LE version of the mod can be found here.
Thank you Khermiit for porting!

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Update 1.1: Added missing mipmaps. It may provide a performance and/or visual clarity boost.

This is the first weapon out of a set of weapons I plan on making. Once the set is finished, I will release and AIO version that combines all ESPs into one. You can read more about the weapon types in the Future Plans section.

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The Lunar Guard Battleaxe is an ebony-tier craftable battleaxe, matching the khajiit-themed Lunar Guard Armor. It's technically not a battleaxe, as it's inspired by a Chinese polearm weapon, the guandao. A battleaxe has a broader blade than a polearm/guandao, but I did not want to widen the blade any further as it would look odd in my opinion. Because of that you might experience a gap between the blade and the poor sod you're trying to thwack. Rest assured; even if it visually does not connect, the game still believes you're slicing them into tiny chunks. It just works.

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Installation
Download and install through your mod manager of choice. Remember to activate the ESP. Can be placed anywhere below your masters in your load order, as it does not overwrite anything. The ESP is flagged as an ESPFE so it does not take up a slot in the ESP limit.


Acquisition
In order to avoid any vanilla edits, the battleaxe can only be acquired through crafting. Stat wise it's in the same tier as ebony and therefore also has the same recipe requirements as an ebony battleaxe. It also requires 2 moonstone bricks. The battleaxe can be tempered (requires moonstone again) and enchanted.


Compatibility
Should be compatible with any mod, as it does not edit any vanilla records. You may experience some visual clipping with mods that change the animations or proportions of characters, but this should not affect the functionality of the mod.


Requirements
None.


Known Issues
There may be a visual gap between the weapon and the enemy or object you're trying to hit. It does not affect the functionality of the mod.


Community patches, tweaks & conversions
SPID distribution patch by itisbartolomeo - Adds the battleaxe to the khajiit caravan guards through the use of SPID.
Battleaxe to Halberd patch by shadowrabbit - Changes the weapontype to halberds from Animated Armoury


Patches, ports, tweaks, etc.
I won't personally be making patches for other mods, porting to other Skyrim versions/games or making tweaks based on user requests. Permissions are open to make any patch, port or tweak you see fit. You may also upload the patches, ports, tweaks etc publicly. Re-uploading the mod here (after it somehow gets lost) or elsewhere, is also allowed. Asking for permission is not required. Appropriate credit where it is due would be appreciated.


Future plans
More weapon types will be made and I will publish them as I finish each. The current planned weapon types should cover any weapon type in the vanilla game:
Waraxe - Dagger - Longsword - Greatsword - Mace - Warhammer - Shield - Bow - Arrows & quiver - Crossbow - Staff (disclaimer: the order in which I make the weapons may change)

Credits
Darkluke1111 for the Skyrim Toolbox for Substance Painter
The Skyrim community here on the Nexus and on Reddit for the moral support that kept me going