[size=7]Solitude - Capital Edition[/size]
Transforms Solitude into a worthy capital city of Skyrim!
 
Note: This is still a work in progress. It's fully playable, but not finished. As such, there may be numerous bugs or minor issues. Please report this to, and I will fix it.


Description
Solitude is the capital city of Skyrim, seat of the former High King and headquarters of the Empire. Below its cliffs lies a large harbor and the countryside is dotted by farms.
But let's face it... Solitude sucked. It was empty and dull. It's supposed to be a political and economical center! And a huge city such as that should also house a significant criminal underworld. This mod fixes all that! And much, much more!
 
This mod will not only be sweet eye-candy. It will also overhaul the entire feel of the city. The overall atmosphere is grittier and the city is more crowded. There will now be factions, buildings and people appropriate for a capital.
 
This mod follows a similar concept and design flow as my previous mod, "Riften - Thief Edition". You can expect the same level of detail, the same level of enhanced city gameplay and even more added notes, NPCs and factions. But this one will be better and cooler. I'm already happier with the foundation that I have laid than I was with "Riften"!
 
New Factions and Politics:

• I wanted to address the issue that Solitude doesn't seem like a political center. So I have added a Grand Council, with chambers in the Blue Palace, that serves as the government. Its members include several new ones as well as faces we already know. Overall you will find more government institutions and officials in the city, as is appropriate for the capital and Imperial headquarters in Skyrim.
• Two new significant Imperial families have moved into city as well. They're both sitting on the Council and are bitter rivals, each wanting control of the city and the trade for themselves. And then there's Vittoria Vici who controls the East Empire Company. All three very powerful political factions. The fourth political faction would be Tullius and the Jarl, but they're mainly occupied with the Civil War.
• You may also find undercover Penitus Oculatus agents residing within the city. Of course it'll take some time and investigation to find out who they are.
• The Imperial Commission has an office in Castle Dour. It is headed by a Magistrate and is tasked with monitoring the enforcement of Imperial Law, and assist trials and determine sentences.
• The Thalmor will now actually inhabit their headquarters in Castle Dour. They will have agents in the city and a representative on the Grand Council.
  

 
New significant buildings and areas:

• I already mentioned the Grand Council Chambers that serve as meeting place of Solitude's new government. There is also a new Imperial Cult Office now. It is from here that the diplomacy and economics of the Temple in Skyrim are managed. 
• Another Imperial service in the city is the Census and Excise Office. Tax collectors, citizen census documents and other formal information can be found here. Certain documents in here may be of value to thieves...
• Valmore Manor is the headquarters of one of the new Imperial families. It is quite exquisite and may hold plenty of valuables and interesting areas...
• The House of Delight lies on Marble Lane. Even the city's finer noblemen have a hard time keeping away from here.
• There is now an actual tunnel leading up from the harbor into the giant windmill. A lot of the trade goods coming into the city pass this way.
• The Thalmor Headquarters will serve as a sealed off Dominion-only canton. Not unlike the Vivec Telvanni Canton in Morrowind, this area will house dangerous wizards and locked vaults to break into.
  

 
"City Gameplay":

• The city not only has plenty of new houses. I have also expanded the playable area onto virtually every single battlement, roof-top, terrace and hidden spot I could find. For an example, the Blue Palace is now fully climbable with new terraces and hidden areas added. Some houses have new concealed backyards located behind them.
• Those who explore thoroughly will find lots of unique notes, letters, journals, items and artifacts. Some will hold actual power, while others are quite useless aside from being fun to collect! There's even the possibility to embark on a treasure hunt following a series of clues!
  

 
Attention all thieves:

• A criminal underworld is also added. Thieves and shady characters now inhabit the city. Some live rather normal lives while others hide in their secret dens. A new underground street below Castle Dour, "The Alley", houses plenty of beggars and criminals. There's a new Skooma Den for addicts to visit.. if they can find it.
  

 
New People/NPCs:

• The city will have many new citizens that inhabit the new houses
• Castle Dour will have a significant amount of new important people (ex: Census and Excise agents, an Imperial Magistrate, Thalmor officials and new Legion captains)
• All guards in Solitude will now be fully armed Imperial Legion soldiers. The city will be garrisoned by the Dour Legion and the Redmoth Legion. (unless the city is under Stormcloak control, of course)
• The Penitus Oculatus will have a small presence in the city, both as bodyguards and as undercover agents.
• Overall there will be more unique and important officials that belong to the various government bodies of the city.
• Various dangerous characters, like skooma dealers or vampires, will be in hiding in the city as well.
  

 
Quests:

• There won't be any quests in the first versions. But I will ensure that the backstory needed for future quest versions is properly integrated into the city.
• As for quests, you can expect a few smaller side quests, like helping a Census and Excise agent collect taxes.
• There will also be a small "main quest" which will be centered around the families struggling for power over the Grand Council.
  

Of course there is more to discover, but I can't spoil it all, right?? Come back and check this post later, as I'll be regularly updating it as I add new stuff.
 
If you hate reading, see below for a shorter and more concentrated list of new features:
 
Feature Summary

• 20+ new buildings
• More NPCs and more small animals in the city (such as rats)
• Interesting notes and mini-quests spread across the city
• Gameplay on roof tops and ledges is now possible
• The Blue Palace is fully climbable and with several new rooms, terraces and battlements added
• Added a Grand Council with new as well as familiar members to the Palace, to serve as the government of the city
• "The Alley" is an underground street below Castle Dour, home to many beggars and thieves
• Valuable unique items and artifacts can be found by those who look hard enough
• The Imperial Cult has offices near the Temple
• An Imperial Magistrate can be found in the Imperial Commission
• Knights of the Hour guard the Temple and its relics in the name of Akatosh
• There's a skooma den somewhere in the city..
• Even the city's most respectable noblemen like to visit the "House of Delight"
• Drakwood, Valemore and Vici are the 3 most powerful noble families in the city
• If you can find the clues.. a very powerful artifact can be unearthed somewhere in the city
• Hidden backyards can now be accessed from some houses
• There's now a Census and Excise Office in the city
• Added heavily guarded vaults that contain great riches
• A sewer system lies below the city
• The Thalmor now have a presence in Solitude
  

Screenshots and Videos
New screenshots! To give you an overall impression of the city's new look.
 
Market District
An alley
Marble Lane
Market Square
Windmill Bridge
Small street
Backyard
More houses
Luxury of the Blue Palace
Walkable battlements
You can climb everything!!
Top of the tower
Oblivion easter egg
Imperial Cult door
Temple Knights guard holy relics
A hidden area
Enter walls and watch towers!
Tunnel to harbor
Grand Council in session (very low attendance though  :brokencomputer:  )
 
Some old very early WIP screenshots.
http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/469800652945634922/7F91126CF43A6F80000CEB55C3631D5C2BEA5DC0/1024x576.resizedimage
http://cloud-3.steampowered.com/ugc/469800652934304897/30B8DEBF1ECD7842B5185E971933C6CE9043F8CA/1024x576.resizedimage
http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/469800652945637871/F5A6D2A74785CE008E0BD2CA32CCE7B3AA4F32B0/1024x576.resizedimage


 
Progress
It's still a Work-in-Progress, but the currently released version is playable.
 
Help Request
 
Feel free to contact me if you want to contribute (mainly Imperials and Elves, male and female)
 
Incompatibility
 
Other mods that touch Solitude will probably kill your kitten and cause issues.
 
History
 
In progress
 
Contact
 
You can find me on the official Elder Scrolls forums and on SkyrimNexus as 'GrandDukeAdense'
You can send me an email here: [email protected]
 
Credits
 
Thanks to Bethesda for creating Skyrim.
Oaristys & Tony67 for Modder's Resource Pack
 
Licensing/Legal
 
You must contact me and obtain my permission before re-packaging any part of
this mod.