Castle Dar Khuun
A Very large Castle for the Player to call home, Once he or she earns it. Optional version, for those who just want to get into the Castle.
**NOTE: Skyrim monster mod has been removed as a requirement for the mod, quest and noquest. It is no longer needed for the mod to work and has also been completely removed.
**NOTE: Dark Daedric Axe has been removed and is no longer used in the mod.
**NOTE: The readme file under the Readme tab is a spoiler for the quest.
IMPORTANT: If you get stuck with the quest, please read the readme file OR Look at Known Issues.
*Nexus Exclusive*
***Upcoming Work***
Current work is going into version 2.0! Come back to check on the statuus and what has been done.
Version 2.0 changes done so far:
1.Added navmesh to following cells:
GreatHall Entryway
Greathall
Dzulfith Kitchen
Dzulfith Kitchen staff Quarters
Dzulfith Dining Room
Dzulfith Dungeon
Dzulfith Dining Room
Dzulfith Guard Barracks
Upper Hall Display Room
Exterior cells:
Ancient Hjal Area and Castle Entrance
2.Created new cells:
Greathall Servant Services
Dzulfith Dungeon
Dzulfith Guard Barracks
Dzulfith Barracks
3. Improved FPS in the following cells:
Greathall Entryway
West Wing
4. Added guards with shifts to the following cells:
Greathall
Greathall Entryway
Ancient Hjal and Castle Entrance
5. Added Servants throughout interior
6. Made major static improvements to the following cells:
Greathall
Greathall Entryway
Dzulfith Dining Hall
West Wing
Dzulfith War Room
Dzulfith Hall
7. Added Kitchen staff and waiters with Head chef to Dzulfith kitchen and Dining hall
8. Fixed an issue where a static was floating around the Exterior Cathedral Area.
Other major changes coming in 2.0:
-quest line to add castle life. Player will work to bring personnel into the castle to include a steward, blacksmith, castle champion, Kitchen staff, guards and soldiers, servants, and many more!
-Navmesh throughout the castle!
-Several structural changes to existing cells to improve the look and feel of the castle as well useable to NPC’s and player.
– Several new Cells created (as well as some existing being activated) to improve usability of NPC’s and players.
– And much more!!
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Mod Description:
A massive Castle Located North-west of Whiterun (can be seen in plain view from a majority of Skyrim). Player must complete Episode 1: Castle Cleansing in order to gain access. Quest will start by sleeping in any bed.
A powerful weapon with a unique summon is given to the player once the quest is complete along with other unique creature summons.
Episode 2: Explore the Castle lets the player gain ownership of the castle. Some Hidden features within the castle give the player spells that allow them to teleport to important areas of the castle anywhere in the game and return back. Also includes spells that allow the player to teleport to all towns and holds in the game.
Current work is underway for rebuilding the castle.
Due to conflicting issues with Skyrim Monster Mods and Dark Daedric Axe, I have removed the two from being included and required for the mod. I have made some major changes as well to the interior to incorporate changes for 2.0. The 1.5 release does not allow access to the War room as of yet. I promise you that it does not cause any malfunctions to the current use of the castle. Due to the fact I had to release a hotfix for removing the above listed mods, access to the war room will be allowed once 2.0 is finished. You will also notice several changes to some of the other rooms, both cosmetic and for visual purposes, to just usability to future changes. There were also some minor bugs and fixes done as well as some cells navmesh being added.
Anyone who has used TESVsnip before knows when they are done making changes in TESVnip, you have to go back into the creation kit to fix the form file header count. The last cleanse showed I had 69, 396 forms in my mod just in my alterations and creation alone.
I spent a lot of time on this mod (since the creation kit came out). A lot of my personal time, deployed in Afghanistan and at home was spent to bring you this mod. By the time I finished it, I had never completed the main quest of the game, let alone have time to play anything else. I have redeployed home now and the mod is complete. So, if you like the mod please endorse it. I have spent quite a significant amount of time trying to fix issues in it to improve it. A lot of head banging on my desk with some of these bugs and problems.
I have also uploaded a standalone version for those of you who have requested it. It does not have the quest . Please endorse if you like it.
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The Castle is broken up into several major areas:
Great Hall
Upper Hall
Dimentius Tower
Dzulfith
North Wing
Basement
Cathedral
Ghost Sea Overlook
Courtyard
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Quest line Story:
Long ago, during the Late middle Merethic Era, there sat a mighty Dwemer Fortress that overlooked the Ghost Sea and all of Skyrim. Inside this fortress was the Adkara, a relic of immense power beyond any mortal comprehension. The Dwemer protected this secret for many generations and even beyond their own existence.
Before the First Dragon War, there used to be 8 Dragon Priests that oversaw humanity and were a direct link to the dragons they deemed as “gods”. They kept peace between man and Dragon, and in return received great powers from the Dragons. These Dragon Priests were led by a ninth Dragon Priest, The Warlord or “Konahrik”. The Warlord was a title given to the Dragon Priest who led the eight and was given more privileges and powers by the dragons.
Towards the end of the 2nd Era and after the Dwemer mysteriously disappeared, a band of Nords who were in support of the growing empire, ventured into this fortress upon hearing of its possible secrets. They heard rumors that there lay a relic within that would help the empire during their time of conquest. Whoever wielded this relic, controlled the world. Led by Dunas, they fought and cleared several Dwemer sentinels that guarded the halls, at the price of losing most of his men on the expedition. They cleared the fortress and attempted to establish a foothold within the castle walls once they claimed Adkara. They however, did not realize what would happen after they acquired and wielded this mysterious relic… They eventually went to explore more of the Fortress and see what other mysteries it held. Dunas had contacted General Talos and informed him of his success.
Over the next couple of days, Dunas noticed something rather disturbing going on with his troops. They became more agitated and aggressive towards each other, and fought over petty items and issues. Dunas himself was feeling a bit aggravated and wondered if the essence of this ancient fortress was corrupting the minds of his soldiers and himself, or if being away from home was agitating his troops.
The Fortress boasted an extensive library, but after the Dwemer disappeared it fell into ruins. There however was a single book that was in mint condition. It seemed as if the book was being maintained by an unknown source… Dunas gazed upon this book and learned that the Adkara had a price: whoever wielded it would eventually become corrupted along with those under his command. The Adkara would eventually consume the bearer, turn him or her and their followers into an evil the world has never seen bent on destruction and chaos. Before he could continue on reading this book, he was attacked by one of his men. Dunas knew what had happened to this soldier and was forced to slay him.
Dunas then gathered his most trusted and still sane men and took the object back into the depths of the Fortress, being forced to battle and slay his own men that had crossed over. They dug and built a massive catacomb and hid the Adkara within. Traps were set to ensure that no one would ever dare venture into the Castle Catacombs. Dunas, with the help of Talos, sealed the relic deep inside the Fortress.
Several years had passed as the Empire’s Conquest had subsided. Talos, Now Tiber Septim became Emperor and most Dragons were either slaughtered or disappeared. They still had their followers and loyal subjects but even those were dwindling down over time with the disappearance of Dragons. The Dragon Cult was all but exterminated aside from a few active loyalists that went into hiding. They hid, buried the dead dragons in the dragon mounds and thought that when the dragons would come back, they would reward the loyal. After the war, the last existing Dragon Priest, Rahgot, was hunted down and killed along with his followers. It was thought that they were the last of the Dragon Cultists… but a lonely band managed to survive and pass on its traditions. They were called the Aulnati. Dragon Priests held immense power that was given to them by the Dragons. They believed that resurrecting a dead Dragon Priest would bring the coming age of Dragons again and appease the ones they swore worship to. They planned on resurrecting Rash Aul Ghuul, a powerful dragon priest and considered to be the most revered amongst them. The cult believed, that when they resurrected Rash Aul Ghuul, he would bring forth another Dragon war by summoning and bringing back the dragons.
Rash Aul Ghuul was the Warlord during the time before the First Dragon War. He led the forces against the rebellion, acting as the dragon’s general of the faithful. The rebellions success was becoming clearer after Alduin’s banishment and the forces of faithful dwindling. Some of Rash Aul Ghuul’s own were defecting with the realization that Dragons, after being shouted, were not as godly as they were made out to be. Rash Aul Ghuul was faithful to his gods and persisted with the war even after thousands of dragons were killed. In the end, his own persistence killed him as he was assassinated by his own, being the first Dragon priest to be killed. Before he died however, he consumed the souls of countless dragons that were willing to give up their souls before they died. Consuming these souls made him powerful, but not immortal. Eventually over time, the eight Dragon Priests were hunted down one by one along with their followers until the thought of them was extinct. The masks that the Dragon Priests wore were considered to hold tremendous power and that power was bestowed upon them from the dragons they swore their faith to. These masks were collected as the Dragon Priests were exterminated and collected in a centrally guarded location. The Aulnati were able to successfully resurrect Rash Aul Ghuul. Those that summoned him, now became his most faithful and loyal servants. Once Rash Aul Ghuul gained his strength, he ventured off to find his mask, the same mask bestowed upon him by the gods he followed. All the dragon priests were buried with their masks and with each other in a tomb that was only guarded by a few soldiers. His mask was not hard to find because it was also buried in this tomb. Rash Aul Ghuul and his followers made a quick extermination of these soldiers and regained the Warlord’s Mask. Buried in this tomb he also found information about an ancient relic with vast power deep within the depths of an ancient castle, a relic that that was supposed to be kept a secret. This relic was the Adkara. He took his new followers and they entered into the depths of this castle. It was not long until he was able to reach the relic.
He took the Adkara, performing a ritual that allowed him to consume the object just as he did to the dragon several years earlier, adding to his power. He became even more corrupt with this relic that now embodied him. The corruption effected any and all who followed him, turning them into an evil army to do his bidding. With this, Rash Aul Ghuul was not only going to summon Alduin back, but also speed up the process for the coming Apocalypse by killing any and all who opposed him. Tiber Septim quickly reacted when he heard about what was going on in Skyrim. He sent mass legions of Imperial forces to repel this threat. But Rash Aul Ghuul was too powerful. Anyone who got close enough to him was corrupted and turned to his side. Legions of Imperials were now fighting for the cause of Rash Aul Ghuul, a power of corruption that spread like a wildfire. But the Empire was not at a loss, for they had a champion.
Turrelius was an astounding warrior and was well known for leading a band of local Nords who were good at infiltrating high security areas. Tiber Septim, brought Turrelius in for his cause against Rash Aul Ghuul. Since there was no way of getting near Rash Aul Ghuul without becoming corrupt yourself, you would have to fight him indirectly. Tiber Septim gave Turrelius a shield that would protect him from the greatest of evils, called the Unsbecki. It also hid the bearer’s presence from anyone who could sense the presence of others around them.
Turrelius infiltrated the fortress where Rash Aul Ghuul made home, only to find him in the process of summoning Alduin. Turrelius struck Rash Aul Ghuul, but found that his efforts of causing physical harm to this dragon priest were in vein. A fierce battle ensued between the two, until Turrelius learnt that striking the physical form of the Adkara caused the dragon priest great pain, bringing the dragon priest finally to his knees. The Dragon priest then spoke to Turrelius…”Foolish Mortal, you cannot kill me. As long as I possess the power of the Adkara and boast the power of the dragons above me, you will not succeed. This is not the end and I will be back, to bring forth Alduin onto this world and the death and destruction of your kind. And as for you…” The dragon priest lay a curse on Turrelius before he struck the dragon priest one final blow. Rash Aul Ghuul, upon being struck dissipated into thin air along with his followers, returning to the Adkara. The only thing that remained of Rash Aul Ghuul was his mask.
Turrelius was doomed, as the curse laid upon him by the dragon priest was the curse of Impending Death. The curse had already started to take effect on him, slowly shutting down his organs. Before he died however, He took the Adkara, which he could not destroy and sealed it off deep within the catacombs of the fortress. Upon his death he requested that he be buried with the Adkara in order for his spirit to protect the power that was held within.
He was buried here and Tiber Septim had the catacombs sealed off and any remnants of its existence wiped from the history books. After the defeat of Rash Aul Ghuul, Tiber Septim ordered the mask to be stored away once again in a safe location and as well as the dragon priests remains and masks spread across Skyrim in locked tombs. These locations still remain a mystery…
Paarthurnax, who had helped humankind before rid the world of Alduin, warned the mighty Emperor that the fight was not over. In the future humankind will be forced to deal with this situation once over again, not only with Rash Aul Ghuul, but him and Alduin both. “During a time of great bloodshed, a rebellion once more. Only this time it will be amongst the people you call your own. This is a time when Dragons will flourish once again, a hero of Dragonborn will come.” Paarthurnax told the great Emperor. “The Dragonborn will be faced with ridding the world of its own demise and destruction. Rash Aul Ghuul will return.”
The fortress itself was used time and time again over the course of several centuries. Many had called it home and many had expanded onto it. It was later named Castle Dar Khuun. None had stayed long for a dreary sense of corruption had lain upon them when inside this castle… It was abandoned sometime at the beginning of the third era. The power and corruption that lay within its catacombs has seemed to keep the castle looking used. Some say it is haunted and that the inhabitants that died in its halls still roam its hallways.
Several years passed… a rebellion has started amongst the locals in Skyrim, against an Empire sworn to protect them. Dragons are seen across the landscape, fear has stricken the Nords. Alduin has returned to bring destruction on the world. Loyalists, who have old ties to the Aulnati, start springing up. Now there are reports that something evil is going on inside Castle Dar Khuun… Are the warnings of Paarthurnax coming true? Has Rash Aul Ghuul returned?
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Castle Features:
Great Hall:
Teleport maps to all holds and major towns in Skyrim and all the dragon mounds
Throne room
Access to the Upper Hall, Dzulfith, North Wing, Basement, and Dimentius Tower.
Upper Hall:
Display Room for all items, weapons and armors in the game to include;
-Dragon Claws
-Bug jars
-Dragon Priest Helmets
-Unique Weapon Armor Displays
-Alcoves for all Weapon and Armor Sets
-Over 80+ mannequins and Weapon Racks
-Elderscroll Display
-10+ Weapon Display Cases
Bath house that restores magic and health when you wade in the water.
Guild Sanctuary: Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, Companions, Imperial, and Stormcloak Display sanctuaries for faction armor, weapons, and unique items. Thieves Guild Misc. items display for those items you found and gave to the Thieves guild and decided to steal them off the shelves.
Access to the Great Hall, Courtyard, Dzulfith, and North Wing.
Basement:
Auto sort storage area
Winery and Distillery
Access to Great Hall
West Wing:
Library with book cases to store more than just books but enough shelf space to store everry book in the game 10 times!
Study room with more book cases and a large map for view
Access to Ghost Sea Overlook, Dimentius Tower, Great Hall and Upper Hall
Dimentius Tower:
Master Bedroom
Alchemy Lab with auto sorter for ingredients
Enchanting Lab
Display Tables for misc. items
Lounge Area set for a bar setting
Tower Perch with view of all of Skyrim
Numerous Mannequins on every level hallway
-Access to Dzulfith, Great Hall, North Wing, and Courtyard
Dzulfith:
Kitchen with ample storage space for cooking ingredients
Dining Room
Blacksmith with sorted shelves for every ore and ingot; Skyforge in blacksmith
Arboretum with farm and wildlife; almost every ingredient in game
Mineshaft that resets every 24 hours. Plenty of mines to mine for every ore in the game.
Access to Great Hall, Upper Hall, Cathedral, and Dimentius Tower
Cathedral:
Every shrine in game
Massive Cathedral interior with view of Skyrim
Access to Dzulfith
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Up and Coming Work:
Torture Chamber for those of you who are evil and want to lash out on Polygonal figures
Quest Episode 3: how the Castle was created
Fighting arena to practice skills
The ability to teleport to any part of the castle from the master bedroom and return to the master bedroom
A quest to rebuild and hire npc’s to populate the castle
Castle life
Town life
Town expansion with income for the player
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Mod Requirements:
Load Order:
In most cases, make sure that the CastleDKmaster.esp is last in the load order. If you have leveler’s tower installed as well, make sure leveler’s Tower is loaded after CastleDKMaster.esp.
Requirements:
Players must have at least baseline Skyrim installed (latest updated version from steam). Compatible with all Add-ons and DLC.
Mods included:
DP Armor by BackSteppo
Script from: Unlimited bookshelf
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Recommendations:
This is a list of mods I recommend and use on my computer.
Texture Mods Recommended:
Real Water Textures
Terrain
Vurt’s Skyrim Flora Overhaul
Lush Trees
Lush Trees – Vurts Compatibility Patch
Lush Grass
Skyrim HD
Beth HD (DLC Pack on Steam Workshop)
Hionimi’s HD Texture DLC fix
HQ Snow Textures
Graphics:
FXAA
Superl3 ENB
Revamped Exterior Fog
Remove Ambient Interior Fog
Recommended Mods:
Levelers Tower
Challenge of the Daedra – Waking Nightmare II
Dark Dragon Priest(if you like the Rash Aul Ghuul DP re-texture)
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Known Issues:
Known Resolutions
Certain cells such as the Arboretum are world spaces and have large mesh objects that surround several cells. Based on what cell number you have active (default is 5) and the level of detail you have checked for your system (Everything is maxed out for me on LOD and detail), certain things will disappear, not appear at all, or pop in late. It is not a bug, rather an issue created by your system not being able to handle some of the effects in my mod. There was a lot of detail put into this mod, some ranging at the verge of limit for scale (10.0 scale is the max for most items). The arboretum is in a worldspace that has a very large mesh object that creates the room, same object used in the Dwemer dungeon in the Winterhold College quest line. The scale was set at a very large scale, the staircase and the walls all being one solid mesh. The ceilings are however separate because they rotate. So if you see this problem, just adjust your level of detail higher until it shows up OR increase your cell load count. Nothing I can do to fix this problem on my other end other than creating a very intricate (and hard) LOD that does not exist on the base objects on those cells. Other cells that may be effected because they are world spaces are: Arboretum Entrance, Cathedral, Ghost Sea Overlook, and the Courtyard. All other cells are interior cells and are not affected by cell load restrictions.
Sometimes the Quest does not initiate when you sleep. Restart game or reload save. If this does not help, bring up the console and type in “setstage DKQMD01 10”.
Sometimes the ghost who escorts you to the front castle stagnates and doesn’t move once he reaches the front of the castle. He should update the quest to enter the castle then he moves to the chair overlooking the dwemer town. If this does not happen even after repeated attempts of restarts or reloads, open the console and type “setstage DKQIC01 95”.
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Bugs and Fixes
FIXED Download Version 1.3 or later, standalone version has been fixed! *Standalone version not updated to 1.2 as promised. Current real world situation has stopped me from being able to access mod files. Once situation is resolved, standalone and regular will be updated and fixed.
FIXED Download Version 1.4 or later* Game CTD when map is pulled up in interior cells. Happens at random and cause is unknown, working on a fix.
FIXED Download Version 1.3 or later* For some reason the door leading to the next room after you have entered the temple after killing the last Ghuul Lord does not allow you to move on. To get past this issue, open the console and type “coc DKfinal03”. Now supposing the quest updates once you reach the candles about completing the quest to enter the temple, this console command should take you to the next cell where you will fight Rash Aul Ghuul and you can continue the quest with no problems.
FIXED make sure you download version 1.2 or later* Apparently there is a rare case where the landscape around the castle is not showing up. This should have been resolved with the CastleDKmod.esp split. In some rare cases it does not.
FIXED make sure you download version 1.1 or later * Getting reports that certain statics are not showing up, mainly ones creating in the great hall, being the floors. I will look into what file is missing from the upload as it looks like a texture missing issue or a mesh missing issue. more to follow.
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Installation Instructions:
You must pick 2 files among the four listed under the file tab. You can choose between a Questline .ESP or a no Questline .ESP. You can also choose from either using loose files or using a .BSA archive. You must pick two (1 .ESP and 1 file compilation) for this mod to work. Example compilation:
Quest.esp and .BSA archive
Quest.esp and loose files
noQuest.esp and .BSA archive
noQuest.esp and loose files
Quest .ESP:
1.Please download either the Loose file or BSA archive option file then download the Quest file. install either the BSA or loose files. Unzip the files to any folder on the computer. Copy the .esp’s to you game’s data folder. Activate them with the CastleDKmaster.esp being the last thing in the load order. To start the quest, sleep in any bed.
Standalone .ESP (No Quest):
1.Please download either the Loose file or BSA archive option file then download the No Quest file. install either the BSA or loose files. Unzip the files to any folder on the computer. Copy the .esp’s to you game’s data folder. Activate them with the CastleDKnoquest.esp being the last thing in the load order. To access the castle in standalone mode, go through the Hall of the dead and open the gates as you see fit.
Archive:
1. Unzip the files to any folder on the computer. Copy the .bsa to your game’s data folder.
Loose files:
1. Unzip the files to any folder on the computer. Copy all the folders in files within the data folder and paste them to your game’s data folder. Click yes all to replacing all files and folders.
Updates:
Depending on what kind of update you are doing, either the .esp, the loose files or .bsa, follow the instructions above to install them.
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