LE Realistic home for a dark character

[DA9901081534]

I play dark-shepard characters. Y'know, the sort that will happily murder you if you beat an innocent person. Or one that would steal from the rich to provide to the poor.

And my character needs a home. Not just any home, however; a realistic one. Yes, I know, it's a game about magic and dragons, but hear me out:

 

Look at any of the wonderful house mods available. They are well-equipped, many are well-decorated and almost all of them have every device your typical dragonborn-turned-nasty might want, from smelters to swimming pools and wenches and armories full of weapons.

 

But still, something bothers me; these places just don't seem...realistic. It feels like they were built by an army of people; not some secretive type who is trying to make an honest days thieving or murdering without wanting every settlement knowing about it. Lets be honest; these sorts of places are often the domain of a tyrant, not someone who is trying to stay out of the news, out of jail and away from the chopping block.

 

An assassin or thief would not have access to every luxury known to man and mer. Their homes would not be manor houses packed to the brim with display cases for all their ill gotten goods. Nor would they be hidy-holes with every possible utility in them unless they were very, VERY well hidden. And knew some contractors who wouldn't be missed after the job was done...

 

These are people whose very lives are secretive.

 

They live by the skin of their teeth; always needing to be able to move and relocate themselves quickly without a problem. Their furniture is in the contents of their pockets.

Their home would not have a 50-ton smelter, or stone oven. It would not have a carefully built grill and a large variety of containers to store all their food in. It would not have a hot, steamy sauna on hand.

They simply don't have the time, nor resources for such things. Of course, it would have if their darker sides were kept secret behind a fake wardrobe or wall, but very few such kinds can oe like to live so richly.

 

Imagine, then, a more realistic home for these folks; forget the castle or manor house; think more of small cave, crevice or sewer. Something no-one would notice, built and furnished by one man in the dark of night: someone who could only get the stuff he needs by slipping it on his pocket; not calling up the local Builders-for-Evil company to install a smelter, smithy and carved marble staircase with matching statues to his secret lair. Unless your abode already has them, I doubt you'll be putting up doors.

 

This wouldn't be in a perfectly-usable but somehow-ignored stone chamber right under the town, as so many mods are keen to do. Think secretive, out of the way where no one would look. A small room in a sewer or an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere might be good. As would a hard-to-reach cave or out of the way in an old ruin.

 

• There would be no exquisitely-carved enchanting table; just a series of arcane-scratches into wood or stone with a candle or two for enchanting.
• There would be no alchemical set; maybe an old mead bottle or two and a pot or hole in the ground to blend it all together, heated by a candle, or coal.
• Workbench/Anvil: Use a rock. You might be a lvl:100 sneak thief but I bet there's no way to smuggle out a workbench that weighs three times as much as you.
• Cooking spit: Skewer your leg of goat on your sword over a campfire. What are you, royalty?
• Bed: Why so many ornate, hanging tapestry beds? If you need to sleep, lie down on the floor, or on a log. If your cold, go skin something and sleep in that. If you REALLY must insist on some creature comforts, get a sleeping bag.
• Weapon containers: you got a problem with using a barrel? Or, for that matter the floor? Just dump your weapon there. Stop putting it in those custom designed, padded glass containers.
• Item containers: Exactly how you going to move a chest full of valuable, heavy goods, or 10, if you are spotted in your lair and need to make a run for it? Stop carrying so much stuff, or work on carving out rock to use. Don't have twelve cabinets, five dressers and two desks installed in your lair. People WILL notice.
• Forge: Pick a cave with some lava in it; put some rocks over it and a grill and bingo! Instant forge. Also serves as smelter, BBQ, torture device and rubbish disposal. No lava? You have magic fire at your fingertips. Magic. Fire. Use some imagination...
• Torture/Captive Room: I think someone might notice you lugging in a man-sized cage into a cave. Get creative.

So that's it. Think of an abode that can be quickly set up and quickly picked up (or, destroyed, if need be) by those really need to keep themselves to themselves and don't have the luxury of an Evil Builders Corp, or black magic enchantments to keep others out. Always on the move, always prepared; perfect for cannibals, vampires, thieves, assassins or those who REALLY hate solicitors.

Edited February 16, 2015 by DA9901081534

[Oubliette]

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/users/3231858/?tb=mods

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/users/59853/?tb=mods&pUp=1

 

Both modders have an assortment of smaller, unique home mods some of which are geared toward darker characters. My characters are particularly fond of the Alchemist's Lair and the DB Abandoned Shack.

[DA9901081534]

Now these are excellent. Very atmospheric. I do like the Thief's Hideout mod in particular; although the static meshes and other such utilities, whilst adding a lot to the atmosphere, give me a feeling of being far too advanced in the story.

 

It would be the perfect permanent base of operations for my insidious murderer character; if only the meshes weren't there...

[KanesGhost]

I know this isn't quite what your looking for, as it misses a number of features, but thought it may spark your interest due to it's size and simplicity...I use it for my character, his something of a dark horse also, is an outsider and a loner (a born Werewolf), no interest in dealing with others. Though he doesn't collect, loot or steal items, doesn't buy or sell, has no interest in goods or money, just lives off the land...he kills to eat, as a born Werewolf he see's people simply as prey in both his Wolf and Human forms...is just pure Hunter, animalistic and primal with no morality, meaning neither good or evil, just thinks like an apex predator....Is also a Poisons Archer, thus another reason for my choice of his abode:

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/34878/?

 

There is also this Home, my character usually uses both, one for the North, one for the South of Skyrim, you might like this one as it is very hidden away and very basic:

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/32632/?

[DA9901081534]

Now both of those I like; they do seem really modest.

 

It annoys me that when many other modders describe their 'modest' and 'simple' abodes; it includes a smelter, fifty weapon racks, six beds for sex slaves and 50 mannequins...

[Boombro]

Wouldn't an assassin house be normal? If I was an assassin I would be an everyday person. Wearing commoner clothing instead of black, tight body suits. It only makes sense my house would be normal. It would so much logical and safer to to have my tools in Dawnstar, or with a locked door.

 

TES assassins seem to kill only to get out of trouble while not on contract, and seem to live in DB headquarters, while thieves in the ratway.

[DA9901081534]

A house with a hidden area for assassination gear? Yeah, that'd be normal. Trouble is, there does not appear to be such a home.

 

My point was that many home mods aren't really thought out in terms of logical consistency. How many homes can you find in Skyrim that have a garden of every plant, smelter, forge and row upon row of mannequins? Even the more modest abodes on the Nexus would make a Jarl green with envy...

 

I'm also looking for homes that make some sense out in the wilderness; I'd kill for an empty cave I could set up camp in (every such cave mod on Nexus appears to be already full of camping gear, or has decided to build entire small towns underground)

 

I did annoy me a little to see some mods that just didn't make sense full stop; there's a couple that put a smelter (something which looks and probably is very heavy) on very thin wooden planks on the side of a mountain only accessible by ladder. I just find it terribly immersion breaking.

[KanesGhost]

In regards to Cave Homes, have you looked into the Creation Kit? I have always wanted a Cave Abode for my Dovahkin also, tried my hand at the CK many number of times trying to get the hang of it for various reasons (am still wanting the perfect Light Armor for my character also, something simple, wildish and basic, but haven't been able to find it)...you may have better luck with the CK than I, is supposed to be fairly simple for such things as a Cave Abode, I have remained at a loss but then again you have me thinking about it again, so may take another shot at my perfect Cave Abode :smile:

 

I always wanted something like the Cave you find full of Spriggans with the hurt Hunter sitting at the entrance in Falkreath. Somewhere my character can go deep inside with an open top so plants can grow (Poisonous Plants in his case) and a water source...his home area itself consisting of a Forsworn Bed (the hay pile with a pelt laid over), a simple Campfire (no Pots), a simple Anvil Forge (just the Anvil like those found at the Soldiers Camps), a Tanning Rack, a Stump near the Fire he can sit on, a few old Chests or Barrels (for Pelts, Ingredients, etc...) and one Weapons Rack. He is an Alchemist and does Smith his Armor, but I prefer using these Mods instead of an Alchemy Table or Work Bench, rather than have such large ungainly items in his Camp, these feel more realistic to me...just a Mortar and Pestle and as he only wears Fur and Leather I feel a simple Kit suffices for him.

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/21866/?

Edited February 18, 2015 by KanesGhost

[Boombro]

In regards to Cave Homes, have you looked into the Creation Kit? I have always wanted a Cave Abode for my Dovahkin also, tried my hand at the CK many number of times trying to get the hang of it for various reasons (am still wanting the perfect Light Armor for my character also, something simple, wildish and basic, but haven't been able to find it)...you may have better luck with the CK than I, is supposed to be fairly simple for such things as a Cave Abode, I have remained at a loss but then again you have me thinking about it again, so may take another shot at my perfect Cave Abode :smile:

 

I always wanted something like the Cave you find full of Spriggans with the hurt Hunter sitting at the entrance in Falkreath. Somewhere my character can go deep inside with an open top so plants can grow (Poisonous Plants in his case) and a water source...his home area itself consisting of a Forsworn Bed (the hay pile with a pelt laid over), a simple Campfire (no Pots), a simple Anvil Forge (just the Anvil like those found at the Soldiers Camps), a Tanning Rack, a Stump near the Fire he can sit on, a few old Chests or Barrels (for Pelts, Ingredients, etc...) and one Weapons Rack. He is an Alchemist and does Smith his Armor, but I prefer using these Mods instead of an Alchemy Table or Work Bench, rather than have such large ungainly items in his Camp, these feel more realistic to me...just a Mortar and Pestle and as he only wears Fur and Leather I feel a simple Kit suffices for him.

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/21866/?

Look up trollbane armor.

[KanesGhost]

Thank you Boombro :happy: ...I have seen that Armor, kinda keep a fairly regular eye on Hothtroopers work...love his Follower 'Hoth', is one of my go to Followers (the other is Stenvar) if I decide to use a Follower...The Trollsbane Armor is very good and would use it for the right kind of character, though is unfortunately too busy and not simple enough for the Dovahkin I most often play (the afore mentioned Werewolf), he doesn't take Trophies and though a big boy is extremely agile (Mod inclusions) and so I hunt for an Armor that reflects this about him also...I currently use a slightly modified TG Armor (unenchanted and parts removed), he is not in the TG but the Armor gives me the feel that it would allow for his degree of agility while remaining a very basic Armor...is the closest I have been able to find so far to suit what I would like to find, I know what I would like, but have not been able to create it in the CK and so just keep looking and hope someone who can may someday have a similar vision.