v0.93.1(2)
5/7/15 (7/4/17)
by wizardmirth

 
Note: For detailed info about this mod see "THE LONG" below. If you'd rather jump right in then you can just read up to "QUICKSTART" or "STARTING HINTS".


-v0.93.1 Update-
Note: requires OBSE 21b+
Edited Misha and Maia's face to look better with OCO2 (see screens) and repacked the file archive with updated readme and OBMM conversion info.
 
 
 
 
 

the SHORT
You've heard rumors of a spiritual hunter with ancient ties, skilled in stalking and the bow. Unlock various secrets and functions as you progress through the story and quests. Earn new faction ranks from the story's humble origins. Advance through dungeon-crawls and cross-country excursions to ultimately face a magical dungeon of trials and free an ancient ancestral tomb from tyranny. All this and more...
 
 
the STILL SHORT
The baron-wizard Skumsukovitch has left Tamriel for the ethereal plane of Aetherius and left behind a fading magic dungeon that is usually not there... Find the last remnant of an ancient elvish culture and help her to uncover a veritable legion of tributes to various influences such as other fantasy games and old school dice-adventure books. The only question is will you go mad before you reach the end?
 
 
 
 
FEATURES

• custom companions + NPCs with unique features, progressively earned
• dynamic system of companion/home control as you progress through the quests
• dungeon puzzles + enemy bosses
• much travel quests
• earned camp + dungeon/wizard home, progressively earned
• earned Morrowind-style daedric shrine tower home (with "bonus" arena quest)
  

REQUIREMENTS

• OBSE 21b+
• Universal Silent Voice
  

 
SUPPORTED

• Sensual Walks
• sweep animation from Shivering Isles is used if you have it (not required)
  

 
INSTALL
OBMM-ready, otherwise just drop the .esp file and meshes folder into your Oblivion/Data folder and check the .esp.




QUICKSTART

• recommended for levels 10+
• quest will start in your journal automatically
  

STARTING HINTS

• talk to the inn keep often, especially if stuck between quests
• sometimes you can't progress through certain dialogue unless your disposition with them is high enough
• during certain quests companions can be killed so quick-save often and make new saves between quests
• look to earn a total of 5 New Faction ranks to complete all quests
• map markers are only used for companions once they are found or with a token-item (select another quest in your journal if you want to disable the markers and journal entries, or don't carry the token)
• let her escort you when it comes up, whether you already know the destination location or not
• talk to your companion when in certain areas of the tomb -- special dialogue will appear that helps you advance
• in new interiors, search for clues and notes thoroughly
• in dungeons, look for lights with no sources: they may point out a clue
• return to your enemy's tower after you acquire the 5th rank "Shaman" and seek out the bonus stage (which is currently incomplete but can be started, hint: you will need the cursed diamond)
• self-made items won't usually work if it's something required for a quest; when in doubt you will have to seek out the vanilla-created base versions of these
  

CREDITS & THANKS

• Ghia for bug reports
• tortured Tomato for the tower top collision work
• Umpa for the shower idle
• And Bethesda and the Nexus Staff and Community
  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE LONG
 
Detailed info has been provided for those who may want to know exactly what this is, even if you come back to read it after starting the mod or decide that it's not for you in the first place.
 
After carefully reviewing the last readme I decided that 1) it failed to properly introduce the mod, and 2) wrongly asked the player to maintain various restrictions in order to fully appreciate the design. So I had to ask myself, "What the hell is this mod again?" Well, one answer: it's a mash-up of various lore (both in-game and new) with some other game tributes or "nods". Like, one of the bosses was inspired by enemies from Final Fantasy X. The bonus tower quest was inspired by the Onimusha 2 demon levels. It probably helps to be able to notice the influences in this mod, like some of the fairy legends as well. In short it's one big mash-up of various influences, trying to pack as much in as possible, and hoping like heck that it all still somehow works.
 
So after looking at this mod again I decided to give the description page a proper overhaul. My time making this mod is no more important than any you spend reading or playing it, so the detailed info has been provided for you to decide if this crazy mod is for you or not. You can follow any of the restrictions in the old readme if you happen to like rules, but I think most of it's  common sense (though I do still think that the dungeon should dampen any teleportation magic). But honestly, if you teleport out of the dungeon before beating it and still like the mod, then who am I to complain? So in order to let this mod simply "be" I also cut out the GAMEPLAY section out of this page which listed the restrictions. So please. Go crazy. This mod already has. (And the only one true rule for games anyway is: HAVE FUN.)
 
 
 
 
WHAT TO EXPECT
 
This is a quests, companions, and homes mod featuring a trapped magical dungeon and many cross-country excursions. If you like to travel to various locations in the game map (fast-travel or not) then this mod will give you plenty of places to go by the time you reach the end of the quests and unlock everything. As you progress in the quests you unlock more and more features. It also has a faction system which is tied in to the new lore here.
 
There is much back story, I think, and a fair amount of silliness as well (I couldn't help it). But the new lore is woven in with the original game lore in a way that is hopefully unobtrusive.
 
It's a kind of "last days" fairy tale about an ancient wizard who left the world for the spiritual plane of Aetherius and a vengeful nemesis who will try and use you to gain access to the wizard's hidden dungeon. In the meantime, you come across a descendant from a lost elvish culture, and as you begin to help her things become more and more clear. Eventually, the ghost of her ancestor makes a play for another companion in her ancestral tomb which has a couple of puzzles to solve. Knowing some of the original game lore will help -- check the Oblivion wiki if you get stuck on an original lore reference. "Aetherius" is one.
 
You certainly don't have to try and get through all of it at once. Unless you're hooked, I think it works better with your other quests when you mix them in at different times. Once you unlock the dungeon though you should be prepared to find something to get out first -- once inside you're trapped but there is a small side-quest to open the same way out again.
 
Well it's a bit quirky and long, but I think it still has some cool features. Just remember to have fun with it and don't take anything too seriously. I wouldn't call the story complete but by the time you get to the end of what's here you should have plenty to show for it.
 
 
 
Design NOTES
 
One of the goals of this mod was to pack as much "vanilla" punch as possible while minimizing required additional resources. As a result some little or never used vanilla resources are implemented to maximum effect here. And had it not been for the collision work by tortured Tomato on one of these statics, I would have not been able to design the Morrowind-style daedric shrine tower and its unfinished bonus quest the way I wanted.
 
If you played "Zefaro Cottage & Companion" you may find some similarities, and though this mod is much grander in content, there is no romance to this mod. And one later NPC uses the sweep animation from SI at times -- if you don't have SI he should default to standing.
 
 
VANILLA GAME FIXES
-added a missing ceiling tile to Nornalhorst, Level 1 (above north pit stairs near the entrance)
 
 
 
 
 
End-Game NOTES
 
Random Encounters Unlocked:
 
After you beat the main quest, words gets out about the dungeon and tomb reappearing again. You probably won't notice anything unless you hang out in the Pommel. Right now I'm using vanilla leveled lists in that area. These are all spawned directly inside. Mods like MMM will alter these lists so please be aware of any such changes other mods you have may make here. MMM vanilla Adventurers will rob the Pommel and fights may possibly break out so watch out!
 
A new quest script controls whether or not any of these encounters will be enabled at any given time. Checks happen every 6 hours starting at 6am and include chances to see vanilla 'Orc Adventurers,' 'Conjurers,' 'Bandits,' and some custom merchants. Merchants and Adventuers are generally non-hostile and should be disabled after 4 hours or so. The others will remain until killed or the cell resets. Some encounters may overlap but should be rare. If you don't want these encounters you can type 'stopquest wmREQUEST' in the console and hit enter. Use 'startquest wmREQUEST' to enable it again.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=================
v0.93.1 UPDATES
=================
-edited Misha and Maia's faces to look better with OCO2
-repacked archive with the revised readme
-updated OBMM conversion info


=================
v0.93 UPDATES
=================
-added waypoint on the way to Nornalhorst escort to prevent Misha from sometimes going the long way around for some reason
-added sneak to Maia when follows and player sneaks (note: Maia is not stealthy and will draw attention way before Misha does)
-added some initial random encounters to Pommel once "Camp Shaman" rank status is attained (see notes on this below)
-fixed Misha disrobes at end of first tomb summon/pray
-fixed Misha following into Cloud Rest the first time (she's not supposed to)
-added a second stage to the tower bonus level (really, half a second stage)
-various other little cleans/tweaks/fixes
-tweaked some Halabrandt dialogue and added some info on 'sensor ghosts' to both Maia and Misha when Maia is first summoned and Misha opens the way to the Spirited Finder's Token
-deleted a blank script with TES4Edit and auto-cleaned .esp file again


=================
v0.92 UPDATES
=================
-added missing endgame mesh
-auto-cleaned .esp file with TES4EDIT
-PyFFI'ed all meshes

Notes: If you are updating existing data in your save with this mod you should be able to patch with no issues. If you use OBMM to install, there is updated readme and conversion data included. The same goes for the v0.93 update.


=================
v0.91 UPDATES
=================
-removed TEST CHEST from Tomb
-cleaned up some book text
-fixed ladder in CR basement