Rumors of a secret Vampire city existing deep below Skyrim are spreading in taverns throughout Skyrim. It is said that Vampires have been working on their community for generations ... Coldhaven gives players a whole new location to explore, or even live in with its own player home. Players can visit Coldhaven as mortals, or as Vampires.
Requirements
This mod does not have any known dependencies other than the base game.
Other user's assetsAll the assets in this file belong to the author, or are from free-to-use modder's resources
Upload permissionYou are not allowed to upload this file to other sites under any circumstances
Modification permissionYou are allowed to modify my files and release bug fixes or improve on the features so long as you credit me as the original creator
Conversion permissionYou are not allowed to convert this file to work on other games under any circumstances
Asset use permissionYou are allowed to use the assets in this file without permission as long as you credit me
Asset use permission in mods/files that are being soldYou are not allowed to use assets from this file in any mods/files that are being sold, for money, on Steam Workshop or other platforms
Asset use permission in mods/files that earn donation pointsYou are allowed to earn Donation Points for your mods if they use my assets
Author notes
This author has not provided any additional notes regarding file permissions
File credits
Many thanks to the following mod authors: Jen's HD Rings by Jen246801 Oaristys Modder's Resources by Oaristys Amulets of Skyrim by Uni_SL Animated Dwemer Lift Load Doors by DOUBLEBREWSKI Re-Tailored and Clean Clothes (UNP and other body types) by Perraine Paintings and Frames by Artisanix Keys to Your Heart by Tsukinomi Jebbalon's Stuff by Jebbalon Mage Robes Retexture by Rafuel Vamp Sword by Clipsy Moon Unknown Book PSD from Book Covers Skyrim by DanielCoffey Elegant Nocturnal HQ 4096 by Telthalion Loom by ScumpunxDave Cannabis Skyrim by MadNuttah Resource Packs by Stroti and Tamira Liam's Clutter Resource by Liam Lolicept Resources by lolikyonyu Vampire Armor by Yamanotaka
Coldhaven - A Vampire City Traditional Chinese Translation
Changelogs
Version 2.1
Coldhaven is VOICED.
- Lighting template has been adjusted to decrease clipping distance and increase ambient fog (should be easier on your system).
- Many occlusion boxes have been added inside structures in Coldhaven and the sewers; this should help with FPS and be easier on your system. Many thanks to chikuwan for the idea and implementation.
- Textures for the mountains (walls of cave) are standard 1k now and 4k in the higher res pack.
- Madi and Ciaran NPCs have been tweaked and should now be able to become followers normally.
- Sovrena Tamara is now able to be married AFTER you finish the main quest. Also, the treasure vault is accessible if you kill her OR if you marry her.
- Several merchant chests have been tweaked and a few will sell rare items when you are higher levels.
Version 2.0
Coldhaven is now VOICED!
I used SKVA Synth (https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/44184) to generate the voices. They are good, and some are better than others, but I am very happy overall.
- Coldhaven textures have been tweaked somewhat - don't use the higher res ones unless your computer can handle it though ...
- A few quests have slight hints provided.
- Removed the script from some vampire weapons that could infect you with Sanguinare Vampiris - it was causing script errors.
Version 1.8
- two dds files were optimized/fixed (thanks to Chunkhandler for the help)
- some actors were set to be persistent so their AI packages now work properly (thanks to tuberov for the help)
NOTE: For any mod authors out there, if you change an esp into an esm, you have to set the actors to persistent for not only quests, but for AI too. Setting persistence in the CK isn't enough - I had to go through TES5Edit and set persistent flags there.
Version 1.7
- Coldhaven has been converted to a .esm file. This will help it get around the reference cap that may have led to crashes for some people. Please read more here: https://www.reddit.com/r/skyrimmods/comments/ag4wm7/psa_the_reference_handle_cap_or_diagnosing_one_of/
- MCM will now allow you to disable all Falmer or Mortal workers (if you want, it may help with FPS).
- New interior areas for the extra NPCs Butcher, Courtesans, Torturer, Provisioner, Alchemist.
- New interior - Portal Chamber. It connects Coldhaven to other vampire dens of Skyrim.
- Quests have been adjusted to make them easier to follow. Main quest now has more map markers; a couple will only show once you enter the correct area or get close enough.
- Quests for the noble families will now only let you do one at a time.
- All NPCs are now killable (protected); only the guards will respawn.
- Sovrena Tamara and Ciaran Bloodborn are now marriable if you wish.
- You can now access the treasure chamber in Sovrena's Tower (figure out how to access it, I am reluctant to give you a "hand"). Please use the treasure responsibly - I tried to make it worth it and yet balanced. It may be too much or too little depending on your level.
Version 1.6
This version of Coldhaven has had rooms and portals edited in the Creation Kit to reduce memory usage.
All Textures have also been reduced to 512x512 to reduce stress on your video card.
An optional higher resolution pack (1024-2048) will be available if you want - load it after my main mod.
Version 1.5
- A new power or MCM option has been added to blank the mod for updating or uninstall; it can also be used if thinks glitch, but all quests etc. are reset
- Two new MCM pages are spoilers and show a map to Coldhaven and a map of the sewers if you need help
- Several hints (notes, signs) have been added to Coldhaven to point you in the right direction
- Fast travel while inside Coldhaven is now possible
- Bloodglass in Coldhaven did conflict with Better Vampire NPCs, so everything is now renamed " ... Greater Bloodglass" to help distinguish it. Great Bloodglass is slightly more powerful than that which is found in the NPC mod.
- Drink from the fountain to open up the portals to make travel easier ...
- Molag Bal's shrine now gives more resistance in its blessing
- Guards now have much more varied equipment! There is a light version of helmets and Yamanotaka has graciously let me use his meshes and textures for heavy vampire armor varieties.
- A safety net has now been added so if you do some steps of the main quest out of order you will STILL receive the player home as a gift. Fixed now.
- A new power or MCM option has been added to blank the mod for updating or uninstall; it can also be used if thinks glitch, but all quests etc. are reset
- Two new MCM pages are spoilers and show a map to Coldhaven and a map of the sewers if you need help
- Several hints (notes, signs) have been added to Coldhaven to point you in the right direction
- Fast travel while inside Coldhaven is now possible
- Bloodglass in Coldhaven did conflict with Better Vampire NPCs, so everything is now renamed " ... Greater Bloodglass" to help distinguish it.
Greater Bloodglass is slightly more powerful than that which is found in the NPC mod.
- Drink from the fountain to open up the portals to make travel easier ...
- Molag Bal's shrine now gives more resistance in its blessing
- Guards now have much more varied equipment! There is a light version of helmets and Yamanotaka has graciously let me use his meshes and textures for heavy vampire armor varieties.
- A safety net has now been added so if you do some steps of the main quest out of order you will STILL receive the player home as a gift. Fixed now.
- Dalaran's Ring will now give you the option to teleport to his tower OR Lamae's Rest (if you own it)
Version 1.4
- Hand edited many (100?) meshes and their textures so they will be easier on loading the main cell of Coldhaven
- This version should help those who have CTD (espeically if you also use HD texture packs)
- Added in two more options/tweaks for FPS in the MCM
- You can disable additional light sources if you wish and you can disable window overlays that add 24hr lit windows
- Added in a new NPC you can recruit as a follower if you finish the main quest "A Founding Father" - find them in the inn
- You can now download a darker lighting template that makes all areas of Coldhaven 50% darker
Version 1.3
- fixed an issue with Baalric (the stranger) not appearing in Ivarstead during the beginning quest
- added in a MCM option to turn off the forced subtitles (they are set to turn on and then off when speaking by default) so you can keep subtitles on all the time if you wish
- reformatted many textures by hand so they consume less resources (removed empty alpha channels, saved in DXT1 format)
- tweaked the main quest so if you visit Dalaran's tower before talking with Tamara you can still get the key to the player home
- added some special cloaks to the hidden rooms in the Noble Houses
- added an optional file available for download that edits the Lighting Template for Coldhaven - it makes the chamber more foggy, but added 20 FPS for me
- the mod has been cleaned in TES5Edit/SSEEdit and has no errors - anything that looks like an ITM is necessary for the mod (i.e. dialogue or trainers)
Version 1.2
- With a lot of help from Fiske, we have fixed the crashing with Bruma (we had to change the value of an AddOn Node because my blue candle lantern nifs conflicted with an AddOn Node in Bruma)
- I fixed the Navmesh outside the entrance to the Vampire shrine; followers will now be able to use the door
- I removed a dead body in Coldhaven that had an incorrect FaceTint
- The mod has been fully cleaned in TES5Edit/SSEEdit and has no errors; no further cleaning is necessary, any changes are intentional and necessary
- Removed some gold ingots in Sovrena's Tower and a pile of skulls in Coldhaven - they either had a messy mesh or texture but they caused a large FPS hit
- Renamed all cells in the mod - apparently SSE can't properly save files if cells have a _ in their EditorID (weird ...)
- Resaved some textures at lower resolutions
Version 1.1
- Altered the Vampire Shrine location so it doesn't use the "Temple" keyword - this conflicted with some Vampire mods that have shrine damage in them
- Removed a few ITM records - sorry that I missed them
- Added in the proper spell to the Vampire weapons
- Packaged the LAL Extension so it now uses loose files (the BSA was causing problems)
Donations
Both straight donations and premium membership donations accepted
Vampires in Skyrim are often only found in isolated dens or dungeons. With threats posed by the Dawnguard and Vigilants of Stendarr, some Vampires have banded together to find strength in numbers.
Rumors of a secret Vampire city existing deep below Skyrim are spreading in taverns throughout Skyrim. It is said that Vampires have been working on their community for generations ...
Coldhaven awaits!
Coldhaven gives players a whole new location to explore, or even live in with its own player home. Players can visit Coldhaven as mortals, or as Vampires - the Vampires of Coldhaven use the other races for nourishment but they do tolerate visitors and some outside trade. There are taverns, inns, alchemy and magic shops, clothing shops, and a blacksmith. Commoners live and work in the lower levels of Coldhaven, mortal workers toil in the Thaeyalla fields and gold mine, while noble houses overlook their subordinates. However, there are some mysteries in the city of Coldhaven ... not everything is as it seems.
This mod also has a handful of quests connected to Coldhaven. Can you find a missing founder? Uncover the mysteries in the sewers? Find a wanted fugitive? Join the Crimson Scars? And much more ...
Coldhaven requires all DLCs (you need Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn). SkyUI and SKSE are not needed, but are highly recommended.
Coldhaven is compatible with ANY Vampire Overhaul. You do not need to use any of my other mods to use Coldhaven. It is standalone.
Coldhaven is, in a minor way, an extension and continuation of my Better Vampire Weapons mod. At the end of BVW, the main character, Tamara, was nowhere to be found. The last we heard of her, she was seeking more powerful weapons to fight back against the Dawnguard and Vigilants. Her ally, at least ideologically, was another vampire named Galain. They were tired of how most Skyrim Vampires are fragmented and isolationists. Tamara and Galain believed organizing together was their best defense.
Coldhaven was founded years ago ... no one quite knows the exact date ... by a small but dedicated group of Vampires. The most notable figures in Coldhaven's founding were Galain, Dalaran, and Sicara. Coldhaven was originally discovered by Sicara while investigating Dwemer ruins in the area. Her research, along with the assistance of hundreds of Falmer workers, helped her unblocked passages that led to the enormous underground cavern. Her magic, along with that of Galain and Dalaran, helped reshape the stone to their purposes.
While Coldhaven was being constructed, many Dwemer artifacts were uncovered and some strange passageways were partially excavated. Galain was particularly interested in some of the ancient Dwemer technology, but his curiosity was pushed aside as they focused on the enormity of building a Vampire city.
As construction neared completion, Dalaran began to study arcane magic and Dwemer technology with more fervor than Galain had ever shown; it bordered on obsession. Galain traveled above-ground gathering information about mortal conflicts and the growing threats of the Vigilants of Stendarr and the Dawnguard. Sicara recruited many Vampires under the banner of Coldhaven and was instrumental in populating the cavern. She is the architect of the city's organization and worker system. Sicara was the first Sovrena of Coldhaven and ruled from her central tower overlooking all citizens.
Vampires in Coldhaven have learned how to combine blood potions and soul gems together into Vampire Bloodgems. These Vampire's Bloodgems can be smelted into Bloodglass Ingots, which can be used to craft brand new Bloodglass weapons. Bloodglass weapons will appear in some NPC shops once you reach a high enough level. Bloodglass weapons can be tempered to improve them. Bloodglass gems, ingots, and the weapons themselves can be purchased in Coldhaven.
Coldhaven remains a closely guarded secret - very few Vampires even know of its existence. Visitors are welcome, but many mortals refuse to stay long and fear for their lives. Recently, Galain was killed by a group of Dawnguard Hunters and Dalaran has gone missing from his tower. The community is still growing and flourishing, but murmurs of concern and mild discontent are spreading through some of the noble houses on Coldhaven's plateau.
To start the quest to find Coldhaven, visit any inn or tavern and speak with the innkeeper/bartender.
Please download and try my Alternate Start - Live Another Life extension. With it you can choose to start the game as an adventurer visiting Coldhaven or as a Vampire resident in Coldhaven (you will own Lamae's Rest).