Bloodmoon Returned

[Gruntwithahat]

Bloodmoon Returned

 

Returning to solstheim years after the bloodmoon incident...

 

This is probably one of my best mods I am working on for oblivion. Using TESAnnwyn, I converted the bloodmoon esp into a heightmap and used the heightmap to generate the exact shape of solstheim in a oblivion worldspace. In just minutes I had an exact duplicate of solstheim's island...unfortunately whats left is texturing and cluttering. *NOTE THAT NOTHING FROM MORROWIND IS USED IN THIS. ALL TEXTURES AND MESHES WERE CREATED BY ME*

 

Key Facts and notes

Bloodmoon Returned is unlike any solstheim recreation mod out there. For one, it doesn't require SI and second is that I changed solstheims landscape to a more enhanced look. Things now look much better with waterfalls, bigger mountains, steep valleys, and towering pines. One thing to mention about the pine trees is that all i did was just retexture the redwood trees with pine needles for leaves and gave them a different bark (which I was unable to get working but it soon will.) I think that with the pine textures, the redwood trees look like towering pines like the ones in canada or the black pine forests in Germany (if my geology serves me correct.) I also made new landscape and building textures. You can notice them on the docks and various screens.

 

I was unable to get LOD working so sorry if the screens don't show much. I do have around 45 cells completed so far and it took about 6 hours give or take.

 

Places of Interest

I did my best to follow lore that was given on various wiki's and through oblivion itself. Solstheim is supposed to take park 10 years after the bloodmoon incident. Things have changed quite a lot.

 

Raven Rock

Raven Rock dried up and lost tourism. On one cold night, the whole town just burst into flames. The miners escaped but the town is now a ruin of what was once there...the jewel of solstheim (I kinda added the fire but the mine does dry up as explained by various NPCs on oblivion.)

*screens to come*

Skaal Village

The nords of Skaal has uprised against the imperials of Fort Frostmoth and took back their land through force (this is also explained through various NPCs on oblivion) After the rebellion, Skaal Village expaned into one large hall dubbed The Soul of the Oneness. Its members are short as many left solstheim during the bloodmoon but it still stands, watching over solstheim. (I added that in as well. I couldn't find what happened to the skaal after but i made sure its lore friendly)

*screens to come*

Thirsk

Thirsk was shortly disbanned after their new chieftain left to Cyrodiil (hint of the Udefrytke quest in oblivion) and due to lack of leadership. The hall is still there...but don't expect much.

*screens to come*

Fort Frostmoth

Once the strong helm of imperial force on solstheim, Fort Frostmoth now stands as a ruin...a memory of a bloody battle and the tragic loss to the empire. Ships crash on its docks for the lighthouse has long been dead. You can find useful items like strong imperial armor and weapons, all left behind after the battle. Follow the road down to the Frostmoth Graveyard and see some of the buried heroes that protected the island and kept the peace.

*screens*

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Mortrag Glacier

With the glacier crummbled, most of the northern ice of solstheim as melted leaving only light snow patches and dead grass all around. No one knows what happened the day it collapsed and no one probably ever will. (I thought it would have been cool if the glacier was the reason solstheim was so cold in that region and when it melted, life started to return to northern solstheim)

*screens to come*

Castle Karstaag

With its master gone, its servants fled its halls. The magickal ice power that kept it intact has long been dead and the castle now vanishs into history. (Again no lore on what happened but I thought that would be cool and something you guys could like)

*screens to come*

 

Wilderness

I did a lot of changes, most you can't see because since my LOD wouldn't work I took shots that didn't reveal much but you can still notice a change or too in there.

-Hirstaang Forest-

I wanted more of a fern forest feel that still works with the pine forest layout. Moss top covered rocks lay scattered and the land has some slopes and large cut outs.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9

-Felsaad Coast-

Expect this to be a less lush version of Hirstaang but with the same features of landscape. It won't be as green but it will still have grass on it.

*screens to come*

-Isinfier Plains-

Expect this to be semi more greener than it was for morrowind. Trees will grow in short groups but it will mostly be a grassland of dead grass and rock valleys.

*screens to come*

-Moesring Mountains-

Expect these mountains to be actual mountains. They will be bigger, supported by steep slopes and large rocks. One should be carefull for rocks are always falling around these mountains. Trees will barely grow here but do expect to see some. As for grass, I won't be adding grass. Its mainly just rock and slope.

 

Quests

I do not have a main quest planned but I will definately add various wilderness quests around Skaal Village. A few of them will be working with those damn island stones from morrowind. Others will be item fetch quests and a large quest to explore a new pirate den!

 

Well thats it for now. I hope you enjoy the work so far and hope your looking out for updates. Im basically working on this all by myself so its kinda slow at times.

[Pronam]

An ambitious, but very promising project. I think everyone will be looking forward to it, as would be eager provide some help because basically none has really gotten this far with it..(I never have seen it being proposed before though...)

[alex2avs]

hmm... i didn't knew that you were allowed to use any parts from other TES games , height map in this case , else everything is ok , and looks great ;)

 

(comercial : if you need tools to help you retexturing , check my or Vic's signature (NTE) .)

 

 

Wish you best of luck ;)

 

 

Alex Valentine

[Gruntwithahat]

Actually the heightmap isn't from bloodmoon. It was made using TES Annwyn by converting bloodmoon.esm into a heightmap using TESAnnwyn's command prompt

 

And I will be looking for help on this project so any takers are more than welcome.

[Pronam]

(comercial : if you need tools to help you retexturing , check my or Vic's signature (NTE) .)

;D, alex, why not create a(nother) commercial sig now its released..;)

 

Others will be item fetch quests and a large quest to explore a new pirate den!

I can recall a ship being wrecked on the coast (not the one you mentioned) at one of the BM Quests in MW.

Maybe something close to that location could be fun for the lore?

 

Hm. I'm would be glad to help, but I could not do so for a month...(1 week filled with other mods to do, 3 for a vacation.)

So that would not quite be of any use ;D.

 

I wish you good luck as well.

[Gruntwithahat]

Its ok.

 

Im deciding to probably make more quests for Skaal. The one im working on paper at the moment has to do with nature. The people of Skaal are worried because spriggans, who used to be the protectors of nature and the skaal, are now turning and attacking skaal hunters and explorers. Something isn't right so the skaal send you to complete a series of tasks to try and figure it out.

 

Any quest ideas are more than welcomed.

[Gruntwithahat]

Its ok.

 

Im deciding to probably make more quests for Skaal. The one im working on paper at the moment has to do with nature. The people of Skaal are worried because spriggans, who used to be the protectors of nature and the skaal, are now turning and attacking skaal hunters and explorers. Something isn't right so the skaal send you to complete a series of tasks to try and figure it out.

 

Any quest ideas are more than welcomed.

[Pronam]

Indeed, a series of quests is better than just one trip to the forest and seeing your journal being updated.

A few suggestions:

 

Your send to some place where a couple of sons and daughters are hunting. As nothing has been heard for a day, they are worried that they may have been into some trouble.

It could be either a rescue mission, or they are all dead. Either way, they will be in some center and some spriggans (2-4 to players level) are guarding them. If they are alive, you'll have to bring them back. Otherwise some token as a ring or amulet has to be retrieved.

Upon return, the skaal are surprised as they don't understand why the spriggans would do such a thing..etc..

 

Maybe another quest should be done before the other story progresses. So it initially looks the 3rd one will not related.

the 2nd one could be a simple hunt, ingredient retrieve. To let the player reach some places they ordinarily won't go.

So maybe a cave or camp could be discovered on the journey (or at the end).

You could also decide to relate them, that upon return the skaal village is attacked or under attack.

 

The 3rd could be depending on the previous one, either another quest that initially is something else. Maybe you will go back hunting with the ones you saved, or some others. Either way it will lead to another encounter with spriggans and the investigation starts for what exactly is happening. That could lead to the conclusion that something has disturbed them, it could have been the climate change, the lose of faith of th skaal in the allmaker :P. Or maybe some larger spriggan has decided to lead her race to another cause...

The next quests could be parts in discovering that, trying to recover the peace, or defeat them at all.

Maybe that could be the case, if you defeat them. A even larger problem shall arise as they still offered some protection being around the village. If you do some rituals, peace offerings they will leave you at peace and will protect the skaal against any future threats. (from the south, depends on what's green/forest right now..)

 

I don't know, just some suggestion. Maybe some parts could be helpful to finish what you have on paper right now.

[Deleted771212User]

What about the witches? Maybe you should give them a plot in the MQ?

[7vincent7black7]

Wow, you are the first person so far that I have seen to try to recreate a previous area or a new area and make it look and feel like oblivion, most mods I have seen look nice but they almost never seem to have that feeling that oblivion and/or morrowind game has. I just downloaded New Cairo for fallout 3 which is kinda cool I guess. The voices sound dead and its weird being in america and in a group of people who just happened to stumble over the ocean from Egypt into America....

Somehow that isn't quite like bethesda at all. but I will anxiously await and follow this mod for its release in it's completed form.