[tsl] Exile's "Mystic" Sword

[TriggerGod]

Despite the title of this mod, this sword will not give your character any mystical abilities.

 

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The Exile's 'Mystic' Sword

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Made by BIOShazard/TriggerGod/the guy with a 1000 names

 

Contact me at LucasForums, my name is TriggerGod, or at TLOTI (see the homepage field near the top, by my name) as Watcher.

 

Description: This mod adds a new sword model to the game. I decided that, after I modeled it, was an elfen design. Because I know next to nothing about elves except that they are yea high *lowers hand to shin* and some are leprechauns, I can't vouch if this was an actual elfen design or not.

 

To get this ingame:

1) Play through the Harbinger, and open up your footlocker. It should be in there

2) Use the cheat console, with the code "mystic"

3) Use the KSE

 

Installation: Place the files into your override folder. You don't do anything with the file in the source folder.

 

Uninstallation: Remove the files placed into your overide folder.

 

Compatibility issues: There shouldn't be many, if any, incompatibilities with other mods. The only one I can think of would be with my Katana sword model.

 

Credit goes where credit is due:

Revan_Dark, for the inspiration for the model, and letting me use his texture for the original.

 

Permission: You cannot use this mod in any of your mods without contacting me first, and you may not upload this mod anywhere else. If you find this mod on any site other than the KOTOR section of Filefront, please contact me.

 

Disclaimer: this mod is not supported by lucasarts, obsidian, bioware, or any other game company, big or small. This mod is provided as-is, and all that other legal stuff.

Screenshots:

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Download Link:

KFiles link

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[Jedi_Man]

My my, very well done! Downloading now!

[Darth Cryptic]

Ooo, I like the looks. -downloads-

[miro42]

Very nice. So pretty! Very nice work Trigger.

[purifier]

Wow, that's a nice blade - very nice indeed.

[Marius Fett]

I bring gifts: http://knightsoftheoldrepublic.filefront.com/file/Exiles_Mystical_Sword;102997

[e-varmint]

That is one AWESOME looking sword!!!!

[RedHawke]

Actually that more fits a Khopesh like design... but either way it is a very, very nice model TG.

[SW01]

Marvellous work TG - I'll give this a go next time I play TSL!

 

[vanir]

Prepare to be schooled on elves...

 

cultural references

Elves as we know them began as a sort of "urban" myth of Nordic society (which was actually agrarian Iron Age largely Christianised by the 12th century), having evolved from much earlier roots. It was transmitted to England via Danelaw (areas of Viking occupation).

 

It had evolved by the Middle Ages into common tales of supernatural, semi-corporal humanoids whom occasioned to roam the edges of settlements as mischievous beings. Their homeworld was an intensely magical, parallel dimension (Alfheim), and when visiting the Earthly realm (Midgard) they only partially transmitted themselves between these dimensions. As such they are extremely difficult to detect if they don't want to be seen, appearing only as flitting shadows at the corners of vision.

 

The two primary, cultural functions of Elves were unexplained noises and mischievous phenomena (letting the horses out of their stables, breaking things around the house, strange creaks, etc.), and unexplained disappearances.

They were said to occasionally steal infants from the crib and whisk them away to their homeworld, where they would train them in magical arts. Sometimes these children would return many years later, having aged at a much slower rate in the alternate dimension, and gifted with magical abilities or wizardry.

 

Essentially this is the mythology which has survived into modern Norwegian culture as fireside fables. A physical description is humanlike with magical features, like sparkling eyes, sharp brows or pointed ears, the outstanding physical feature is for one reason or another any given example looks notably supernatural, they don't look abnormal as such but they can't be mistaken for a normal person.

 

In England the mythology evolved differently, splintering into several classifications of mischievous forest beings like pixies, fairies and so on. The common theme is being demihuman, or diminutive in stature (varying from the size of a small child to that of a mouse) but otherwise humanoid with pointed ears and angular features.

 

As far as I know Lord of the Rings introduced Elves into popular fantasy as a racial variation of complex societies, basing the archetype on Nordic elves. The fantasy genre which followed in literature and served largely as the basis of popular RPG (which is where most of us became familiar with elves), was based on the English archetype as far as appearance goes (Norse elves are the same size as adult humans, D&D elves stand about 4.5 feet tall and are more physically frail in combat where a Nordic elf would kick our butt on a bad day, having supernatural strength not unlike vampires on top of common physical bearing).

 

historical references

Elves actually began as the Celtic Faerie (the name still preferred in England to describe their demihuman elves). Faerie are very different from fairies and elves. They are ancestral spirits, the Celtic pantheon of deities. They are the Gods. Branwen, The Dagdha, The Morrigan, Oghma, all are faerie, the divine tribe whom founded the Celtic homelands (as Irish myth is the most complete of surviving Celtic Lore most stories relate these homelands to being Ireland but this is not necessarily the case).

 

They exist in a parallel dimension known as Tir n'a Og (sp?) or the Great Oak (roughly concordant with Nordic concepts of Yggdrassil the World Ash and the dimension of Alfheim). The only access to them was to perform ceremony at Sidhe, or the burial mounds of kings and great warriors, whereupon a doorway between dimensions could be opened for a short time and commune with Faerie (lit. "lurkers of the mounds") achieved.

 

Such a happenance could take many forms. You might appear in front of a large Oak tree, before a heavy set giantish humanoid stirring a gigantic cauldron. He might throw a skull at you, and you will notice you are wearing a wolfskin. The vision will then be over and you'll have to figure out what it means. But lucky you survived talking to the Dagdha, where generally speaking he just murders anyone who disturbs him.

 

Pretty far cry from little fairy things playing practical jokes on people.

 

The original settlers of the Nordic regions of course had Celtic/Germanic roots and brought with them elements of both mythologies (the Valkyries, Odin, etc.), and historically their earliest "elves" were called dvargar. They are the modern dwarves of Viking mythology. But these are nothing like the dwarves we're familiar with. They're Nordic elves of the period ca.6th century.

 

Again they look just like the Nordic elves described above, humanlike but intensely magical. They predate the Nordic pantheon, the Aesir but not the Vanir. They are the Vanir, well that is to say from all available references it appears those dvargar or faerie whom established godhood within Norse mythology became the Vanir, having established a hillfort/city at the edges of Alfheim closest to Asgard known as Vanaheim.

 

Their mundane powers include magical speech (they can create illusory effects by speaking), turning invisible at will, and inherently magical craftsmanship (anything they make is always a powerful magical item, if one makes an urn he makes it out of exotic ingredients like frog sneezes and the weight of a fog, and it will do things like pour an endless supply of fine wine that makes the drinker invulnerable to fire for 1 year).

 

Needless to say the Aesir and their enemies the Giants favoured dvargar (read: elvish) craftsmanship quite a bit. All the magical items of the Gods were crafted by dvargar, from Odin's spear to Thor's hammer.

 

Dvargar society was complex however, and broken into two main camps. The good dvargar only traded with the Aesir and lived in the forests (Alfheim). The evil dvargar lived underground and traded freely with either the Aesir or the Giants, in fact anyone who approached them. This was because they saw each trade as an opportunity to murder the trader and steal their gold.

 

The Aesir didn't wind up actually trading with the good dvargar (elves) very much, because the elves didn't like their warlike manner and charged them very high prices.

What the Aesir did was to send people like Loki to go and trade with the evil dvargar, because if you managed to trick them into not murdering you in your sleep they were cheaper to deal with. The only problem was everything they made was cursed (so Thor's hammer was once stolen by the Giants, which was its fate and set in motion events which led to the deaths of some Aesir and ultimately Ragnarok).

 

Also the interesting thing about the dvargar is firstly the good ones are never really mentioned much except in passing reference. They mostly appear only in the "urban mythology" of Norwegian society as the classical Nordic elves, stealing children and making noises in the night.

 

Secondly the underground, evil dvargar being such intensely magical creatures take upon the appearance of their personalities. Because they are petty, jealous and murderous creatures, they are always mishapen, shrunken and ugly. They look like classical fantasy dwarves.

 

It is the common Norse-elvish trait of physical hints as to their nature. Good elves look magical and otherworldly with pointy ears and sparkly eyes, things like that, whilst evil elves (dwarves) look mean, twisted, mishapen and stunted.

 

Also the common trait of all Nordic dvargar/elves is they turn to stone if caught in sunlight. This is their weakness and hence they operate only in shadowed forests, underground or at night.

[ZimmMaster]

That sword is just like the "-JADE-" sword you get from the JA+ mod.

[TriggerGod]

That sword is just like the "-JADE-" sword you get from the JA+ mod.

 

Yeah, I based the sword off of that sword. I asked the guy to use his texture, and he gave me permission. So I combined the separate textures into 1 texture.

[ZimmMaster]

Yeah, I based the sword off of that sword. I asked the guy to use his texture, and he gave me permission. So I combined the separate textures into 1 texture.

 

I thought as much. You did an excellent job on the combining of the textures. This kind of stuff shows me just how much of a novice I am.

[vanir]

It is a nice looking sword model, I like it. From what I understand, in the Star Wars galaxy the species most likened to elvish in appearance and culture (in terms of Vanaheim) would be the "native" Arkanian near-human species. They have pointed ears and angular features, and infravision just like fantasy elves (although are humanlike in proportion and stats). Also their tech is very much like fantasy elves, always slightly finer, more exceptional variations of common weaponry.

 

Arkanian battlesword is a good name therefore for this weapon, imho.

[Qui-Gon Glenn]

Sharp work, old friend.

 

EDIT: My god, seriously, no pun intended :blush:

[The_Dark_Jedi_Malaka]

I've always liked mele combat, but always thought the vibroblade/vibrosword were a tad boring. This is one sweet blade! I downloaded, and it now has a happy permanent home in my override folder.