Atemisia looks wonderful in bed. Er. . . well, you know what I mean. Nice cat!

Seriously, very nice screens and poses!

Thanks go to lil, for she was the one who turned me on to NaRae pose packs 1 & 2.

Artemisia also decided to change her hair.

Another view.

Finally, a nice sunny day in Oblivion.

That is a fun pack, isn't it? Though I do wish there were more casual/everyday poses as well as action/glamor-esqe ones.

Artemisia planning of making a killing the Olav's tonight?

Oblivion just doesn't look right with sunny weather... Stars suited it much better.

I like Artemisia's new look. Perhaps she will start a trend in Bruma. Less fur, more velvet.

Yes, nice new doo! KC's right, the Deadlands looked pretty neat by starlight but sunny Deadlands just look freaky!

liliandra nadiar: I wish there were more normal, every day poses too. It seems like everyone who makes pose packs is only interested in girly girls being incredibly cutesy. I mean, who can imagine the seven foot Nord named Bubba with his hips out holding out a red heart-shaped pillow with "Love" written over it?

No Olav's for Artemisia! She had to walk in there once to find Ongar. She had to send her shoes in for dry cleaning afterward. It was almost as bad at the Newlands Lodge in Cheydinhal. The one time she walked in there the first thing she saw was not just one, but two orcs! She immediately turned around and left.


King Coin: It is interesting what you see when you force the clear weather. It shows you just how much the developers rely upon the weather effects to hide things. Like that bracket of land that surrounds the zone. It sticks out like a sore thumb in the pic above, but with regular Oblivion weather you would not notice a thing.


Grits: I tend to use that one dress for all of my characters. It is one of the only decent clothing mods I have ever found. While you can't swing a guar by the tail on TES Nexus without hitting a female clothing mod, it is almost impossible to find one that is not lingere, or just completely out of the setting (like modern evening gowns and stiletto heels). Finding something I can take seriously is a herculean task.


Acadian: It was time for some new hair. I added Ren's Hair to my own custom race/hair mod that I use, and I want to try out different styles from it. Her old hair was from Ren's as well. But it was making her neck look fat.

******

It looks like its a cold day in Oblivion...

When hell freezes over...

Marooned Dragon: What's the report about? Ski resort requests? In my Deadlands? ... Eh, why not, I have some leather tights I'm told will feel like I'm waring nothing at all.

Artemisia has been exploring the Nibenean Basin

She eventually made it up to the Valus Mountains

She stopped off at Dive Rock for a while, and pondered the fates of Svenja and Agnar.

One last look before setting out to the west, and home in Bruma.

More great screens! Corean hair is my fave, but Ren's is great also. Love Artemisia's new high ponytail by Ren's.

I have been trying out the various Rens hair, since it is new to me. I have noticed that a lot of them have clipping issues, not just on clothes, but on people's heads!

Artemisia has not been clicking with me lately. It is just getting too easy with her I think. Between Hatred's Soul, her summoned Frost Atronach, and her absorb health (now at 30 points over 2 seconds), she simply pwns everything she sees. So I stared a new character this afternoon.

Meet Nykteria. She is a Breton necromancer, on a mission to kill every other necromancer she can. I am not exactly sure why yet, but I am sure she will tell me in a while. One thing is for sure, the other necros sure want her dead!

I started using Tu Starting Options with Artemisia, and used it for her as well. I picked the start with just clothing, and in the middle of a necromancer lair. Tons of fun! As much as I do like the tutorial dungeon, as it gives me a way to get the know my characters, I find this mod is excellent for when I already have an good idea about them to start with. It lets me start them right in their story, so to speak. Just as Artemisia started on a shipwreck on the Gold Coast.

Nykteria says come and get it. I normally don't like playing Bretons, because they are so overpowered. So I removed the magic resistance to make it more interesting, and made her born under the Serpent birthsign. The latter I have modded to give a poison attack that costs magicka, like a regular spell, and grants 100% resistance to poison. She might go to the Shivering Isles, and that will be handy against the Grummites there.

She needs to think up a name for her zombie. Maybe Stinky? Raggedy Man? He may look gross, but can that pile of old meat fight! I have never had a character use a summoned zombie before, so it has been a real eye-opener.

Congrats on Necrodame Nykteria. I see a dagger; is that just for blocking? Applying poisons? Real fighting? What is she using to fight besides zombies? Glad you're happy with your alternate start capability. I imagine when you create quite a few characters that it would add some nice variety.

Interesting character, but she better watch out for a little woodelf. I heard she doesn't like "necrodudes."

Acadian: The dagger is the only weapon she started with. I was going to use for blocking, but she never had to actually use it. So far it has all be magical attacks coming at her, or skeletons that she has been able to run around. Besides the zombie, she has been using fire attacks to burn those necros to ash. Plus one poison touch from her birthsign, which quite effectively snuffed out the nec she used it upon.


King Coin: Well, thankfully for Nkyteria, she is not a dude! But she does agree with Buffy and Falanu, she prefers them dead as well.

Hee! We were reaching for the quiver, but stopped as soon as SubRosa said Nykteria was a necrohuntress. An ally! Unconventional, but still, an ally.

That starting mod looks like fun. Especially the "Where am I" option.

Nykteria sounds interesting. She already has her own mission, and a zombie pal. Named Flower?

I vote for Wesker. Other Oblivion players I talk to do say that the zombie strains are beasts in combat, though his final preferences were a clannfear or a Spider Deadra. I never really got into summoning, have to consider one later.

All: Still working on zombie names. Acadian suggested at the other forum that I go with a 'N' theme, so I might go with Nebuchadnezzar, Nodens, Noel, etc...

Grits: TuStarting is a very neat mod. It really gives some fun options to start out with.


liliandra nadiar: Zombies are just tanks! I guess I knew that from fighting them, considering how many times you have to whack them to put them down. But when they are on your side, look out! They just plow through everything.


Nykteria got a new outfit

It is Sinblood's Widow Dress

The Pentacle choker is from Sinblood's Sister Nightfall mod. I took it out of there and made a standalone mod just for it.

Well, Ny certainly isn't bothering to hide her gothic leanings. What is 'goth' in Tamriel, anyways? Ah well.

She's much more stylish than the typical necromancer!

Hopefully see smells better too.

*waist for the first NPC comment when Ny gets to Conjuration 70+*

That is a nice new dress! It suits her well!

liliandra nadiar: Goth? Well that would be the Nords in Tamriel.


King Coin: There is no point doing something, if you cannot look good while you do it.


Acadian: Indeed. I might replace the top with the one from Eisen Platte Armor. Of course I would have to de-armor it.


Some disgruntled settlers told Nykteria that a few goblin tribes are feuding, and using their unbuilt village as a battlefield. Someone mentioned that these goblin tribes each had a staff for a totem. Funny thing is, she just happens to be looking for a staff...

So Nykteria and her zombie pal Old Meat venture into Timberscar Hollow.

I like her shorter hair. Old Meat looks pretty tough!

The voice set you chose fits very well.

where the heck did that chief come from at the beginning?

That totem staff seems pretty powerful.

Ah good day, not one but two staffs. True the decapitated head might result in Ny getting some odd looks but what's that compared to blasting fools with lightning?

Great videos, though you need to rename them. There was no trouble at all, Ny just rolled over them.

I've been wondering for a while now, where are you getting the voice mod for your folks?

Grits: The long hair was just clipping too much, especially when I was using the pose mod for pics. So Nyky decided it was time to see a stylist. She found a guy named Ren who does a good job.


King Coin: I have no idea where that Goblin Chief came from either. I looked that way a moment before, and it was all clear. Then there he was blasting past her shoulder a second later. It is a good thing Nykteria was sneaking!

The staff is overpowered at 2nd level. Besides, it is hard to see past that blasted head in 1st person view. Nykteria stopped using it soon after. The two of them will go into her trophy collection, which also includes every Necromancer Robe she takes off a dead necro.


liliandra nadiar: Acadian, King Coin, and I get the player voices from Brucevayne's Oblivion Sound Sets. I believe he has more here too. The one I am using now is Calisto. I have never used her before. My favorites are Imoen and Viconia. (Imoen is the one Coin used for Aravi in Oblivion. Viconia is the set I used for Artemisia).



And since I am replying anyway, Here is part 2 of Nykteria's Goblin Killing Spree.

Neat to see Nykie navigating in the light (night eye with shader) instead of what I’m used to (via pink glows in the dark). For me, seeing foes is easy, but seeing traps is very hard.

In addition to your night eye shader, I see weapon recharging by spell, a well-selected sound set for her voice, and the poison attack from her birthsign with its green cloud effect. Nice!

Rather formal dungeon crawling attire; her cleaning bill must be high. Fire & zombie is working well!

If Nykteria cannot look good while doing something, she sees no point in doing it! She flatly refuses to do some things, like go in the water. She is not about to her get her corset wet!


I never go to posting these.

Nykteria discovered Cadlew Chapel, and notices the telltale signs of Necromancer infestation (like those empty coffins all over the place). This is the last time she will use her goblin staves.


She liked the building, so decided to stay and fix it up


Finally, she visits Bravil and, oh wait, what is that Argonian doing over there?

Tsk, all over a loaf of bread. So much for being safe in a church

How funny, I thought that “loaf of bread” was the auto-censor at work again.

Nyki’s new lair has a fabulous view. Two chairs on the roof… One for Old Meat? It looks great!

Luvs what Nykteria did with Cadlew after taking out the trash. Yup those gobbie staves are potent but Fugly as can be. Broke my heart to see poor City Swimmer cut down again.

Goblin Killing
I saw you post this and then promptly forgot to watch it. D’oh!

Lol, when Nykteria entered the cave and tossed a fire ball, that goblin just up and left.

She must be pretty good at sneaking cause that one goblin never saw her!

I think a staff that looks like the Skull of Corruption would be perfect for her.

###################################
Oops, looks like Old Meat took some fire.
It was kind of funny to see everyone summon something right away.

She fixed that up pretty fast.
Very nice though.

Run City-Swimmer!! Awww…

liliandra nadiar: I thought it was pretty ironic that he killed her in church as well. And all for a loaf of bread. On the other hand you can murder someone in front of a guard, and just pay them a thousand or so gold and they let you go. Got to love Cyrodiil justice.


Grits: I mainly just put the second chair there because there was room. Same with the dinner table. Who knows, maybe some day Nykie will hook up someone breathing?


Acadian: Yep, that goblin skull is just too ugly to look at. I never could stand those staffs.


King Coin: Is the Skull of Corruption from the Vaermina quest? Nykteria might try that one. Her sneak is not really that great. I think it is about 27 or so. But she is still low level, plus she wears no armor, so it seems to be enough for most critters she comes across. Actually about 4 days or so went by while she restored the house. I did a lot of waiting to see if the cell would reset, and the corpses of the necromancers she had killed would automagically vanish. They did not, so I had to get rid of them with the console.


*********

No more videos, but a couple of pics.

Nykteria has a new staff, with no ugly goblin head attached to it.

She also discovered that it snows in Carbo Camp (without me using the console)

Nykie shares a tender moment with Old Meat

Yep, Vaermina's quest.

I see she's found herself an elegant staff already though.

You know what was really weird? It started snowing in my game at Bravil once. It was brief, and it wasn't me using the console either.

What a lovely staff! Ever so much more lady like that the big clunky in game things.

King Coin: Nykteria did the Vaermina quest recently. After some experimenting with the Skull of Corruption, Nyky has relegated it to a show piece at home. It is just too limited, it only works on npcs, and only on one at a time.


Acadian: I like those smaller staffs that come with Armamentium Staves. They even have a little particle effect that floats around the crystal in the top. You can see the little dancing motes in Aela's Winter Staff.


********

Next Nykteria guest stars on the Skingrad edition of COPS

So, does that count as Suicide by Cop? Bad kitty was pretty dumb to try and rob someone less then ten feet away from a guard on a empty, quite road. Ny's promoting Khajiit evolution by removing those too stupid to live? >:D

Loved the frost shield spell effect as well as the staff. Wish vanilla game had thought about looks before hand. :/

I love the mods that provide better staves. Both Aela and Niki have very nice looking ones!

Lol. I'm convinced that highwaymen are crooks that washed out of bandit school. They demand Buffy's gold. She gives them 100 septims. They say thank you and walk away with a convenient sign on their back that says 'Shoot here'.

I laughed seeing the title on youtube "StopCriminalScum"

That was funny how the highwayman just stood up straight next to that tree and waited. The guard doesn't even blink seeing some armed and armored guy loitering near a road.

I'm so happy they changed the Khajiit voices for Skyrim.

liliandra nadiar: When I saw the legion rider and the bandit, I just had to see what would happen. I love that staff mesh as well. Armamenteum Staves has a bunch of other staff types as well.

Acadian: I am often tempted to do just what you suggested, give them the gold and shoot them in the back. I wanted to see what the legionary would do however.


King Coin: I wanted to see if the legionary would attack the highwayman on sight. But he just completely ignored him until he went hostile. I guess that is what sets the guards off.



**********

Nykteria has reached the end of her run. She has cleared out every necromancer dungeon in Cyrodiil, except for those locked out by the Mages Guild quests. In that time she has bagged 181 necromancers.

With all the lesser necros out of the way, she geared up to meet her old nemesis once more, the lich Erandur-Vangaril in Lost Boy Cavern. She faced him once before, very early in her career, and was forced to retreat before the vastly more powerful lich. But Nykteria is far stronger now (75+ Destruction, Conjuration, Alteration and 100 in Int and Will), and is ready to put an end to the abomination for once and all.

The Rumble in the Cavern

A Well Deserved Rest

Great fun and potion intensive! Wow, Erandur really hit hard with those spells! Is Nykie born under the Apprentice birthsign by chance or is she simply like Buffy and has a tiny red bar from never touching endurance? Great job dodging (most of the) spells and certainly nice work integrating staff and spell.

And a loot count showing all 181 of those foul necrorobes!

Thanks for sharing!

Era had some reflect action going I think. So it's more Ny really hit hard with those spells.

Ny has almost 'single-handedley' (Single-summonly?) ended the Necromancer support cult, now she just has to talk to those lame, scared rabbits in the Mages Guild to get the rest. And show them how it's done Old School.

Bet no one there can boast killing 181 necromancers.

I don't think I've ever seen that many active effects at once!

I agree with that.

181!

Now when you start a new character, I vote you make an NPC with the CS that lives in that chapel...

Wow. What a fight to finish her run. I wonder how 181 necrobes would look on the steps of the Arcane University.

I especially enjoyed the skeleton sideshow.

Acadian: Nykteria was born under the Serpent, so she takes no extra damage from magic. She just has a very low endurance. I only raised it a few times. It was about 40 at this point.


liliandra nadiar: You are right about that reflect, that is what was hitting Nykie so hard those times. The lich only hit her with a few effects from his staff, otherwise he mostly ignored her and concentrated on her skeleton - Rattle.


King Coin: That was a pile of magic effects going at one time wasn't it? Most of it was buffs, like a fortify magicka potion she drank before the fight. Plus restore magicka and healths, a shield or two, etc... Erandur hit her with something that was up there too, although I am still not sure what it was.

If I had a way to take a player character face and put it on an npc I would put Nykteria there in the chapel. I could make her a conjuration trainer. That would be a cool thing to do with all my former characters.


Grits: You know what surprised me is how few necromancer dungeons there are in Oblivion. I made a list of them all, and it only came out to half a page. My Ayleid Ruin list was over twice that. Although granted, some of the necro lairs are only accessible by doing the Mages Guild quest. 181 kills is quite a bit for only about 20 or so dungeons. I bet all those robes would look a lot less funny then 181 watermelons in the Arch Mage's bedroom!

**********

I started Varla a little while ago, but have been mostly working on mods lately, rather than playing. But she did get to Belda and Nagastani in the last few nights.

Here she is playing tag with zombies in Nagastani

I am thinking that I might do the Ayleid Steps with her. Or that other Ayleid mod out there I forget what it was called, the Lost Spires. She has not found a home yet. She might take over one of the smaller Ayleid ruins like Sercen. Or she might settle down in Red Rose Manor. I recently downloaded the newest version of that. I remember it from Aravi's videos, and liked it there.

Oh great fun with the sweet spot! Waaay back when I played Acadian, he favored claymores and fought the same way. Well done, Varla!

Such a big sword for such a small girl. She knows how to use it though.

Planing on publishing these mods? I'm always interested in seeing how some subtle changes effect the gameplay experience.

When I played mages on Oblivion, they always had a claymore for that reason. Something to fall back on when the enemies get close. They always performed a ritual at a Reman Rune Stone that involved breaking the summoned sword and then repairing it. Then they could keep it forever. lol.