Tank0123

I think Skyrim has gotten boring for me quickly for several reasons. One, I've overplayed it, but that's no one's business. Secondly, there's not a whole lot of cultural variety in Skyrim. Yes, it's all Nords, but...c'mon. If any of the mods or ideas listed below are in development, please link me to the respective page so I can track it. I like combat, but am more into strategic, lore-based things. For example, an archaeology mod would be excellent. Or one that let's you explore other provinces. I have Moonpath to Elsweyr, and it's really good, but it's also really limited -- the questline and characters are top-of-the-line, but you're sort of confined to a box canyon, an island, and some very linear jungle. I really loved Oblivion's Elsweyr mod, but sadly this was dropped, and I'd rather stick to Skyrim. I really want mods that add to immersion in the game, and add more options for non-combat characters. Sure, there's Tundra Defense (I won't use RTS yet until it's updated, and so until it doesn't cause massive game save bloat), but the terrain is naturally really rocky and thus it's hard to find a good location. I'd rather stick to expanding some sort of business empire -- a lot like Trade and Commerce from Oblivion. I do have Warzones, and that makes the landscape a lot more interesting in terms of the Civil War (assaulting Fort Greymoor as a legate was tons of fun with an army at my back). But is there anything that adds, say, traveling caravans? Merchants? Trading posts? Skyrim seems so foreign and inhospitable, but not in the way I'd like. It's a lot like Fallout 3: barren, empty except for a bunch of hostile baddies, and otherwise very dull. I'm just not a dungeon diving kind of person; I'd rather see the immersion take place on the surface. As a side note, it's my understanding that someone is developing a "Dragonborn Rebellion" mod in which you would form and control a third faction as part of the civil war. Any updates on that? If anything stands out, just shoot it off to me please. I'll take enormous lists if it means I have a lot of choice.

"One, all of these, and none at the same time." For those of us that played through the main storylines of Morrowind, Oblivion, and of course Skyrim, I have a rather preposterous theory likely to make your head spin. So in Morrowind, Neravarine defeats Dagoth Ur, destroys the Tribunal, etc. What happens in between, though, is probably the most important part of the theory. Nera is infected with the deadly Corprus disease, only to have it's negative effects removed, but effectively making him ageless (though not necessarily immortal). In Oblivion, we hear rumors that the Neravarine went missing on an expedition to Akavir. Now, Morrowind only takes place a few years before Oblivion, and the date in which the Neravarine goes missing is not explicitly stated (it's quite possible he could have gone missing months or even years before the rumor occurs; after all, the Neravarine is not well known outside of Morrowind and rumors take time to travel). In Oblivion, the future Hero of Kvatch/Champion of Cyrodiil starts off the game in a prison cell; there's a few red flags with this situation. 1) No one, not even the Blades, the Emperor, or the prisoner himself seems quite certain as to why he is there (ie what he did). 2) The prisoner is a cell that is supposed to be off-limits for the use of the freaking Emperor of Tamriel. How could the security of the Imperial Prison have missed this? Well, he's the damn Neravarine, that's why. Prophecy or what have you -- it doesn't matter, make it up if you want. So then there's explaining how the Neravarine got there. At this point, though, it's just conjecture; perhaps he was teleported there by the Divines, or Azura, his memory and skills erased somehow. Or perhaps he did come back from Akavir, but unnoticed, perhaps hoping to start a new life for him/herself. Yes, I hate the guesswork involved, but it's not like any of this is ever explained anyway. So anyway, the Hero saves Tamriel, does stuff, etc -- "but wait! Doesn't the Champion of Cyrodiil become Sheogorath?" I'll get to that in a minute. As you all know, Skyrim is set 200 years after the events of Oblivion. Whether or not the Neravarine/CoC/now-Dragonborn is an elf or not and therefore prone to a long life span is moot; if you recall, the Neravarine contracted Corprus, and as such can live forever (though is not immortal to, say, a blade). So somehow, for some reason, this now long-lived Neravarine/CoC is going to Skyrim. And apparently, s/he's also Dragonborn. But of course, we'd never know this in the previous games because there were no dragons. Now, to the holes in my theory: 1) Sheogorath. Canonically, CoC is Sheogorath -- so why, in Skyrim, is he the same goatee'd Scottish wacko we meet in Oblivion? More than that, how could CoC then be theoretically meeting himself? 2) Why are the Hero's skills constantly reset, even though he should be ungodly powerfully by now? 3) Why wouldn't Azura, Hircine, etc. recognize the Neravarine/CoC/Dragonborn as the hero from ages long past? This goes especially for Azura, who guided the Neravarine throughout Morrowind. I'll explain all of these holes away with the concept of the Dragon Break. You see, theoretically each Hero could be at the top of (nearly) every organization in their respective installment -- or they could be a part of NO organization. Every action that is dictated by player choice ultimately results in a Dragon Break -- that is, every outcome occurring at once. That's part of the reason why I wouldn't say that the Agent from Daggerfall would be a part of this theory; in one of the endings, he dies. In all of the subsequent endings, however, the Neravarine, CoC, etc presumably live. During the Warp in the West from Daggerfall, the Totem of Tiber Septim is simultaneously given to every possible party and thus resulting in every possible ending at once. How does this relate to the N=C=B theory (as I will call it)? Well, Neravarine could have theoretically been a mage. Or warrior. Or thief. In the end, all outcomes are represented in the next game(s) in a way, by representing no ending at all. You see, Neravarine/CoC make no reference to who they are in the next game because due to the Dragon Break, it is almost like they are being "reborn" -- they have no record of their previous identity, nor do they have any of their previous skills. In a sense, they are either "relearning" everything they once knew, or learning that which they did no know before. As for Sheogorath -- again, Dragon Break. The Champion is the Madgod while he simultaneously is not. Thus, it's almost like the Sheogorath of Skyrim is a reflection of himself -- or just the way the Champion/Neravarine/DB most remembers Sheogorath as being. I mean, he IS the Madgod -- is it really so far fetched to consider that Sheogorath is in fact just a composition of the Champion's/Neravarine's memory? Like some form of Split personality? Regardless, the Champion doesn't even have to be the Madgod -- it could be anyone else, and therefore he really is seeing Sheogorath. Dragon Break! ;) One final note on Sheogorath -- he says he hands off the title of Sheogorath "from me to myself". Sure, this is in reference to the Greymarch, Jygglag, etc. But could it not also be in reference to the fact that maybe, as a Daedric Prince, the Champion really did hand it off to "himself" in the sense that he let his Madgod personality break away? Just another possible explanation for the pile. Azura and the other divine beings might not recognize the Neravarine/Champion because, in all reality, they are not completely omnipotent (such is the case with multiple gods, which is almost paradoxical in and of itself), and with all these Dragon Breaks going on, I doubt that the Neravarine/Champion/DB would likely recognize himself after everything. Consider the case of the Tribunal. They were once just mortals -- elves like any other. But when they tapped into the power of the Heart of Lorkhan, they essentially became "gods" -- albeit, they had to continuously rejuvenate their powers at the Heart and were eventually killed by the Neravarine when they were crippled by their "starvation" by Dagoth Ur. The point is that they "wrote themselves into the fabric of time", so that essentially they were always present, like the rest of the divine beings, at the creation of Mundus. So in a way, they were always "divine", as even the Daedric princes recognized them as such. But logic would dictate that they were once mortal -- can one say? I contend that this is a bit like a Dragon Break, or something similar. When the Hero caused all these Dragon Breaks, he both knew Azura and the other beings he had met and did not know them. It is like, through altering the course of history so radically, the Hero almost wrote himself into an infinite number of roles. That is, s/he is Neravarine, the Champion, the Dragonborn -- all these things at once and none of them at the same time. Yes, I'm delving into the metaphysical here, but...there it is. So theoretically, the Neravarine could be the Champion of Cyrodiil who could be Sheogorath who could be the Dragonborn. One, all of these, and none at the same time. Refute as you see fit. I'm not saying it's canon, but considering that the Dragon Break concept was developed as a retcon for Daggerfall to Morrowind, I don't see why it couldn't be canon. When it comes to the Elder Scrolls, I would say that everything and nothing you see is canon. And that's the beauty of it, I guess.

Whenever I try to start a new game, it gives me a prompt that says, "Can't place any more books on shelf". As I can't get my cursor, I can't click OK. My other two characters are relatively fine; the only problem I seem to have is if I try to go out into Whiterun, Skyrim exits to the desktop. It doesn't crash, just exits. Part of the reason for me wanting to start a new game is to see if this bug is prevalent in a new game, or is limited to my other character. Help? UPDATE: I alt-tabbed out of Skyrim when this menu came up (actually, right after I used BOSS to sort my mods and then went to check this post). When I went back to Skyrim, my cursor appeared, but even after clicking "OK" in the box multiple times, it still hasn't worked. UPDATE #2: Nevermind...just went back. It closed out, oddly enough, and I started the game like normal. Consider this problem solved.

Edit: I know it's tl;dr. If you have anything that adds on to the College of Winterhold, post it below, and forget reading my little essay (or read it, whatever). I know I'm not the only one who was disappointed with the length of the College of Winterhold questline. When I first arrived and began that first lesson, I excitedly thought, "Wow! They actually teach you magic!" Similarly, Under Saarthal seemed to be a pleasant idea, as I naively thought to myself: "Wow! We even get to explore the lore of the Elder Scrolls! Archaeology AND magic -- holy mackeral!" It all fell apart after that. Sure, the storyline is good, but it has very little build up to you being the Arch-mage. You're not training, or learning; it's just, "Oh look, Psijics! I'm (of course) the chosen one! Let's get this artifact and kill the bad guy and -- Oh, I'm Arch-mage." OK, ranting aside, it was short. But this is not a request to change the main storyline -- merely to add-on to the functionality of Arch-mage. For one, the College itself is small. There's literally 4 students including yourself, and about 7 teachers (more teachers than students. That's just sad). Part of the mod could either be just straight up adding on to the College (more students, more buildings, etc) from the start, or making improvements over time. You don't even have to change any exteriors-- this is a college of MAGIC, after all, and interiors could warped and expanded greatly. While more teachers would be nice, I kind of just want to embellish a little with wandering students. Kind of like in Oblivion's Arcane University, where you'd have students going about to lectures (which you could sit in on, something I found fascinating), or going off to train in one of the halls. Use your imagination -- nothing too fancy, the NPCs don't even have to personalized or named. Although that is preferable and probably easy to do (relatively). Secondly, even as Arch-mage, there's just nothing to do. You literally just get some radiant quests to go collect this or kill that. There's nothing in the way of actually being an Arch-mage and, you know, managing the College. Some things I've though about include improving the College by adding new classes, rooms, features, etc, as well as a quest to help expand the College's influence across the land. Much of the quest would involve you, as Arch-Mage, investing in guild halls in each of the major holds. First, though, to be consistent with the lore, you'd have to do things for the Holds for them to earn your trust; as every Skyrim mage probably knows, magic is looked down upon, feared, and downright hated in Skyrim. Your job would be to help dispel the myths surrounding magic and mages, showing it's benefits as well as that the College is not a threat, but a friend. Sure, many people likely wouldn't be convinced, but the point is to get those minor guild halls up and running -- earning peoples' trust back to the days of the original Mages Guild will take time. Perhaps, as part of the quest(s), you would perform archaeology as seen in Under Saarthal, exploring the lore a bit more. As you can tell, this mod will be very lore-heavy, and I want to explore the things that aren't really touched on in vanilla Skyrim. Another facet of the quest could involve competing with the Synod, or College of Whispers, or even facing the threat of the Thalmor once more -- but that can wait. For now, lets focus on getting the College back to looking like an actual College of Magic, and adding functionality to being Arch-mage.

Whiterun is one of my favorite cities, and I'd like to see more immersive additions. All that I've really seen are texture packs, so I was wondering if there were any mods that add features to Whiterun and it's surrounding area the way Better Cities did. Also, as stated, mods that add to the hinterland are very much welcomed. Anything goes here, guys. I got the Hunting Guild one -- just shoot them off to me.

Looking for a sizable house/fort mod which has plenty of room and is in fact oriented towards large numbers of companions.

I find all the lore and descriptions behind each realm intriguing, and think it would be cool to visit them. I've played the "And the Realms of Daedra" mod, which lets you visit Peryite's Pits, Hermaeous Mora's Apocrypha (also visited in Dragonborn, apparently), and Hircine's Hunting Grounds. Are there any more Oblivion realm mods out there? If so, please state what realm(s) it lets you visit.

Will uninstalling/reinstalling Skyrim delete all of my mod/save game content? I had to do this a few times with Oblivion and Fallout 3 and it saved everything, but I'm not sure if it will work with Skyrim (like, if it deletes everything).

But I did ALL of that. In so many words: Extract Copy contents to Skyrim directory That's it. I don't know what's going on. I've reinstalled it so many times, but it still fails me. Actually, there's still hope. What does an UNMODDED Skyrim directory look like? I've been looking everywhere for a pic. Maybe I have something extra in there that shouldn't be there. Also, will uninstalling/reinstalling Skyrim delete all of my mod/save game content? I had to do this a few times with Oblivion and Fallout 3, but I'm not sure if it will work with Skyrim (like, if it deletes everything).

Alright, I tried that first thing. Same "Cannot locate" error. As for the SKSE_Log file, if it's supposed to be in the Skyrim directory I cannot find it.

Your idea to run as admin...well it might be progress, but I'm not sure. It produced a different error: "Windows cannot find (says location of SKSE, in Skyrim directory). Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again." It's something, but I'm still uncertain of the problem.

Well, I think I'm getting somewhere with this. It gives me a different error when I try. Says: "Cannot find (location of SKSE_loader, which is in Steam folder), Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again." It's something different, so maybe it's progress.

I did that though, using NMM was just a secondary choice after I tried reinstalling it several times to no avail.

Ie what it should look like, unaltered and unmodded. Normal, basically.

I actually DID try to go and validate the game's cache. It says "One files failed to validate and will be reacquired." SKSE? Or...just Skyrim in general? Also: I literally just got this computer last Friday. It came with Windows 8. First thing I did: installed Skyrim.

Sorry, I haven't updated that post. SKSE is fully updated, Skyrim was apparently already fully updated (I avoided torrent sites like the plague). I just had to validate the cache or something on Steam. Or maybe it was already updated to begin with, whatever it doesn't matter. All I know is: nothing stupid or illegal happened. I think the problem is that SKSE is not compatible with my OS, Windows 8, in which case I'll have to wait for a patch. As for the DLC codes -- I got a solid copy of them (well, a receipt with codes on them) straight from Gamestop. That's one big scammer if that's what you're suggesting (I wouldn't find it hard to believe...I'm probably going to return the receipt and just opt to buy the DLCs off of Steam, which is actually cheaper anyway).

I've heard that it's not. I've been trying to run SKSE to no avail. I just got this Windows 8 computer yesterday. Whenever I try to run SKSE, whether from the loader or from NMM, it says that the file is "corrupted or unreadable". I've followed every install instruction to the letter, and have redownloaded it multiple times. Same issue. Are they planning on creating a compatibility patch for it? Should I get an older version of SKSE (will this even work with the latest version of Skyrim)? If all else fails, I'll wait for the compatibility. If that never comes, it just means I never get to try out Tundra Defense. Please help if you can, but it's of no consequence if it doesn't work out.

Skyrim is fully updated. It's a shame that SKSE is out of date, but I suppose I can wait for a few more mods. I'm still having problems with the redeeming of codes, however. I tried to go through Steam, but it said my codes were invalid. Still trying to solve this problem-- don't want wasted DLC...

I have all the SKSE files in the Skyrim directory folder like it says. But whenever I try to use the SKSE loader, it says: The file or directory is corrupted or unreadable. I have the latest version of Skyrim AND I've redownloaded SKSE twice. What could be the problem? I've also had problems running the HiAlgo performance booster, but that's a whole other problem. For now, let's focus on SKSE. Note: I am running the new Windows 8, this laptop is brand new. I heard there could be problems with W8 -- true?

I have all the SKSE files in the Skyrim directory folder like it says. But whenever I try to use the SKSE loader, it says: The file or directory is corrupted or unreadable. I have the latest version of Skyrim AND I've redownloaded SKSE twice. What could be the problem? I've also had problems running the HiAlgo performance booster, but that's a whole other problem. For now, let's focus on SKSE. Note: I am running the new Windows 8, this laptop is brand new. I heard there could be problems with W8 -- true?

I know how to add mods -- that's nothing new, I figured out the Steam directory pretty quickly. However, Steam is just...odd. Several problems: I really want to update to version 1.8.151.0, but Steam hasn't automatically update it. Is there way to (legally, since I've only found cracked versions thus far) update Skyrim manually? Since so many mods use this version. SKSE is also giving me problems. It says something like "The file directory is corrupted or unreadable", although I suspect this has to do with Skyrim not being updated (I looked, and it's just version 1.0. No bueno). I literally just got this computer today and just installed Skyrim on it. The only other mod I've installed is Live Another Life -- Alternate Start, to skip Helgen. So I highly doubt it can be the computer. A final problem which is unrelated to the others: I bought Hearthfire and Dawnguard from Gamestop within the last two weeks. I got a receipt with the redeemable codes for each. I created the GS account as needed. But whenever I enter the code, it reverts back to the login screen. It's weird -- I'm going to call Gamestop after the Christmas rush slows down, so if you don't know anything about this, then don't worry about it. UPDATE: I checked Skyrim. It is fully updated, so that just leaves SKSE being screwy.

Beware -- this idea is pretty lengthy, but I feel it'll be worth your time. I do not know how to mod, and haven't yet tinkered with PC Skyrim or the Creation Kit (will be getting that tomorrow, thankfully, which by the time most people read this will have already come and gone). Thus, while I plan on learning how to mod, I know it will be long and arduous process; my biggest problem will be learning how to script (since I know practically nothing of computers and the like). I'm aware that there have been numerous mod requests for an expansion of the Main quest/civil war questline, especially that which allows one to fight the Thalmor. This mod request is somewhat the same, but I have a whole story arc and new features in mind that I believe are unique. I want this to be much like the Mothership Zeta Crew mod for Fallout 3, if anyone here has ever played that masterpiece of a mod. It would be multipart, possibly branching. Here's what I have in mind: You complete the main quest and become known as Dragonborn (or maybe, since the MQ sucks, we can work something in so you can start Part 1 without having yet completed it -- maybe after Dragon Rising or something). You are approached by a courier, who bears a note telling you to meet with a mysterious figure in an as-of-yet undecided (and private) location. I'm thinking along the lines of a private estate. The man, knowing you to be the Dragonborn, is very wealthy and very well connected in ways he does not yet explain, and he wants you to go obtain a powerful artifact deep within an unopened ruin (haven't decided on Dwemer or Nordic yet, most likely a unique hybrid if it's possible). However, you won't be going it alone; he lends you his top lieutenant and (possibly) another subordinate to go and hire an assortment of various specialists and warriors of all stripes. This recruiting aspect would be non-linear, and would involve you tracking down said-individuals (except one, who would happen to join you during the recruitment of another team member). The list would be racially and skillfully diverse -- here's what I have: The Altmer Scholar -- he will interpret the ancient glyphs and guide the team through the ruin. Also a powerful mage. The Dunmer Thief -- master thief, very witty, deals with locks and contraptions -- may save your butt from traps The Nordic Warrior -- the muscle, naturally The Khajiit Assassin -- a natural-born killer. Of course you'll want this one The Breton Mage -- as a sort of magical backup to the Scholar The Bosmer Ranger -- an excellent sharpshooter The Redguard Healer -- in case anyone gets injured, will be crucial The additional character would the Argonian Spellsword -- he's an all-round, jack of all trades kind of character. The man's lieutenant would be an Orc, his subordinate an Imperial. (You may have noticed I have not given them names. I actually have all the names, which are lore-friendly, courtesy of the Tamriel Rebuilt name generator -- however, since I am not working on it and am just putting the story out there, I'll leave most of the names, story details, and etc to modders until I actually learn how to mod). I think, more important than the roles of these characters, is their personal stories, and even bigger than that, their interactions with one another. Whether or not you choose to pursue and/or observe these interactions will be up to the player's discretion. For example, the Orc lieutenant might share a personal note about how he is looked down upon by most, yet how he worked even harder to secure his top level position within the Mysterious Man's organization. Definitely something else I wanted to pursue was the inevitable friction between the Mage and the Scholar -- the Mage somewhat jealous and striving the prove himself better, and the Scholar being annoyed at the Mage's arrogance and impulsiveness. It is these interactions which I feel will drive the narrative up to and during the final mission. I want players to feel a sense of attachment and humanity when it comes to these people fighting at your side -- not just some mindless robot like the rest of followers in the game (I'm looking at you, Lydia). The final mission would consist of the team ultimately assembling outside the ruin and then assaulting it. The fights would be difficult and large; you would split up the team into smaller segments (part of this is to reduce the laggy chaos that would be caused by you, 10 allies, and dozens of enemies fighting all at the same time). The team specialists -- ie the Thief, the Scholar, etc -- will prove their use to you in various ways, such as when the team must hold off waves of enemies while the Thief attempts to open a complicated series of doors. The three magical members might have to simultaneously activate magical pylons -- I don't know, it's up to the modders, and certainly open to many scenarios. Eventually, the team would recover the artifact (whatever it happens to be) and escape, thus ending Part 1. I wanted to introduce a choices and consequences system to the whole thing -- such as making the choice on who should do what (you can see now, in some way, how inter-team friction would be a major issue in these instances). In this way, the wrong choice could get somebody killed -- and ultimately, fail the mission, if you really screw the pooch. The only problem I can see in this would be scripting; I've never scripted before, but from what I've heard, it's pretty difficult, especially for creating unique situations like these. Again, I'll leave it to the modders' discretion. If you haven't been able to tell already, much of this was drawn from the story/gameplay of Mass Effect 2, in which you had to assemble a team for a suicide mission and would make game-altering decisions. I challenge anyone willing to make something even better. The end of Part 1 would see your team victorious in their mission, but the epilogue of it would be the return to the Man's estate: it's under attack, burned to the ground. I was thinking Thalmor. No one knows whether or not the Man survived. Frustrated, everyone sort of disperses, the only reward being the mysterious artifact you found -- which you keep with you. ~~~ Part 2 After some time, probably a week, you will be contacted via courier to meet in private again. It will be the Man -- granted, he will seem frailer than before, but he's alive. He will congratulate you and give you your cash reward. But when offered the artifact, he will decline, asking you to keep it with you for safe keeping; after all, he says, the whole idea wasn't to obtain the artifact: it was to keep it out of the wrong hands. For now, he will assign you the Orc Lieutenant to investigate Thalmor activity at the ruins from Part 1. The two of you kill off the excavation team and discover that the ruins were, in fact, larger and less ruined than originally thought. With this new found information, the Man suggests that such a place would make a good base of operations -- should the Dragonborn decide to invest a portion into it not much larger than the first reward. The underground ruin (which I will now refer to as city) will become, in many ways, like the Poseidonus of Mothership Zeta Crew, except with more than just an initial investment involved in the building of a new partially underground city. You would be able to upgrade it one section at a time, clearing rubble as you go-- See the list at the bottom for details. I haven't decided whether the sidequest involving the rebuilding of the city will be required or even a part of the main story, but the initial area that is cleared out by the Dragonborn's investment will be, for all intents and purposes, the headquarters of most, if not all the quests that follow. After the HQ is situated, the Man will ask that you reorganize your team (or possibly what's left of it). I think that some members may decide to opt out of any further adventures -- this would leave room for new characters that add to the story, whilst preserving the special camaraderie created by the first mission. I would say that at least half of the characters would join you -- certain characters, such as the scholar and the assassin, would most likely be involved in other pursuits or simply not interested. They wouldn't be cut from the story, of course, they would most certainly turn up later (what a plot twist it would be if the Assassin was contracted to kill YOU...) Summarized (since this thread has already gone on long enough), Part 2 would be you investigating the Thalmor threat whilst gaining new allies and consolidating your forces at the city. And finally... ~~~ Part 3! I'll be brief, since I haven't gotten this far. Part 3 would essentially be the Dragonborn, with all of his allies, declaring war against the Thalmor across multiple fronts. You might even take the fight to Cyrodiil (nothing too fancy -- just small, separate worldspaces, maybe even just the Imperial City). I wanted to introduce a system similar to the War Assets from Mass Effect 3, which was good in concept, except that the modders here would do it better. Every faction that you've drawn to your side would contribute to a total point count. If you so choose, you can delay certain parts of Part 3 to help boost your numbers. Alternatively, maybe there shouldn't be a points system, but rather every major asset you have will assist you in some of the battles, especially the final battle in which you would see every faction you've amassed fighting for you (very much like the end of Fallout: New Vegas). In the end, I'd like to see the Dragonborn ascend the throne and claim his right to be emperor. That's pretty much it. I know a project like this could take years, and a huge development team -- but maybe eventually, it could be done. I just wanted the idea out there. Below are some suggestive lists. City upgrades: (from main HQ) --Barracks/training halls --Marksmen's station --Stables --Outer defenses (ie walls, etc) --Inner defenses (ie maybe some dwemer constructs?) --Arcane school --Library/Archives --Shops/Commercial development (either a big district or each purchased separately) --Additional housing x3 --Embassy (for various provinces/allies; see Part 3 summary) --Surface level and subterranean farms Probably tons more to add, but you get the gist of it. Part 3 Allies: (If you have helped them or are the faction head) --Companions --College of Winterhold --Thieves Guild (spies, sabouteurs, support -- I had a vision of Brynjolf + Thieves throwing pots of naptha down on the hapless Thalmor from some cliffs) --Dark Brotherhood (assassinating key Thalmor leaders) --Alik'r (assuming you helped them during their quest, they might support you) --Imperial Legion/Stormcloaks (whoever you helped might lend support) --Dawnguard/Volikhar Vampires (not sure how you would convince them, and I may not understand how these organizations work since I have yet to play Dawnguard) --Paarthurnax+Dragons/Blades (or both; I really want the player to be able to keep both) --Forsworn (if you helped Madanach escape and kept him alive; otherwise, it might just be the financial backing of the Silver-Blood family) Additionally, you would be visiting the courts of certain provinces to receive their aid, or whatever. If you think there should be anymore faction allies on this list, just say the word below. If you read everything up to here, then thank you for your commitment! I hope this story becomes a reality at some point.

Is there any mod out there that allows you sort of "take over" ruins? I mean, I've got a pretty large companion army, and I thought it'd be nice to take over some of the forts surrounding the Imperial City in preparation for our siege ;) Probably, any mod that lets you rebuild it, use it, whatever. Something like that. It's not like the ruins are the sight of much action anyway.

Are there any mods that, say, destroy all the towns and bring hell upon the land in some way? I know there's 28 Days and a Bit, but I've been having some technical trouble with that one.

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately, I am playing Morroblivion (same quests, etc) and as such have no way of getting these mods.