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About this mod
Changes the humanoid enemies encountered in the Old Holds to look and feel more Nordic.
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The northern and eastern Holds -- Winterhold, Eastmarch, the Rift and the Pale, known collectively as the Old Holds -- remain more isolated, by geography and choice, and the Nords there still hold true to the old ways. Outsiders are a rarity, usually a once-yearly visit from an itinerant peddler.
- Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition.
The key to surviving the Rift is to never go there. The Rift is no place for anyone but Nords. If you're not a Nord and you end up in the Rift, you will die in a horrible fashion."
- Surviving the Rift, Rialso
Skyrim belongs to the Nords!
- Common Nordic battle cry.
Old Holds
Old Holds is a mod series designed to give more character and distinction to the Holds of The Pale, Winterhold, Eastmarch and The Rift, collectively known as the Old Holds. Inspired mainly by the previous conceptions of Skyrim and the Nords, the series aims to bring noticeable aesthetic, cultural, political and religious differences and make the region stand out from the more Imperialised Western Holds.Clan Names and Titles
Little Shrines of Talos
Library of the Nords
Return of the Skalds
Priests and Shrines of the Nordic Gods
Old Holds - Cold Welcome: Nordic Enemies
Little Shrines of Talos
Library of the Nords
Return of the Skalds
Priests and Shrines of the Nordic Gods
Old Holds - Cold Welcome: Nordic Enemies
One thing I loved about Morrowind is that you really felt like an outsider. There you are, walking through the volcanic tundra and you get attacked by named Dunmer bandits, that I almost felt bad for killing. It was the same in Bloodmoon, I felt like an invader! This was their land and they weren't going to give their land up without a fight. This mod hopes to recapture some of that magic by transforming the hostile humanoid NPCs found in the Old Holds into Nords. It makes sense if you think about it. All pre-Skyrim lore points to the land being practically inhospitable so what are random Khajiit doing among Bandits or High Elves among the Necromancers? This is the break down of the new enemies you can currently find in the mod:
Vargr
Nordic Bandits. The Old Norse for "wolf", it came to mean "outlaw", especially for heinous crimes such as murder or offending the gods. They are banished from Nordic society and have taken to brigandry to make ends meet.
Reavers
Nordic Corsairs. The Nords were once held in high regard in terms of seamanship. Unfortunately, this was not properly expanded upon in-game with only a few shipwrecks as hints. This mod also changed the Blood-Horkers faction from the "Rise in the East" quest into a fully fleged Nordic crew, as well as its captain, Haldyn. I did this based on his name sounding appropriately Nordic as opposed to Redguard which he is in-game.
Bonespeakers
Nordic Necromancers. These are wayward priests of Orkey (see my priests and shrine mod above for more) whose time among the dead has driven them to madness. Now they prefer the company of the resurrected in a complete perversion of their original role as their keepers.
Runeweavers
Nordic Conjurers. With the decline of the Clever-Men as an institution, and the general distaste that Nordic society has for the College of Winterhold, Nordic youths who discover the unpredictable power of magic within them have often no other recourse than to join a coven to properly channel their powers. They will viciously attack interlopers with their newfound magics of destruction and conjuration.
Fryse Hags
Nordic Witches. In previous times, these were ardent all-female devotees of Kyne who attacked without warning those outlanders who defiled her groves. Whether they still serve the Widow-Wife of Shor is currently unknown, but their ice magics and frost-enchanted daggers still make them very dangerous. They seem to have some accord with the Beserkers.
Berserkers
Also known as "Bare-sarks", these men and women are the image of the Nordic barbarian other cultures have come to know and fear. Wearing fur and bear helms, and razor sharp battle-axes, their fury knows no bounds and they cannot be reasoned with.
Oathbreakers
In Nordic society, where honour is everything, there is nothing more contemptuous as a Nord who breaks their oaths. These men and women are former soldiers of the Imperial Legion and Stormcloak Army who have abandoned their posts due to trauma, desertion, or simply losing the will to fight an increasingly bitter Civil War. Made outcast by their former comrades, friends and family, they have taken to banditry to survive. Ironically, you will find both Imperials and Stormcloaks banded together, finding common cause in their dishonour.
Bear Cultists
A subsection of the berserkers. These fervent worshippers of the Bear Totem became victims of the Daedric Prince of the Hunt, Hircine. Disguised as a Great Bear, He offered them the cursed blood of the Werebear, which they took, thinking it a boon from Tsun. When not out hunting, they take succor among the wild bears in the damp caves of the Rift.
Recusant Volkihar
Once, the Volkihar Clan reigned supreme over all of Skyrim. But Harkon's mad quest to blot out the Sun made many of his disciples uneasy. They left around the same time Valerica did. The few remaining traditionalists left when Harkon began enlisting Elves to make up the losses, thinking their former lord had completely lost his mind. Now, in the Eastern Holds, far from Harkon's reach, these Recusants plot underneath frozen lakes how to return to their former glory.
Half Giant
As their name suggests, these titans are born of a union between a Nord and a giant, combining the fierceness of the former with the height of the latter. Raised on Mammoth Milk until they reach a certain age, they are then cut off from the camps and made to fend for themselves. Accepted in neither the settlements of giant or men, they abide in abandoned structures and tame wild beasts for companionship.
Also
- Greatly expanded the list of locations.
- New armour for the Reavers.
- New minions for the Bonespeakers.
- A boss for the Beserkers.
- New armour for the Dunmer of Cragslane Cavern.
Implemented Locations
Winterhold
Japhet's Folly - Reavers
Hob's Fall Cave - Bonespeaker
Journeyman's Nook - Vargr
Fort Fellhammer - Vargr
Fort Kastav - Bonespeakers
Snow Point Beacon - Vargr
Wreck of the Pride of Tel Vos - Reavers
Wreck of the Winter War - Reavers
Eastmarch
Traitor's Post - Oathbreakers
Refugee's Rest - Half-Giant
Cragslane Cavern - Dunmer
Cragwallow Slope - Runeweavers
Snapleg Cave - Fryse Hags
Stoney Creek Cave - Fryse Hags / Beserkers
Uttering Hills Cave - Vargr
Witchmist Grove - Fryse Hags
Ansilvund - Bonespeakers
Mistwatch - Vargr
Morvunskar - Runeweavers
Mara's Eye Pond - Recusant Volkihar
The Pale
Frostmere Crypt - Vargr
Irkngthad - Vargr
Korvanjund (Pre-Civil War Quest) - Berserkers
Raldbthar - Vargr
Bronze Water Cave - Recusant Volkihar
Nightcaller Temple - Half-Giant
The Rift
Boulderfall Cave - Bonespeakers
Broken Helm Hallow - Oathbreakers
Faldar's Tooth - Vargr
Nilheim - Vargr
Treva's Watch - Oathbreakers
Ruins of Bthalft - Vargr
Rift Witchtower - Berserkers
Honeystrand Cave - Bear Cultist
Pinepeak Cavern - Bear Cultist
Recommended Mods
- If you have the "Dark Face Bug" - the Face Discoloration Fix mod should fix it.
- If you have Anniversary Edition, there will be an out of place enemy in Stony Creek Cave. Saints and Seducers Extended Cut will get rid of him.
- Since the mod uses the fewer voice types more than any, Bandit Lines Expansion and Civil War Lines Expansion are essential for variety.
- Though not essential, Infiltration - Quest Expansion ties in well with the new enemies added to Treva's Watch.
- Just an aesthetic choice, but I think Improved Closefaced Helmets does a better job with the Imperial Captain helm, used by some of the Oathbreakers.
ESLified
Suggestions and constructive criticism welcome!