The Lands of Solstheim, Vvardenfell and Mournhold

Background Information

"Ah, it's a lovely and peaceful place, when it's not cold. And if it's not cold then it's not Solstheim!" - Sheogorath, 3E 433

As the defeat of Mehrunes Dagon heralds the end of the Oblivion Crisis, as well as the beginning of the 4th Era, the Empire remains in a state of turmoil. With the end of the Septim bloodline and no heir to the Imperial throne, High Chancellor Ocato and the Elder Council struggle to prevent the Empire from crumbling. In the Dunmer province of Morrowind, it has been 6 years since the defeat of Dagoth Ur at the hands of the Nerevarine. Following the deaths of Sotha Sil and Almalexia, and the discovery of Almalexia's betrayal, many citizens have renounced their faith in the Tribunal Temple. Currently, Vivec is missing and the fate of the Nerevarine is uncertain. The Great Houses are in upheaval, several settlements on Vvardenfell have been left in ruins as a result of the Daedric invasion, including House Redoran's capital city of Ald'ruhn, forcing them to relocate on the mainland. Meanwhile, the last remanents of the Sixth House are believed to be plotting revenge for the death of their leader.

To the frozen north of Tamriel, on the harsh, contested island of Solstheim, werewolves continue to roam the land. The Raven Rock Colony has been largely abandoned, while tensions have risen between the Nords and the Imperial colonists and it is believed that an attack upon Fort Frostmoth is imminent. Whether this conflict will be resolved diplomatically or with bloodshed remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, in the Shivering Isles, Sheogorath is preparing for the Greymarch but seems to have "misplaced" a few things right under the Mortrag Glacier. And of course both Solstheim and Morrowind residents each have their own petty individual problems to deal with indepedent of the grand scheme of things.

"Each event is preceded by Prophecy. But without the hero, there is no Event." - Zurin Arctus, the Underking

Will you be that hero once more?


Requirements

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion version 1.2.0416 and Shivering Isles are required to play. Any other version will fail to work. All official Bethesda mods/DLCs such as Knights of the Nine are compatible but not required. We strongly recommend a clean copy of Oblivion and a decent computer. If you use a heavily modded Oblivion with 100 random mods or leftover mods that weren't uninstalled properly, it is likely you will sooner or later experience trouble. Mod load order must be "01" or you will not be able to see the land, this means our "SoVvM.esm" file must be the first ".esm" loaded immediately after "Oblivion.esm". (Please keep this in mind if you're using multiple mods in ".esm" format.) Subtitles must be turned on as voice acting isn't always used.

If you experience crashes, we recommend that you activate the "Purge Cell Buffer" module that we distribute along with the mod.


Mod Information

The Lands of Solstheim, Vvardenfell and Mournhold, also known simply as SoVvM, is an unofficial large-scale mod for Oblivion that recreates the three main zones featured in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and its two expansions Tribunal and Bloodmoon, with the more advanced graphics and capabilities of Oblivion's engine. With an ambitious team and with the support and help of most of the Oblivion modding community, we released of first version of the mod in 2008 and our second version in 2011.


Stage of Development

Although the current version available for download incomplete, it does feature Solstheim, Vvardenfell and 3 out 5 Mournhold districts. 2 other major features are that the player can become a lich or a werewolf. The two islands' wilderness is largely complete, featuring terrain, water, plants, rocks, trees, lava or snow where needed. All monsters are present as well and they respawn randomly depending on the region. All Solstheim dungeons and settlements are present and they include NPC citizens and guards with a ton of dialog and schedules. Vvardenfell does not feature most settlements yet but the Ghostgate/Ghostfence pillars are there and there are guards present. Seyda Neen and Zainab Camp are also complete now. Tel Fyr exterior is complete. There are four dungeons as well: Dagoth Ur's former base of operations under Red Mountain (which is a large Dwemer ruin), the Assarnatamat Daedric ruin, the Samarys Ancestral Tomb and Addamasartus (near Seyda Neen). Mournhold features guards and some NPCs, as well as a small part of the sewer connected to the jail (so players have a way to escape) and a part of the large Dwemer ruin Bamz-Amschend under the plaza fountain. Guards are fully functional and will enforce the law if needed. All 3 zones have maps, marks, pathgrids, boundaries, ambience, weather, names of subregions and pretty much everything they should. A lot of the old Morrowind armor and equipment is also available and there are a few minor side quests and easter eggs, for example Gaenor is present in Mournhold. A travel network exists so you can go back and forth between Cyrodiil and the new regions. We have a few scattered quests too.

In future releases our plan is to add Vvardenfell dungeons, populate settlements, create the settlements that are missing and of course add quests and factions. Please keep in mind that this is a continued work in progress. As such there are towns and dungeons that are missing completely, especially on Vvardenfell. However, what we have now should be a lot of fun.


Getting Started

To get to either Vvardenfell or Solstheim, speak with Percius Popillus, an Imperial usually found around Anvil's harbor. He will take you by ship. Don't forget to visit Census and Excise first when you arrive in Vvardenfell. To get to Mournhold, ask Percius Popillus about it. He will tell you where to find a mage who can teleport you there. You must have some gold as these services are not free.

Mournhold serves as a central hub and even though it is incomplete it has service providers for almost everything. For enchanting, spellmaking, recharging, unique spells with custom effects (like Recall or Levitation) and teleportation speak with Effe-Tei. To repair gear, speak with Calvus Horatius. To train speechcraft speak with Plitinius Mero or Alethor. The Great Bazaar is not yet accessible however you can find the black market merchant, Rinchois Hustaux, in the west part of the Temple District. He is usually around after dark and sells 90% of inventory items in the mod, including unique items like Keening (this is only for gameplay reasons, not for lore reasons, we do not yet have a questline that would allow you to obtain these unique artifacts). His merchandise also respawns if depleted, except for unique items, so don't lose those if you buy them. He also sells all spells that were in Morrowind, not just custom ones like Recall and Levitation.

You may ask what quests are available, well we'd rather have you explore and find out, however since there are only a few scattered quests that might be hard to find without cheating, here are some hints:

1) the Vision of the Past unique scrolls sold by the black market merchant
2) Gaenor
3) Tome of Unlife
4) Sheogorath (before the Greymarch)
5) the "candy workshop in the snow"
6) the strange Dunmer noble wandering east of the Mournhold Temple
7) Thirsk

To access certain "hidden" and "special" features in our mod, type "coc zzzzTestCell" in the console to get teleported to a "special" cell. It is similar to the hidden "Testing Hall" in vanilla Oblivion, though not completely identical.


What's New in Beta Release 2 (br2)

A more detailed progress checklist will be available on my forum. Basically, we added far more stuff, more monsters, more inventory items, more NPCs, better looking armor. We also fixed some bugs. The most important feature is the Vision of the Past scroll. There are a lot of changes since br1.


What's New in Beta Release 3 (br3)

Not much, quick minor bug fixes. If you are one of the few who downloaded br2, you only need to redownload the br3 main file now. I did not change meshes, textures or sounds. But if you have br1, you need to redownload the entire thing.


Gameplay Information

The gameplay mechanics are also a bit different in all 3 areas. (Cyrodiil and Shivering Isles are unchanged.) Here is a list of things we have done or intend to do if we haven't yet:

1) Redesigned Inventory Item Stats: We didn't like items or gear having strange or missing vendor/weight values, so we made our own items. They should be more similar to Morrowind as well.
2) Redone Item Models: Soul gems and several other inventory items now look like they did in Morrowind. (Remember, none of these changes affect Cyrodiil, it only applies for items collected in Morrowind/Solstheim.)
3) New Items: We feature many new inventory items, for example gloves, cloaks, capes, circlets, monocles, eye patches and goggles.
4) Clutter as Weapons/Shields: Farm tools, logs, large bones and even some pewter mugs can be used as weapons and/or shields. (Again, remember Cyrodiil items don't work that way.)
5) Graverobbing: You will find several graveyards in the new regions. If you have a shovel, you will be able to dig in graves and steal whatever items you find there. You will usually find clothes, bones and rotting flesh. Graves do not respawn. Graverobbing is illegal in the Empire though, so don't get caught.
6) Skooma / Moon Sugar Euphoria: Visual effects will be added for a short time if you consume these.
7) Morrowind Spells: Most spells from Morrowind are back, especially Mark, Recall, Divine Intervention, Almsivi Intervention, Levitation and more. An alternative version of Bound Armor is available so the armor summoned is enchanted like in Morrowind. You will also find clothes and other equipable gear with such effects as Constant.
8) Morrowind Common and Blight Diseases: All of the diseases from Morrowind are back, only more deadly.
9) The Corprus Disease: You can now get infected with the Corprus disease, by fighting the remaining Corprus monsters in the Red Mountain region. The disease works exactly like it did in Morrowind.
10) Disease Potions: You can now poison your weapons and spread diseases to other creature and NPCs. Or, you can infect yourself with the disease. For each disease, there are two types of potions: one you can use as poison and one you can drink yourself.
11) Lichcraft: The ability to become a lich. Available only for level 30+ players with magical abilities. You must acquire a book called the Tome of Unlife first and be level 30 or higher.
12) Lycanthropy: The ability to become a werewolf. What would Solstheim be without werewolves anyway?
13) Morrowind Vampirism: Vampires in Morrowind are different from Cyrodiil vampires. There will be three additional types of vampirism: Quarra, Aundae and Berne. The cure for these types of vampirism will also be different. This feature has been scrapped due to time limitations. There will only be the default vampirism. We will still add clans when the time is right.
14) Static Enemy Level: We don't like the idea of monsters and bandits scaling with your level. Instead enemies are turned for medium to high level players.
15) Deadly Flora: A few plants that grow in the Ashlands are now deadly. Feature scrapped in br2. Plants don't cause damage anymore.
16) New NPC Dialog System: There will be more diverse dialog topics and options. You will be able to ask NPCs about their background, trade, ask for advice, talk about the lore or rumors. You may now ask anyone for any service but that doesn't mean you'll receive it if the NPC doesn't provide that type of service. You can even talk to Dremora, Golden Saints and Dark Seducers and annoy them by constantly asking them for services or rumors, though you must charm them first as they are hostile by default.
17) Better NPC Reaction: Shops will be closed in the weekends. If an NPC doesn't like you now, he won't talk to you, be nice to you or provide you with services. You trespass or wake people up in the middle of the night (with very rare exceptions, such as town guards), they won't talk to you and their dispositions towards you will decrease. You get a high bounty, disease etc. the NPCs will notice it and might often refuse to talk to you because of this.
18) Taunting System: In Morrowind you could taunt people until they attacked you. Now you might be able to get certain people to attack you by lowering their disposition below a certain value.
19) No More Quest Items: You can now do anything you want with the new essential items. Drop them in the ocean, sell them, give them away, anything. You're no longer forced to carry them around. Exception applies only for visions, which are meant to be experienced in a certain way.
20) No More Quest Markers: The new quests will no longer feature red markers that guide you towards the next objective. There will still be non-quest map markers for important locations, just no quest markers. We prefer players finding out more information by talking to NPCs instead.
21) Travel Services: While the optional Fast Travel system hasn't been removed, there will be an alternative to this: ships, silt striders and teleportation.
22) Lip-Synching: Due to the overwhelming amount of dialog lines, most of them will only be lip-synched instead of both voiced and lip-synched.
23) NPC Birthsigns: Each Morrowind or Solstheim NPC will now be given a random birthsign at the start of each game. Birthsigns will have Morrowind stats instead of Oblivion ones.
24) Player Birthsigns: The player will be allowed to choose if they want their birthsign to have Morrowind stats or Oblivion stats. This decision must be made before the character generation in the beginning of the game is over.
25) Playable Beards: There will now be many playable beards to choose from. Some of the new NPCs will also have beards.
26) More Hairstyles: Players will have more hairstyles to choose from. For example, Imperial players can now use blindfolds and Redguard hairstyles. You can choose "bald" as well now.
27) Dunmer Tattoo: Dark Elves can now have tattoos.
28) Morrowind Race Stats: The player will be allowed to choose if they want their race to have Morrowind stats or Oblivion stats. As with the birthsign, this decision must be made before the character generation in the beginning of the game is over.
29) Morrowind NPC Race Stats: The new NPCs will have Morrowind race stats instead of Oblivion stats. For example, Morrowind Nords have 100% Resist Frost Damage instead of just 50%.
30) Law Enforcement: Law enforcement will be like in Morrowind and will include the death penalty for bounties of 5000 gold or higher. The punishment in the village of Skaal is death regardless of the crime, if you're not one of their people. There are no jails in Skaal. Turning yourself in voluntarily carries a chance of reducing the fine you have to pay.
31) Bribes, Resisting Arrest: There is now a small chance to bribe a guard as long as the guard's disposition is not too low. Failed bribing attempts or resisting arrests will increase you bounty and lower the guard's disposition towards you.
32) Writs of Execution: If you kill someone who is marked for legal execution and present the writs of execution, you will be forgiven for the crime. (Note, we don't have any writs yet as there aren't any quests that invovle a legal contract killing.)
33) Female Guards: There will be a lot more female guards, although most guards will still be male.
34) Diverse Imperial Guards: The Imperial Legion will now have non-Imperial recruits, though they will be in the minority. The Ordinators however will be only Dark Elves.
35) Voices: Dark Elven males now have darker voices, Wood Elves high-pitched voices and Dremora females now have their own voice. The new Dark Elven and Wood Elven voices do not sound like the ones in Morrowind though.
36) Spellcrafters and Enchanters: You no longer need to be in the Arcane University, several mage NPCs will provide these services for you.
37) Golden Saints and Dark Seducers: These NPCs will be featured on Vvardenfell and will be hostile by default. But, as you progress through the Court of Madness, they'll become friendlier.
38) Spears: The Spear of Bitter Mercy as well as other spears will be featured in this mod.
39) Crossbows and Bolts: These also will be featured in the mod. These weapons work like bows and arrows and require Marksman skill as well, but are faster and more accurate.
40) Traps and Probes: Some containers and doors will now be trapped. Probes must be used to disable traps. Successfully disabling a trap may increase your Security skill. Failure will result in the probe being broken. Success depends strictly on your Security skill, probe quality and luck. A trap is activated only when you try to force a trapped door or container open. You may also use a spell to temporarily disable traps.
41) Guild Requirements: Any new factions we add will require you to increase some of your stats before you can advance in a guild. Doing quests will not be enough anymore. There will be initiations to test your skills as well as your knowledge.
42) Guild Leaders: Becoming a faction leader will be much harder and a rare opportunity, depending on the choices made during the entire questline. Making the wrong choices might prevent you from ever becoming leader. In some cases, only betrayal might allow you to become leader, but you risk being cast out.
43) Bosses: Bosses will be "hard", we don't intend to make bosses that have only slightly more HP and damage.
44) Playable Dremora, Golden Saints and Dark Seducers: These three races have been unlocked for anyone willing to play them. However, most NPCs in Morrowind will react more negatively towards them. (Note, this has nothing to do with Morrowind lore, it's simply a "fun" feature for people interested and can be ignored.)
45) Custom Race and Birthsign Fix: Valen Dreth, Boethia and the Emperor should now recognize custom races and birthsigns from this mod and from other mods as well.
46) All NPCs Killable: Any NPC in Morrowind and Solstheim can be killed now. Like in Morrowind you will be notified when you kill an essential NPC though. They won't get up.
47) Spriggans Have 3 Lives: Solstheim Spriggans will resurrect a couple of times before permanently dying.


Installation

Download the files. (All of them if there's more at the location where this mod is hosted.)

Copy "DistantLOD", "Meshes", "Sound", "Textures" as well as the "SoVvM.esm" to: "[Oblivion Installation Location]\Data". If you are told that a folder with one of the names "DistantLOD", "Meshes", "Sound" or "Textures" already exists, ignore it and continue copying the folders anyway, clicking "Yes to All". Then activate SoVvM.esm. Make sure the load order is the intended one ("01") and activate subtitles. If you do this you should be able to play.


Terms of Use

Commercial use is strictly prohibited. Period.

Redistribution with minor changes is strictly prohibited. If you want to make tweaks, create a mod for SoVvM, don't upload the entire thing. Yes, it's possible, SoVvM is an .esm file like Oblivion.esm so it's totally moddable.

"Alternate version" projects are allowed, we don't care about competition and want to encourage multiple approaches, for example if you want to make your own Morrowind-on-Oblivion-engine project and use SoVvM as a foundation. The only two conditions are that you do not call your mod "SoVvM" or anything similar and that all content created in connection to it become property of thePOSTALmodder/thePOSTALdude so they can be freely used in future SoVvM versions. If you do not agree, please refrain from making any "alternate versions".

Derivative works based on br1 are strictly prohibited as it is an obsolete version.

Translations are heavily frowned upon, but we won't try to stop you from doing one if you really really really want to. Just remember, you probably won't keep up with every version.

For other non-commercial uses not covered, please contact us. If it's about using assets in a mod for Oblivion, you're almost 100% guaranteed to get permission so it shouldn't be a problem. If we don't reply in one month, feel free to go ahead and use whatever SoVvM resources you need. Please contact using the appropriate e-mail.


Known Significant Bugs

A few things to watch out for:

1) Avoid using the Gray Fox Cowl or passing into Shivering Isles while switching between lich-human forms and werewolf-human forms as there is a small chance of bounties getting mixed up.
2) Do not summon armor while a werewolf.
3) There is a bug that often prevents users from choosing the Morrowind version of a birthsign. The Oblivion versions however work all the time so choose those instead if necessary.
4) Minor bugs involving some incorrectly placed rocks and unblending layers of land textures.
5) If you wear a cape or a cloak you cannot equip monocles, circlets, goggles or eye patches too.
6) If you get near a lava pool, all the distant water, including sea water will appear red as if lava. Don't worry, once you get near a river, lake or sea, it will appear as normal water again.
7) Lock spells do not always seem to work. If the door/container you wish to lock is owned by you or a faction you are part of, you may still open it.
8) Levitation effects don't stack. If you activate a Levitation 50 effect, then a Levitation 20, Levitation 50 will be removed. Using scrolls or potions however can bug, so do not try to stack up Levitation effects under any circumstance.
9) Levitation and teleportation do not work indoors and some other special places. For this reason, the effects are automatically disabled in these areas. This is not a bug, more of a limitation.
10) Often glowing distant walls in Mournhold. We don't have a good solution for this at the moment.


Meet The SoVvM Team and Benefactors (Credits)

- BIG BIRD (Core Founder, Former Project Leader, Solstheim Interior Builder, Solstheim Landmark and City Builder, Voice Actor, General Construction Set Modder)
- blaXXer (Ghostgate and Ghostfence - UNAVAILABLE, WORK IN PROGRESS TO CONVERT TO .NIF)
- BUTCH (Scripter, General Construction Set Modder)
- CNC (Dungeon Builder - RETIRED)
- Hidden (Project Assistant Leader, Scripter, Landmass Decorator, General Construction Set Modder)
- invader13 (Interior Builder - RETIRED)
- Ionis the Bear (Retexturer - RETIRED)
- Najaknevrec (Modeller - RETIRED)
- thePOSTALdude / thePOSTALmodder (Core Founder, Actual Project Leader, Scripter, Landmass Decorator, General Construction Set Modder)

Testers Only:

- Alaisiagae / Ethereal Overlord
- john44
- kukaahi
- nali
- wyzzardd

"General Construction Set Modding" refers mainly to very basic Construction Set operations, such as editing or setting up item/NPC/race/faction/etc. stats, basic bug fixing or grammar error fixing, that sort of thing.

Special thanks to the people who released (or are making) many wonderful modder's resources. (Please note that due to the amount of files and people involved, we cannot always verify the source of these files. If you believe someone may have plagiarized your work, please report it to thepostalmodder@yahoo.com and if your claim is valid we will take it down as soon as possible or update the Credits list.) Our "benefactors" are:

- AlienSlof (Skirt Texture from the Imperial Plate Armor Mod by Sintaker)
- anonymous benefactor (Some Textures)
- Badmagic (Red Ebony Retexture Used for Mournhold Royal Guards)
- Bethesda Softworks (Creators of The Elder Scrolls Series)
- BlueDestiny (Fallen Armor Used for Death Knight Armor)
- Cinnamon (Assets from The Black Cat Jewelry Store Mod)
- Connary (Morrowind Drinks Textures)
- Cryo_ (Ordinator "Indoril" Armor, Dwemer Spider Model and Rigging Used for Scribs, Gargoyle Model and Rigging)
- da mage (Several Gloves, New Dwemer Spider Model in br2)
- Dave91 (Ashlands Huts, Plants, Rocks, Phitt's Sheogorad Mod Contributor)
- Daesdemon (Levitation Magic Script Used for Reference)
- demoncleaner5000 (Wolf Armor)
- Divine Avenger (Winged Twilight)
- DMKW (Dunmer Tattoo)
- Fearabbit (Morrowind Dremora Textures, Improved Morrowind Dwemer Weapons Made by Helborne)
- Galerion (Sinus Calculation Used in the Levitation Script)
- Ghogiel (Meshes, Textures and Icons for: Deer Helmet, Bear Helmet, Ice Armor Except Shield, Bonemold Armor, Dreugh Armor, Morrowind-Style Dwemer Armor Except Shield, Man-at-Arms Armor, Credits for Helping Jayson with the Dragonbone Cuirass)
- Ginnungagap (Bloodmoon Spriggans, Daedric Crescent Blade)
- Grimdeath (Dwemer Spider Textures and Sounds, Giant Spider Textures, Guar Variation Textures and Sounds, Gargoyle Textures)
- Helborne (Chitin Gear and Other Morrowind Weapons - UNAVAILABLE, PERMISSION GRANTED BUT WORK IN PROGRESS, Spears, Morrowind-Style Dwemer Weapons and Shields)
- J3X (New Models for Staves/Staffs)
- Jakhar (Part of Pelagiad Tileset)
- Jayson (Dragonbone Cuirass)
- Jadrax (Polymorph Magic Script Used for Reference)
- JCarl904 (Werewolf Model and Textures)
- Joel Huenink (Beards, Mustaches and Baldness)
- JonSatriani (Telvanni Architecture)
- Jur'ed / Jured / Crimson Covenant Team (Stendarr's Hammer)
- KafeiDotour (Elegant Vests Resource, Vermillion and Silverthorn Resource, Circlet Resource, Dark Brotherhood's Dwemer Goggles, Eye Patches, Resources from the Spectacles Mod)
- Kalikut (Telvanni Architecture File: "txtelvfloorint03.dds")
- Kielanai (Akaviri Taiko Drum Barrel, Stand and Stick)
- Kivan (Scamp Suit for Creeper Easter Egg)
- Kzinistzerg (Daedric and Velothi Tileset Textures, Contributor to Phitt's Sheogorad Mod)
- Leo Gura / LiquidGraph (Dwemer Assets and Other Assets from The Lost Spires Mod)
- long live bush (Arctic Dwemer Gear Used as Cursed Frozen Dwemer Gear)
- Loth DeBonneville (Worked with Helborne on Spears and Several Other Modders)
- Martigen (Monsters from His Monster Mod, Including the Snow Bear)
- McMuffin (Morrowind Daedric Armor, Skooma Pipe, One Version of the Colovian Fur Helm)
- Mdogger (Frost Giant Model and Textures, Guar Model and Textures)
- mr_siika (Resources from the Dwarven City Modder's Resource, Dwemer Creatures, Multiple Other Contributions to Phitt's Sheogorad Mod)
- Nicoroshi (Wyrmfang Sword Models, Ebony Scimitar Model)
- opti (Spear of Bitter Mercy)
- oxfordite (Crossbows and Bolts)
- Painkiller_rider (Credits for Helping Jayson with the Dragonbone Cuirass)
- PERTTI (The Runeblade Frostmourne Included as an Easter Egg)
- Phitt (Dwemer Exterior/Interior Tileset, Daedric Tileset Models, Velothi Tileset Models, Other Resources From His Sheogorad Project)
- Plangkye (Telvanni Architecture: All Color Textures in the Plangkye Directory Bar One)
- Psychotic (Ice Cave Tileset)
- Quazzy (Purge Cell Buffers Mod - Optional Package)
- Razorwing / Gloomwing (Credits for Helping Tarnsman with the Morrowind Ingredients)
- Ren (Hairstyles from Ren's Beauty Pack)
- Ronin (Helped Kielanai with Gold Texture and Black Stain Texture for his Taiko Modder's Resource)
- Sage Rime (Skyrim Armory Mod: Armor, Clothing and Related Files, Full Release Rights)
- Savant (Chitin Armor, Ash Monsters)
- SACarrow (Morrowind Potion Models But Without Textures - UNAVAILABLE, PERMISSION GRANTED BUT MESH FILES NOT OBTAINED YET)
- Sintaker (Imperial Plate Armor Used By Imperial Guards)
- someone1074 (Capes and Cloaks)
- Soya (Soya Hairstyles)
- SpeedyB (Additional Velothi Tileset Models, Contributor to Phitt's Sheogorad Mod)
- StarBoi (Morrowind Soul Gems, New Black Soul Gem Models, Sunder, Keening and Wraithguard)
- Tarnsman (Morrowind Ingredients, Silver Coins Used as Dwemer Coins)
- Tharanthiel (Mountable Boars)
- The Modax Jago (Some Morrowind Creature Models Including Kwama - UNAVAILABLE, PERMISSION GRANTED BUT WORK IN PROGRESS)
- themythofanst (Authentic Royal Guard Armor and Author of Vvardenfell Imports Mod, Note: VI Addon Not Included, See Attached Readme For Full Credits)
- Trey Leavens (Assets from The Black Cat Jewelry Store Mod)
- Trollf (New Paintings, Farm Tools, Pewter Mugs, Lampposts and More Playable Clutter as Weapons or Shields, Some Necromantic Assets)
- TyanaRie (Dagoth Ur Voice)
- unknown benefactor (Dwemer Scrap Metal Model)
- VagabondAngel (Female Cuirass from the Imperial Plate Armor Mod by Sintaker)
- Vahiriae (Winter Clothing)
- Viperslayer (Nerevarine's Weapon Trueflame)
- washington / perolozhach (Morrowind Drinks Mod)
- WindSurfer (Rusty Iron Gear)
- Wormheart (Lower Class Cellar Model)
- XMarksTheSpot (Playable Lich Helmet, Frost Giant Rigging, Giant Spider UV Mapping Used for Scribs, Guar Rigging)
- Yarharhar (Playable Skeleton and Scythe Model)
- yet unknown modders (Helped Divine Avenger with the Winged Twilight)
- Zenith92 (High Ordinator "Her Hand's" Armor, Vivec)

(Please note that due to the amount of files and people involved, we cannot always verify the source of these files. If you believe someone may have plagiarized your work, please report it to thepostalmodder@yahoo.com and if your claim is valid we will take it down as soon as possible or update the Credits list.)


Recruiting

Before you send us a big wall of text stating how much you would like to become part of the team, please keep in my mind we get those kinds of e-mails a lot and these people almost never actually produce anything. If you are not serious, don't bother.

If you have no modding experience, again don't bother. We are not here to "train" people and teach them how to use the Construction Set, voice act or make 3D models.

You agree that any work submitted becomes property of the SoVvM Team's leader and that it will not be removed from the project even if you later request it. We need your full cooperation if you wish to be part of the team, we don't want people who change their minds over night or have malicious intentions.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When will this project be finished?
A: When it's done. Truthfully, we don't believe we will ever reach a point when we are 100% "finished". We already have a public version of the mod, it's playable, and we will keep adding content and fixes to it over time. There will always be something new to add, some new bug to fix etc.

Q: Is it necessary to start a new game?
A: If it's the first time running SoVvM, no. But if you were already in a previous version, you might need to start a new game to avoid all kinds of issues.

Q: Why can't I talk to some NPCs?
A: Disposition, Personality and Charm mechanics are not meant to be ignored anymore. If people don't like you this will happen. It is all working as intended. But if you simply cannot see text, turn off subtitles since we don't use voice acting for every NPC.

Q: Can you ride boars/guars?
A: Yes, but taming the wild ones can be "tricky". Hint: Stealth and jump one. White Guars are not hostile by default, although they can have a short temper.

Q: Can I buy a house in Seyda Neen?
A: No, but you can take over the abandoned shack.

Q: Do you need to complete the Oblivion main questline to visit Morrowind?
A: No, you can travel there at any time you wish if you have funds to pay the trip. However, the main questlines of Morrowind/Solstheim (when implemented as they are not in the mod yet) will require you have to have the Oblivion main questline complete. Shivering Isles questline is irrelevant. Side quests in Morrowind/Solstheim will always be open.

Q: Will there be a return of Dagoth Ur?
A: The short answer, no. We don't believe in setbacks, however you can experience a vision of the past in which you are placed in the Nerevarine's shoes and confront Dagoth Ur. Rinchois currently sells the scroll which triggers the vision quest.

Q: Will you translate it into another language?
A: No. This is an English mod.

Q: Can I translate this mod into another language?
A: We don't recommend it since it will be obsolete after every patch. So you're not likely to get permission for it.

Q: Will you make an Xbox 360 version?
A: No and not possible.

Q: Will the Fast Travel option be available in Vvardenfell and Solstheim?
A: Yes, however it is entirely optional to use it. As an alternative, you can use teleportation spells or travel services.

Q: Will all cities be "open"?
A: All except Mournhold, which is actually split into 5 separate worldspaces to avoid memory overload and other nasty things. Simply put, you cannot "fly" over the walls to get to another district, you have to use the gates.

Q: Can I walk from Cyrodiil to Morrowind?
A: No, Vvardenfell and Solstheim are on their own map, you can't "walk" or "swim" or "fly" there, you have to take the ship.

Q: Can I swim between Vvardenfell and Solstheim?
A: It's possible as they're on the same map, but the islands are very far from each other so it's not really the best option.

Q: Is there anything special under the sea?
A: No, you can explore some of it and fight some sea monsters, but there is really nothing special on the sea floor and most quests are planned to happen on land. If you swim too far you will reach an invisible, unpassable wall, same as if you tried to leave Cyrodiil on foot. So don't worry about swimming to far, just don't expect anything cool, at least not yet.

Q: How does law enforcement work?
A: Bounties are shared with Cyrodiil's, but Morrowind enforces the death penalty for bounties above 5000. Skaal enforces the death penalty for anything and doesn't have jails. If you escape Morrowind and travel back to Cyrodiil you'll be "safe".

Q: Why can't I access that particular zone of Mournhold/whatever?
A: Some of areas, rooms or buildings are still in development or are not even planned to be completed in the near future. Rather than let you enter an awkward and buggy looking area or simply an empty cell that doesn't even have a floor to stand on, or placeholder cells that are good for NPC AI, but don't make any sense for the player to see, we prefered to keep them off-limits (usually locked doors that cannot be opened) while still giving you the impression that there is something there. For example, you will notice people going in and out of the Mournhold Royal Palace, but you cannot enter it yourself. There are also some areas that will never, ever be featured in the mod, for example you won't be allowed to leave Mournhold through the main gate.

Q: About Rinchois Hustaux, I have noticed he sells a lot of Morrowind artifacts including Keening, Sunder etc. Is this part of the SoVvM lore?
A: No, Rinchois Hustaux selling artifacts is just a gameplay mechanic for you to be able to obtain these items (without using cheats) and it is not part of the lore.

Q: Will you add the Clockwork City and Fabricants?
A: The answer is most likely no.

Q: Will Fort Firemoth (from an official Morrowind plug-in) be recreated?
A: No.

Q: I have "Silenced" an enemy and it still attacks with spells. Why?
A: Some "spells" are actually powers and lesser powers. As a mod rule, we keep all spells vulnerable to Silence and all powers and lesser powers immune to Silence. We may revise this if necessary.

Q: Oh my God! I just got owned by a lich/whatever, could you turn down the difficulty?
A: No. We don't want a level 1 two-shotting everything. The content is tuned for mid-level and above. It will actually become easier with level and gear. That's the gameplay model we want.

Q: Can I Fast Travel directly between Cyrodiil / Shivering Isles and Vvardenfell/Solstheim/Mournhold?
A: No, you cannot Fast Travel directly. First you need to go to Anvil and find two people to provide travel services. Or you can use Mark / Recall / Intervention, but it does not work in Shivering Isles.

Q: How do you become a lich?
A: You must fist acquire the Tome of Unlife and be super skilled in magical stuff. You will find out what to do next from that point on. Note, Tome of Unlife is not a new item, it's a vanilla Oblivion item and we have added another copy to the book store in Cheydinhal. This means, you do not even need to visit Morrowind to become a lich. During the quest you can use both vanilla Oblivion and SoVvM counterpart items to complete the objectives.

Q: How do you cure yourself of being a lich?
A: You cannot. Once you're a lich, you'll remain one forever.

Q: How do you become a werewolf?
A: Get attacked by a werewolf or find the Sanies Lupinus disease potion. Wait three or four days and sleep to wake up a werewolf. If you're already a lich, you cannot become a werewolf... ever.

Q: How do you get cured of Lycanthropy?
A: Go to the Altar of Thrond on Solstheim first.

Q: Can you please make it easier to become a lich? The requirements are ridiculously high.
A: As they should be, becoming a lich is not meant to be extremely easy.

Q: Why do liches have weaknesses?
A: We do not want something so overpowered with no penalty.

Q: Will this mod feature Fargoth?
A: Yes. He's in Seyda Neen.

Q: Will this mod feature Gaenor?
A: Yes. Simply go to Mournhold and he's there.

Q: Will this mod feature Colovian Fur Helms?
A: Yes.

Q: Will this mod feature the Mask of Dagoth Ur?
A: As of br2, yes.

Q: Will this mod feature new Oblivion gates during the Oblivion Crisis?
A: There are currently no Oblivion gates in Vvardenfell or Solstheim. Although lorewise there would be, we feel players have seen enough of them in Cyrodiil and it's highly unlikely we will add any. A quest that deals with the aftermath of Ald'ruhn's destruction is planned though.

Q: Why are there no jails or guards in the Zainab Camp?
A: This is intended. However ashlanders take the law into their own hands more frequently.

Q: Why are some guards trying to deport me from Vvardenfell?
A: You must pass through the Census and Excise first if you visit Vvardenfell. Mournhold however doesn't have this policy.

Q: Will this mod feature children?
A: No.

Q: Will this mod feature naked people?
A: No.

Q: Will this mod feature destructible buildings?
A: No.

Q: Is/will this mod be compatible with OOO/whatever?
A: The best answer we can give you is "maybe".

Q: My conflict detector says the "DIAL" IDs in your mod conflict with other "DIAL" IDs in another mod I'm using. What should I do?
A: Oblivion can handle two or more mod that add new data to the same "DIAL" ID. It usually isn't a real conflict at all. Don't worry, play the game.

Q: Why does this mod require the Shivering Isles expansion pack?
A: Because we used assets from the Shivering Isles expansion pack to make this mod. Because the scripts are heavily related. Because there is actually a quest involving Sheogorath. It's not as simple as "they're different continents so it doesn't matter", but you're probably not a modder so you wouldn't know that.

Q: Will you ever make a version that doesn't require the Shivering Isles expansion pack?
A: No, stop whining and buy the game, we are not going to cater to your special needs because you can't afford an old game that a janitor on minimum wage could afford. (Oops, did I hit a nerve?)

Q: Will you ever make a version that only contains Mournhold/Solstheim?
A: No, because the amount of work needed to split the main file successfully is just not worth it and the regions are far more connected than it seems. If this is an issue either get a big enough hard disk that wasn't made 10 years ago or simply ignore the lands you don't enjoy.

Q: Mod X conflicts with this mod. Will you make a compatibility patch?
A: We have no plans to make our mod compatible with any other particular mod as making the mod itself is very time consuming. For example, if you have a mod that destroys Anvil well tough luck because the people who can transport you to Morrowind are in Anvil. We do our best to avoid conflicts by altering things as little as possible, but there will always be some conflicts for various reasons.

Q: Do I need OBSE to play this mod?
A: No. There is really no need for OBSE at this point, we have even added playable liches, werewolves and Levitation without the need for OBSE and those are the most complex scripts by far.

Q: Why doesn't this mod work for me?
A: Either too many mods, another landmass mod loaded before our file or you simply didn't install it properly. If you crash, try the "Purge Cell Buffers - Loading" mod that is distributed along with SoVvM.

Q: Why are there so many floating exclamation marks in yellow diamonds in the game?
A: A "floating exclamation mark in a yellow diamond" means that a mesh (i.e. 3D models) is missing from the game. Make sure you copied each and everyone one of the files that came with this mod to the "Data" folder where you installed Oblivion.

Q: I travelled to Vvardenfell but I didn't see any land, I fell in water instead, what happened?
A: Make sure the load order of the Master File "SoVvM.esm" is 01. If "SoVvM.esm" is the only Master File you are using, this shouldn't be a problem because it gets loaded immediately after "Oblivion.esm" and therefore has the load order 01. Also make sure you have all the mod's files.

Q: Why do some creatures fight each other?
A: This is intended, though we have toned it down since br2.

Q: What are "Strange Wanderers"?
A: They are found only on Solstheim and they're infected with Lycanthropy. At night they instantly turn into werewolves and attack. When killed, the curse fades and they return to their humanoid form.

Q: I have killed a werewolf and got marked as a murderer, why?
A: You have to keep in mind that werewolves are humans too and they are quite harmless during the day when they are not werewolves. If you get attacked you can defend yourself obviously without being visited by the Dark Brotherhood. But if you initiate the attack, then it's another matter.

Q: Why do you use so many vanilla models? Why don't you create brand new models or use Morrowind models?
A: When we started the mod, we had good Construction Set knowledge and lot of ideas but we didn't have modellers of our own. As such we had two options: Wait forever for modellers or just go ahead and do it with whatever resources were available. So far, the second option has worked better with a combination of modder's resource, vanilla models and Shivering Isles models (especially the giant mushrooms), if we waited to have everything ready it just wouldn't have been possible to actually put the mod together in our first year.

Q: Are you associated with mod X?
A: No, SoVvM is an independent project. We aren't affiliated with either Silgrad Tower or Tamriel Heightmaps or Beyond Cyrodiil or Morrob****** (the mod which must not be named). We may decide to cooperate with another team, but a merge is out of the question.

Q: Why don't you just join mod X? They're doing something similar.
A: We've been asked this several times in the past and we're just not entirely happy with the way other similar mods and other lager-scale mods in general are being developed (or have been developed if they're dead). We have our own ways of "doing stuff" and think it would be best to stand as a separate project rather than merge with one.

Q: You said that the mod is more "open" and is meant to allow more freedom, yet the visions of the past seem heavily restricted, for example I cannot go into this room and I can't drop certain items. Isn't that a bit contradictory?
A: Visions of the past are an exception because of their nature. We want them to accurately depict a past event of the Elder Scrolls lore. They are past events, they are meant to be experienced in a specific way, but without feeling like a cutscene. You can shape the future being a free willed hero, but the past never changes.

Q: With the release of TES V: Skyrim in 11/11/11, will this mod be discontinued?
A: No, we will continue to work on it. However we don't have any intentions of doing a SoVvM mod for TES V. Maybe just Solstheim though... Who knows, our future is uncertain.