Much Ado about Snow Elves – A Tragedy – Act I
It has been millennia since true Snow Elves gazed up at the sun of Skyrim. Present day Falmer are evidence of their tragic demise. Artifacts of their existence have all but disappeared… until now. Calcelmo of Markarth has uncovered a weapons cache unlike anything he has ever seen. Will you help him unlock the ancient secrets of the Falmer?
Much Ado about Snow Elves – A Tragedy! Act I
by Little Baron and Aliera Caine
It has been millennia since true Snow Elves gazed up at the sun of Skyrim. Present day Falmer are evidence of their tragic demise and artifacts of their existence have all but disappeared from living memory… until now. Calcelmo, mage scholar of Markarth, has uncovered a weapons cache that resembles nothing he has ever seen. He has burning questions, and you have helped him before in the Dwemer ruins of Nchuand-Zel. Will you help him once more? Scholarship has it’s dangers, but it has its rewards as well.
This lore friendly mod comes in two versions: (1) A medium length quest and 100% custom Snow Elf weapons or (2) weapons only.
“WEAPONS ONLY” version
The ‘weapons only’ version of the mod has Ghorza, the blacksmith in Markarth, selling basic Snow-Elven weaponry that Calcelmo’s expedition has discovered. The courier should send a reminder letter to the player that this is the case, but regardless Ghorza will have a few items immediately and they will get replaced every couple of days.
The weapon set is complete, i.e, there is one of each type of weapon found in vanilla SKYRIM. They are 100% new meshes and have scabbards, blood decals, etc. They can be honed using Moonstone and Silver Bars. They cannot be forged. No perk is required to upgrade the weapons. They are comparable to Daedric items in rarity, cost and damage.
Falmer Loremasters are also lurking in Dwemer ruins, and may have a few Snow-Elven items on them.
With the 082412 or later versions of the mod, the weapon set and shield are now re-colored to more closely match the Ancient Falmer armor available in the Dawnguard DLC, and have been renamed from “Snow Elven” to “Ancient Falmer”.
“QUEST” version
This is the ‘full’ version of Much Ado. The player must complete the vanilla quest “The Lost Expedition” before the quest will initiate, but it does not matter if the mod is DL’d before or after you have completed “The Lost Expedition”.
Calcelmo of Markarth will send you a letter asking you for help finding some Snow-Elven artifacts he has learned about while working on his ‘Falmer Translation Tome’, which is part of the vanilla storyline. Calcelmo will also let you know that weapons are available via Ghorza the Blacksmith just as they are in the “WEAPONS ONLY” mod.
If you choose to help Calcelmo, you will end up exploring 4 entirely new dungeons, may uncover up to 8 unique and powerful artifacts of Snow-Elven design, and possibly one ‘artifact’ of questionable origin, will discover 4 new types of creatures thus far unknown in SKYRIM, and interact with several new Dwemer devices and other puzzling objects. This version adds many new models, sounds and even music to the world of SKYRIM, all designed to feel as if it was part of the original package. At the end of the quest you are also granted a special power related to the Falmer. All the weapons, Easter egg items and the power will always be available to you as long as you keep the Much Ado Master file enabled, even if you disable the quest.
The quest is also fully voiced using the actual voices of the original NPC actors involved.
CONFLICTS:
There are currently no verifiable /known conflicts BUT Both version of the mod modify one Falmer encounter list.
The QUEST also makes some changes to a few interior and exterior cells, as few changes to as few cells as possible. Nonetheless, mods that also change these same cells MIGHT cause problems.
Modified cells:
Spoiler: Show
Mzulft Storage Room, Winterhold Arcaneum, Understone Keep, Sightless Pit, Irkinghand Exterior, Aftland Exterior, Solitude Temple of the Divines
I am told by the BOSS team that, theoretically, another mod which edits the Navmesh’s in the Mzulft Warehouse will cause the game to CTD. There are currently no reports of such a mod causing this to happen.
INSTALLATION:
for NEW USERS (Either version)
Simply use NMM or place all the files into your SKYRIM/Data folder. Make sure that the .esm and .esp included in your version are both activated in the DATA interface of the SKYRIM launcher. Remember, when you are done with the quest, you can disable the Quest.esp (Plugin File) and you will still be able to keep anything you found and any power you may have gained. The .esm (Master File) must always be activated if you wish to keep these, however. Also, be sure that you’re SKYRIM is updated to the most current version (MAASE is compiled with patch 1.7 as of the 090712 version).
INSTALLATION:
for PREVIOUS USERS (Weapons Only)
You should be able to safely replace the old .bsa’s and .esm, .esp. in order to experience the new Post-DG look of the weapon set. NOTE that to date all updates beyond the 082412 update have not affected the Weapons Only version of this mod, so if you have the 082412 (or later) version you do not need to update.
INSTALLATION:
for PREVIOUS USERS (QUEST version) READ ME!!
If you have already started the quest using a previous version:DON’T INSTALL THIS ONE, unless you are OK with losing your progress and any SE weapons you found. Just finish the one you’ve got, disable the quest when you are done and replace the master file and .bsa to get the updated post-DG weapon look, if you had a version prior to 082412.
If you installed the previous version but never attempted the quest:
1. DELETE ALL the MUCH ADO files from your SKYRIM/DATA folder
2. Load up your last save-game.
3. Save over it.
4. Re-install the files that came in the new version you downloaded.
5. Enjoy!
If you installed a previous version and are now starting a new character to play with:
1. DELETE ALL the MUCH ADO files from your SKYRIM/DATA folder
2. Re-install the files that came in the new version you downloaded
3. Enjoy!
KNOWN ISSUES
(Contains Spoilers):
Quest path targets will not lead you directly into the Winterhold Arcaneum. This is a vanilla issue. Also, if Urag is for some reason not in the Arcaneum when you enter it, he may not show up as a quest target. The quest will still proceed as expected, however.
There is one small area where a follower MAY not be able to follow you, because SOME followers cannot jump upward high enough or are maybe too dumb to do so. 😉 My Breezehome Housecarl was able to follow me everywhere.
PROBLEMS/COMPLAINTS:
This mod has been in stable working order for quite some time now. However, if you believe you are experiencing an issue related to this mod, please read below and make sure that:
1. You followed the installation procedures outlined above, including having started with a clean save, and have verified that everything is where it should be and activated correctly.
2. If your problem is that the QUEST never started, make sure that you completed The Lost Expedition and have waited at lease 48 game hours. The courier also has to find you outside in a safe city, as he does in Vanilla SKYRIM.
3. YOUR version of SKYRIM is 1.8 or higher. Please do not post issues if it isn’t!
4. YOUR version of MUCH ADO is 102812 or higher. This date/number can be found on the zip file it came in.
5. In your PM please state something like “I read steps 1-5 before posting and I am sure it’s none of those things”. Otherwise my only response will be to point you to this list.
