have also released a collection of 'Extra Exteriors', featuring many more screens with landscape-based art. I excluded them from this collection since they didn't conform to a generally photorealistic style, but some of them are truly great pieces of art. They can be found on the same 'More Loading Screens' page as above.

If you want to enjoy the original source files, I've included an optional 'Sources' download covering each of the four collections.

If you want to make your own loading screens, I've also included a optional 'Template' download, with instructions for how to convert any piece of art into a loading screen. Note that the .pdn file does require the use of Paint.NET.


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Lore
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In the beginning, Lorkhan persuaded the et'Ada (original spirits) to create the material plane of Mundus and the mortal world of Nirn. Eight spirits, the Aedra, gave themselves entirely to become the eight planets seen in the sky; many more sacrificed themselves to become undying Earthbones, anchoring the laws of physical reality.

However, other et'Ada attacked and killed Lorkhan, shattering his corpse into the twin moons Masser and Secunda. Lorkhan's divine spark came to rest on Nirn, giving all mortals a measure of both his divinity and his selfishness.

Nirn therefore became The Arena, a place made by Lorkhan for mortals to test and prove themselves in the Psijic Endeavor: to transcend Mundus, to experience CHIM, to ennoble their mortal souls into true divinity.


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Changelog
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1.0 - initial release
1.1 - added 4 more images (total = 60). Released 'Lorkhan's Arena - Sources' as optional file.
1.2 - added 46 new images (total = 106). Relegated 33 to a /disable/ folder, as well as 4 images to a /duplicates/ folder.
1.3 - added 17 new images (total = 123). Relegated 7 images to /disable/ and 4 to /duplicates/.
1.4 - added 34 new images (total = 157). Reorganized the entire mod into four separate downloads for clarity, with 'Sources' for all images.


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Credits & Permissions
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You may modify my mod without permission; however, please make sure to credit me if you publish it.
Feel free to suggest other artwork for me to add to the mod, though all art must be properly attributed.

All credit for the artwork goes to the original creators: Alexey Rudikov, Alfred Khamidullin, Belissa Minomi, Creathor, Darek Zabrocki, Dead End Thrills, Dmitry Prozorov, Dominik Zdenkovic, Eric Shoemaker, Feliks Gresiczek, Feng Zhu, Jonas De Ro, Joseph Watmough, Mica Olsson, Raihan Erviansyah, Rayph Beisner, Roman Dubina, Thorn Spine, Vernon Trier, and the creators of TES Renewal: Skywind, TES Legends, and Elder Scrolls Online.

The 'picture frame' was created by Phobos90 for Concept Art Based Loading Screens