Mighty Umbra
From Oblivion Mod Wiki
| Authors: | Damar Stiehl and Battlespire Reborn Productions |
| Thread(s): | Official Forums |
| Version: | 1.1 |
| Last Updated: | September 17th, 2006 |
| Download(s): | TES Nexus |
| "More... need MORE SOULS!" |
|---|
Contents |
[edit] Battlespire Reborn Productions
- Damar Stiehl
- Denethor
- Painkiller_Rider
- Badmagic
[edit] Introduction
Umbra the Sword is among the mightiest weapons to have ever been forged in Tamriel. Created by an ancient witch, who was executed for bringing a weapon of such unadulterated evil into the world, it exists for one thing and one thing only: to slay all things that come in its path and consume their souls. Men and mer, kings and paupers, heroes and villains and even daedra have all bled for Umbra, their Animi devoured by the ever-hungry blade.
A weapon with a mind of its own, Umbra passed from one warrior to another through the ages, imbuing its wielders with great power and slowly but surely, eroding their minds as they killed again and again to feed souls to the vile spirit within. Some turned into mindless automatons that brought forth death and destruction until their bodies failed and they could carry Umbra no more; others sought death willingly, disenchanted with the sword's power and exhausted by the neverending slaughter that the weapon's spirit drove them to commit. It is said that a recent wielder of Umbra, a great and mighty Orc, eventually fled to the wastes of Morrowind where he found peace at last at the hands of the Nerevarine himself. What happened afterwards is a mystery; it is only known that Azura's Chosen did not keep the treacherous blade, and it eventually resurfaced in Cyrodiil.
Umbra the Sword, or more precisely the spirit within, is beholden to the Daedra Prince Clavicus Vile somehow, and the double-dealing Daedra covets the weapon - most likely for its ability to trap and consume souls. One who chooses to deal with Clavicus Vile would be wise to honor the bargain - or throw all caution to the wind in a brazen attempt to harness the might of Umbra for himself...
[edit] Compatibility
This mod is compatible with just about anything that doesn't alter Umbra the Sword and Umbra the NPC, as well as the Clavicus Vile quest. It will conflict with, and override, anything that DOES alter the above three. Which isn't a bad thing - that's the way it's supposed to be.
[edit] Starting the Umbra Quest
- If you haven't yet started the Clavicus Vile quest, start it by going to Clavicus Vile shrine and follow the storyline normally.
- If you have already killed Lenwyn (AKA the Current Umbra) and still have Umbra the Sword in your possession, the new quest will start automatically after you load the game. In this scenario, you will NOT have a chance to obtain Lenwyn's unique armour piece.
- If you have already killed Lenwyn (AKA Current Umbra) and Umbra the Sword is NOT in your possession (but you did not choose to give it up to Clavicus Vile), find the sword and pick it up. The quest will start shortly. In this scenario, you also will NOT have a chance to obtain Lenwyn's unique armour piece.
- If you have finished the Clavicus Vile quest and gave up the sword, don't even bother installing this mod: you have absolutely, POSITIVELY no way to start the new quest aside from using the console. However, if you choose to use the console, I will NOT answer ANY questions related to ANY problems you encounter as a result of doing so. You've made your choice - live with it. This IS an RPG, after all.
[edit] Features
- A beautiful unique helmet that you can obtain along with the sword, and some other useful trophies.
- An unofficial, but true-to-lore expansion of Umbra the Sword's history.
- Five new powerful enemies for you to battle, equipped with custom Daedric armour.
- A unique chance to test the limits of your skill as a swordsman in a pitched battle unaided by magick.
- The single BEST TRUE-TO-LORE weapon in Oblivion as the quest's ultimate prize.
[edit] Screenshots
 The blade |
 The hilt |
Carrying Umbra |
[edit] Warnings
- If you aren't a very good swordsman, or your character is rather weak, do not start the quest. You WILL suffer and then die an ugly and humiliating death. The quest is balanced around a powerful Level 25 character that is decently skilled (Journeyman or above) in Blade and Heavy Armour, and has a half-decent Willpower score. Anyone else will most likely fail.
- You will NOT be able to obtain the unique Daedric armour worn by your adversaries through in-game means. Do not try, and do not ask for it to be made possible either.
- The quest is simple in nature, but its conditions are EXTREMELY harsh. Once it starts, you have several ways to get out of it... but you will pay DEARLY for doing so. Pay attention to what is happening or you will die, or botch the quest (and once it's botched, there is no way to un-botch it). It's as simple as that. This quest is NOT intended for those wanting to have the cake and eat it too, or for those looking for an easy ride.
- If you cannot beat Lenwyn in a straight-up sword fight (that is, if you are a pillar-jumper, or you rely heavily on magick to win your battles), you will most likely NOT survive the quest.
- There are ABSOLUTELY NO PENALTIES for playing it safe and giving up the sword to Clavicus Vile, so if you have a change of heart before you go back to the shrine... you're welcome to take that exit (it's the only one that doesn't involve punishment).
[edit] Questions and Answers
Q: I found a bug! What do I do?
A: Contact me via the official TES forums (preferable) or email me.
- Update by anonymous: Actually there is quite a rare "bug" with the initial part of the quest. In Vindasel when we go to beat the current Umbra, there is a small place in the room where she can get stuck. Since she does not have any jump abilities, she keeps trying to come out of that place, but never succeeds. I was able to finish her off within seconds after that.
- The place where she gets stuck is in between 3 broken stones at about 3 'O' clock if we are standing on the altar and facing the entrance to the altar.
Q: Why is the mod so goddamned big? It's just a new sword...
A: Because of the unique armours. It's worth it.
Q: Umbra the Sword is too slow and does too much damage per hit! / Umbra the sword is too fast and does too little damage per hit! What is up with that?
A: You activated the wrong ESP.
Q: This mod conflicts with OOO/Francesco/MOBS!
A: Re-read the first part of the readme. It is by design. Do not show me the conflict lists, I already know.
Q: The fights are too hard! I keep dying!
A: I warned you. Get better at swordery (it's like sorcery, but with swords). Alternately, hope you saved before you got started.
Q: Can I loot the unique Daedric suits?
A: No.
Q: I found a way to cheat! Hee hee haw haw! You suck! I rule!
A: Have a gold star, but not a big one.
Q: Can I use TESCS to make a PRIVATE mod that lets me wear the unique daedric suits, or uses the mod's unique elements? Do I have to ask for permission?
A: Yes, you can, and no, you don't have to. Be forewarned: most of these suits have "missing parts": i.e. for some there is no female mesh, for some there is no male mesh, and one of them will downright look BIZARRE if worn by the player character of either sex. I am not responsible for any resulting issues. The unique suits were NOT intended to be worn by player character, at least for now.
Q: Can I use TESCS to make a PUBLIC mod that lets people wear the unique suits? Can I distribute it as a companion for Mighty Umbra mod?
A: No. Do not even bother asking, I will NOT permit it.
Q: Can I use the mod's elements (the sword, the unique armour pieces) to make a PUBLIC mod? Can I re-distribute the armour pieces or the sword?
A: NO. I explicitly prohibit redistribution of the content of Mighty Umbra mod. If you want to PUBLICLY redistribute the sword mesh and texture, contact Denethor on TESCS official forums. If you want to PUBLICLY redistribute the armour pieces, contact Badmagic and Painkiller_Rider for permission.
Q: Can I have the contact information for Denethor, Badmagic and Painkiller_Rider?
A: No. I specifically wish to discourage the redistribution of the mod's unique content. Do the legwork yourself.
Q: This mod sucks! Umbra is overpowered! The quest is too difficult! I want both the Masque and Umbra! I want more phat lute! You suck! Change everything NOW!!!
A: Get bent. This is my mod and I call the shots.
[edit] Final Notes
- This is the first truly collaborative mod that I've had the privilege to lead. I thank everyone involved, and everyone who supported, even by adding a couple lines to the WIP thread on the TES forums.
- Thanks go out to Denethor for green-lighting the usage of Darkslayer model in this mod. Without his permission, the mod wouldn't have started at all.
- Thanks go out to Painkiller_Rider for his infinite patience, manic drive and mad texturing skillz. Without him, the beautiful unique armour pieces would simply not exist. Ride on, man!
- Thanks go out to Badmagic for providing the "just right" outfit for a certain Nord girl.
- Thanks go out to Wintercross for the awesome job he did on the NPC faces.
- Thanks go out to Satu, jabbawocky and everyone else who did the beta for testing the mod and finding some highly elusive bugs.
[edit] Reviews
[edit] Review by Galahaut
Mmm. Haven't reviewed anything in awhile. Time to fix that.
Anyway, here is another one of those rare mods I review that actually add some sort of content. The reason I don't review mods like this often is that they take more to impress me, and they also take longer to play through and review.
Right. The mod. First of all, Damar is not kidding. If you're currently playing a pure mage, stop reading, and come back later when you've started a different character. This mod was not designed for pure mages at all...and that is good. You cannot fight this battle on your own terms. This is a quest for a powerful sword, not a powerful spell.
The new Umbra (weapon) is quite nice. It seems much more like a powerful, legendary sword than the original/vanilla Umbra. This goes well with the increased difficulty of obtaining it. You should actually feel like you have accomplished something once you finish the quest.
I'm really glad to see a mod designed for "warriors." There are a lot of mods devoted to tweaking or rehauling thievery and magic, or adding new thievery/magic related quests/content, but warriors typically seem to be ignored. The exceptions to this are usually new weapons and armor sold in shops or simply found laying around. Unfortunately, they rarely include any well-implemented quests. Again, there are exceptions, but not many.
Now, adding new items to a shop or to be found is not "bad" or "low-quality." I've already reviewed two mods (Forestheart and Vermillion and Silverthorn Robes) that do just that. But, adding a well-made quest to well-made armor and weapons simply increases my enjoyment of a mod. I don't feel as excited about getting the Forestheart armor or the Silverthorn robes as I do about getting (Mighty) Umbra. There is a big difference between walking into a store and buying the items and going through a difficult quest to obtain items.
I would definitely recommend this mod for anyone whose current character can handle the quest and battles. Even if you don't plan on using Umbra, the new quest is still enjoyable and challenging. A new challenge is always fun, personally.
Finally, let me repeat something, again. Listen to Damar's advice. This is a hard quest, with hard battles, and your pure mage or low level character stands no chance.
