READ ME
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This mod was developed in the original Creation Kit and then ported so users of either the Legendary Edition or Special Edition can enjoy it. Both versions have the same features. Aetherial Traveller was made with Skyrim: Special Edition in mind, so it does not require SKSE.

NOTE: If you are looking for the list of features, it's on the main page.


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Installation
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Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn are required.

Back up your saved games, just in case. Then if you don't have it yet, be sure to grab the Modern Brawl Bug Fix by Enai Siaion, otherwise your brawls will turn into real fights.

- Download the installer.

- Install through your favorite mod manager and choose your patches. Otherwise, install it manually by unzipping the folder and dragging and dropping the appropriate folders into your Data folder.

- Optional: Download and install the USKP patch from the optional files.

Start a new game.


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Upgrading
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A safe upgrade between one version and new can be performed simply by uninstalling the old version and installing the new one.


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Compatibility
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Contains patches for:

- Campfire
- Frostfall
- Climates of Tamriel
- Mythical Ages Weathers (SSE Only)
- Vivid Weathers
- Better-Shaped Weapons
- Practical Female Armors
- Ethereal Elven Overhaul
- Imperious - Races of Skyrim
- Economy Overhaul and Speechcraft Improvements (Contributed by Kiggles, SSE Only)

These patches do not contain any meshes or textures created by other users unless noted. They merely hold updated records in some cases, new textures. They'll be useless without the files they were made for.

The optional Falmer add-on is not compatible with mods that add other playable races.

There is also a small patch for the Unofficial Skyrim Patch. Arthmoor has kindly granted permission to host a patch that makes some of USKP's fixes flush with a few changes of this mod.

Aetherial Traveller changes the following base game scripts:

- magicsoultrapfxscript
- wuuthradscript
- resourcefurniturescript
- MQ101QuestScript
- QF_PerksQuest_0005F596
- PlayerSleepQuestScript

Mods that alter these scripts will be incompatible or need a patch that merges both.

This mod is a bit extensive with its changes and I cannot guarantee compatibility with mods that make significant changes to food, smithing, perks, and certain other parts of the game. If you aren't sure about something, give the features and compatibility section on the front page a thorough read, ask in the comments, or try it out.

This mod uses a few injected records to assist you in future patch-making endeavors. If you know what this means, great. If not, there are certain records you can copy as overrides into a new or existing file, and it'll treat them as Update.esm records instead of Aetherial Traveller records so that you don't necessarily need this as a master file. It makes editing in the Creation Kit way easier.


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Permissions
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You are allowed to create and post patches between this and any other mod you need. You don't need to ask. A link back is appreciated and of course would help people find this mod.

You are allowed to translate this mod by using it as a master file. Be sure to list the original as a requirement and link back. Do not post a translated redistribution.

You may not redistribute this mod.


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Q&A
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Q: What kind of mod is this?
A: It's a fantasy-leaning, Aetherius-themed overhaul that expands perks and adds some lore, a few quests, and other features. See the front page and documents for more info.

Q: Will it make the game harder?
A: This is not a difficulty mod, but some aspects of gameplay or changes to perks might make things a little easier or more challenging depending on what you're used to.

Q: This part of your mod is just too easy.
A: If you think there's a genuine balancing issue, let us know. We previously reverted a change to higher difficulties because it was just making fights boring. If you're asking us to nerf or restrict a feature, we prefer to provide choices (such as optional food adjustments) or otherwise let the player decide for themselves if it's too early to obtain something good.

Q: Is this lore-friendly?
A: I try. Elder Scrolls lore is something I enjoy. Added lore takes the Elder Scrolls Online, which provides a lot more detail about the setting, and a bit of Daggerfall into account. If you enjoy it, I'm glad I could please. If not, remember that the new lore books and loading screens are written as if from the point of view of other inhabitants of Tamriel. They won't always reflect the same views as other characters in the canon -- whose writings, according to the developers, can often be subjective or unreliable as well.

Q: I'm having trouble finding something in the game.
A: Leave a comment and someone will probably come along and try to help you.

Q: Leveled lists aren't showing your stuff.
A: You'll want to bash a patch with Wrye Bash, a free and useful tool that's easy to use once you get the hang of it.

Q: I found a bug!
A: Leave a comment or bug report with as many details as possible. Please try to include what went wrong, what you were doing, what quest you were on, where you were, and the names of any mods that might also be editing the bugged object or quest. I'll look into it when I have a chance. If it's a bug with the mod, I can probably fix it given enough time. Bugs that turn out to be compatibility problems with other mods might take more time or be impossible to fix without a dedicated patch.

Q: Can you make a patch for...?
A: It depends on the mod, how much time and energy I have, and if I can get in touch with the other author for permission.

Q: What if I want to make a patch myself?
A: You already have my permission. (See above for more details.) Have fun! Just make sure to check the other author's permissions first, because some do prefer that you ask before publishing.

Q: Why is the old Skyrim version flagged as an esm?
A: The original Skyrim seems to have a significant grass bug in its engine. This bug causes grass from new worldspaces in normal mods to appear at the same coordinates in all other cells. This caused floating grass to manifest over Bleakwind Basin, inside the Windpeak Inn, and in various dungeons to name just a few places once a new grassy worldpsace in Aetherial Traveller had been visited. Flagging the mod as an esm, even though it's technically an esp, forces something in the engine to remove the grass when it's time. This bug was not found while testing in Special Edition.

Q: Why doesn't the old Skyrim version have an MCM?
A: I didn't want to spend time making a config menu that would be useless in Special Edition. If SKSE and SkyUI return for Special Edition I will definitely take some time to make an MCM.

Q: Should I play this in old Skyrim or Special Edition?
A: Both mods are equivalent aside from the old Skyrim version being flagged an esm.

Q: How long did this take to make?
A: This particular attempt took about nine or ten months, and most of that was spent on the perks and building systems from the ground-up to make them work. The yield/spare system, bounty decay (requires the Forgotten perk), true unarmed combat experience, and scripted combat perks were particularly challenging since this was made without SKSE. Before that? For months, I made sporadic attempts to build similar other systems or leveled list changes, mainly to customize my own game. I never published them. Some of these features were eventually worked back into Aetherial Traveller.

Q: What's the difference between a Bee and a Live Bee?
A: Live Bees are functionally a poison with a bonus effect if used in pickpocketing: stinging until every last Live Bee has perished in the effort. You can also just use the bees to poison your weapons (but that's not very nice either :c) or place a cute little Live Bee in the world and watch it hover. Live Bees are found in beehives.

Q: You're an elf-loving milk-drinker!
A: Yup.


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Credits
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Chesko - Campfire and Frostfall

Jjc71 - Climates of Tamriel

Arindel - Mythical Ages

Mangaclub - Vivid Weathers

Leanwolf - Leanwolf's Better-Shaped Weapons

Jzbai - Practical Female Armors

Nuska - Ethereal Elven Overhaul

The Beyond Skyrim - Cyrodiil Development Team - Beyond Skyrim: Bruma

Skepmanmods - Economy Overhaul and Speechcraft Improvements

Kiggles - The patch for Economy Overhaul and Speechcraft Improvements

EnaiSiaion - Imperious - Races of Skyrim

PowerOfThree - Afterlife for NPCs

Sunhawken - The patch for Afterlife for NPCs

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Thanks To
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The modding community in general for its many useful tutorials and examples that taught me what I needed to know about the Creation Kit, Papyrus, and editing meshes and textures.

My JavaScript and PHP professors from my college years. Without their classes I wouldn't have had prior experience to translate to Papyrus.

My wonderful fiancee for providing certain textures and lore books, many hours of alpha and beta testing time, editor skills, and support.