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Companion Vilja ver 2.0
by Emma and CDCooley
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PLEASE READ THIS README-FILE BEFORE INSTALLING THE MOD!!!
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Companion Vilja ver 2.0
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Character, story and voice by Emma (emma9158@hotmail.com,
emma@lovkullen.net)
Scripts by CDCooley (CDCooley@fastmail.us)
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Featuring Zrenk Dungeon by Blockhead
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Web-site: http://lovkullen.net/Emma/index.htm
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The current version of this mod may be found at:
http://lovkullen.net/Emma/index.htm
If you have received this mod from any other source it may not be the latest
version!!
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1 - Intro
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Vilja in swedish means willpower, guts, determination. And that is something
Vilja has got lots of!
When her sister was put in prison on bread and water for selling beauty
creme with unexpected effects to the Vvardenfell nobility, Vilja instantly
decided to help her. But things hasn't turned out the way Vilja expected...
She is now waiting for a friend of her sister in The Bloated Float at the
Waterfront in the imperial city. But, the days are passing, and the friend
hasn't shown up. Meanwhile, her sister is suffering in prison.
Will you help Vilja? Will you let her come along with you in her search for
ingredients for an antidote potion that might make it possible for her
sister to help those unfortunate that used the beauty creme?
Vilja is a young nord girl, born in Solstheim and living in Cyrodiil
since... well, that she will explain to you, herself, when she knows you
better!
She isn't the best fighter in the world (why would she then need your
help?), nor the best marksman, and when it comes to spells, she has only
learnt waterwalking, teleporting and some healing ones.
But she will certainly change your lonely life in Cyrodiil, as she is
talkative, curious and very unpredictable.
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2 - Background
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General (ver 1):
Although I - Emma - have made several companion mods for Morrowind, Vilja is
my first companion mod for Oblivion. When I had played through the game for
the second time in spring 2009, I started to feel lonely and looked around
for companions similar to my Morrowind ones. After a lot of research, I
found my favorite - Companion Neeshka by Rsdnt_Evle, an absolutely lovely
Dunmer lady who I recommend every companion user to use in their game. After
using her for a while, I got so intrigued that I couldn't resist starting
out on my own companion. At first she was just a clone of Neeshka (which is
why also Vilja will be found in the Bloated Float in Waterfront) but as time
passed, Vilja took her own path and Neeshka would today probably
disagreeingly shake her head if I insisted that Vilja was a 'distant
relative' of hers...
Vilja is in many ways similar to my Morrowind companions - she has her own
story, her own personality, her own missions, and lots and lots of dialog.
Version 2:
The most important difference between ver 1 and ver 2 is that this time I
have not worked alone on Vilja. CDCooley, who I have previously worked
together with in Morrowind projects, had fallen for Vilja's charms and
offered to work on her scripts. This has meant a huge leap forward when it
comes to functionality and general AI. All her scripts are thoroughly
reworked. The small, but annoying, glitches from version 1 should be gone,
and Vilja ver 2 is not only a hopefully nice company but also a well
functioning companion that can be an asset rather than a burden in combat
and other situations. On top of this, we have introduced interaction between
companion mods - something that since long is standard for Morrowind
companions but has to my knowledge never been implemented for Oblivion
companions.
Vilja is also very much aware of what is going on around her. She will
comment on your ongoing quests and actions, and sometimes your decisions
will please her... or make her really angry. Read more in the next sections
of the readme.
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3 - What to expect:
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General:
- There is a quest-line connected to Vilja which will keep you busy for a
number of hours; you will have to fight, convince, guess and maybe do some
less honorable things in order to help her. However, don't expect a long,
involved storyline with new landmasses! Instead, it's a relatively short,
simple story that is mostly there to give you a background and a reason why
Vilja will want to team up with you and be your side-kick. Those of you who
have played my Morrowind companion mods (Laura, Constance, Witchgirl et al)
will know what I mean.
- Vilja has her own life story, her own goals, her own wishes and needs. If
you talk to her, you will learn more and more about her over time. Treat her
well and your friendship will grow stronger and stronger.
- Vilja's level is set to 3 levels below yours. This means that if you start
out with her when you are at level 1, it will take a while before she
reaches higher levels (should happen when you are level 4).
- You will get a Vilja SUMMON SPELL that will bring her to you, should she
ever vanish.
- Vilja has her own horse, and when you mount your horse, she will summon
hers and go riding with you. New in ver 2: She can also use her horse when
you are walking.
- She is very talkative, but you can tell her to shut up if you don't want
to listen to her.
- You can't bribe her or play the speechcraft game with her. But you will
find other ways to improve her disposition towards you. (Do you like
strawberries? Well, hope you are not too fond of them, as Vilja will want
them all).
- You can tell her to eat, drink, take a nap, go swimming, go home, meet you
in various cities. She will recognize your home as her home as well, once
you have told her that this is where you will live.
- When she is in wander mode, she has her own daily routines, and unless you
tell her to stop, she will continue small-talking to you.
- She can make some simple potions for you if you give her an ingredient.
She can collect ingredients for you. She can later on heal you if you ask
her to. When you are at home, she might surprise you with one of her pies.
You can send her to do some shopping for you, but it's quite hazardous as
she might not have the same idea as you on what is a bargain. If you run out
of lockpicks, you can buy some from her, and she can help you with a hammer
if necessary. Oh, she can light a torch, too. And rake your garden. Give her
cloth, and she will make you a new outfit - but don't expect anything fancy,
just ordinary Oblivion clothes. The 'service' isn't there to be a cheat,
only add to the immersion.
- She can be ordered to fight aggressive, defensive or not at all. If she is
not supposed to fight at all, she will only fight back if she is attacked or
if you - the player - is so badly injured that she has to rush in in order
to save your life.
- On top of that, she offers heaps of advice and suggestions on what to do -
but her ideas might not always match yours.
- She is not a romance companion, but she does offer affection, loyalty and
friendship.
- When left in wander-mode together with other npcs and companions, she will
small-talk with them as well, sometimes using standard topics, sometimes
bringing up her own topics (note that in ver 2, she will be able to
recognize and interact with specific companions from other mods on an
individual level).
- As I have voice-acted Vilja, myself (where else would I find a lunatic
that would voice-record and lip-sync 2400 voice-entries?), she is speaking
english with a strong scandinavian accent (I'm from Sweden) and she is
probably making quite a few mistakes, especially when it comes to
pronouncation. Please let me know of unacceptable mistakes that should be
attended to in later versions (her english won't be flawless no matter what,
as my english isn't flawless).
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4 - New in ver 2:
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- Bonus questline. Shortly after you have completed the original quest for
Vilja, a new one will start, which will keep you busy for some hours and add
some new bonuses.
- Tired of companions that promise to stay out of trouble and then still
charge as soon as you see an enemy? Well, Vilja shouldn't... If told to stay
out of combat, she will indeed do so... until you are so badly injured that
you desperately need her help to survive. The behaviour with all enemies
attacking your companion is also gone - if she is set to defensive fighting
or no fighting, it is more likely that you are their main target, which
makes it much easier to level up. I.e. it is no longer a problem to have
Vilja in tow from level 1 - you will still be able to level up your fighting
and armor skills. And if you want to sneak your way through dungeons, she
will do so, too... unless, of course, you have told her to attack anything
hostile.
- Vilja is now much more aware of what is going on around her. She will
comment frequently on many (currently like 40 %) of the original Oblivion
quests you are doing together, and your actions might please or displease
her. And don't be surprised if she also comments on other things in the
gameworld. "Oh look! A butterfly! Isn't it beautiful?"
- Vilja is now aware of your other companions (after an introduction by you),
with some of them she will interact on an individual basis and also comment
on them in her dialog with you (similar to how my Morrowind companions
interact with other companions). Currently, she has special interactions
with Neeshka, Rhianna, Sonia, Viconia, Stoker Wolf, Saerileth, Vincente,
Valeria and Arren, but she will also recognize other companions and CM
Partners as fellow companions. If you want to relax at the computer for a
while, just leave Vilja and your other companions in wandermode, and I'm
sure there will happen things you hadn't expected.
- Vilja will also know about other things. For instance, she will know if
she is nude or if your character is nude, she will know if your character is
ill, she will know if she is swimming (and put on a swimming suit), she will
know what kind of dungeon you are in and what kind of enemies you are
facing.
- Her daily schedule has been much expanded. If you leave her in wandermode,
you can watch her perform her schedule, and when she is making potions, she
will literally be making potions, provided that you have given her some of
the simple ingredients that she can use (she never claimed to be an
excellent alchemist, so don't expect anything too fancy)
- apart from her regular inventory, she has a special pyjamas-bag (where you
can choose what she should wear... well, or not wear, obviously... when she
sleeps) and two extra storage bags for items you want her to carry without
using.
- Vilja now has her own friends in Cyrodiil. Don't be surprised if she
decides to go and have a chat with one of them! Those who know her will also
have an extra "Vilja-topic" where they will comment on her (those who have
played my Morrowind companions will recognize this).
- Option-book where you can set various features on the spot, like for
instance: essential versus non-essential, will wear swimsuit - or not, can
get encumbered versus never gets encumbered (yes, if you wish to, she can
get encumbered, just like the player. But, it is your choice)
- Various details that might improve roleplay. For instance, she can now
ride her horse also when you are walking.
- She will offer a few new services. Nothing fancy and no 'cheats', but she
will for instance be able to make you a new outfit if you give her cloth.
And you can tell her to work in your garden (just for immersion).
- Her dialog has been much expanded and better filtered - the mod now
contain over 2800 voice files, more than 2300 of these belong to Vilja. You
will find a much broader variety of comments from her, and some dialog is
timed so it won't show up too often. (It does get boring after a while if
she keeps on asking if she looks fat in this outfit)
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5 - Known issues:
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- Vilja is very talkative and will chat with you whereever you go. However,
the lipsync in Oblivion only works when you are facing the talking npc. This
means that sometimes, her lip-movement will appear once you turn around and
look at her, i.e. she will then appear to be talking but you won't be able
to hear anything.
- Vilja can fight both melee and ranged, but like every companion in
Oblivion, she sometimes "forgets" to load her bow with arrows! (If you are
already using companions in Oblivion, you are probably familiar with this
problem). We haven't found any way to 'fix' this, but she will start using
arrows again after you have switched cells.
- Like any other companion, Vilja will only sleep in beds that have no owner
assiged to them, and she might not sit in chairs that aren't marked as
"persistant". If you tell her to take a nap and she refuses, it's not her
fault - there simply isn't a suitable bed at the location. She will then
revert to her daily schedule and do what she would normally have done at
that hour of the day.
- Some modder-made houses are companion-friendly, others aren't. If there
are no pathgrids, no persistant chairs and no beds without ownership,
companions won't behave very well. Thank you Korana for explaining all the
important things regarding this, and for always making your houses
companion-friendly!
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6 - INSTALLATION
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ALWAYS MAKE A SAFETY COPY OF YOUR SAVED GAME BEFORE ADDING OR UPGRADING ANY
MOD, THIS ONE INCLUDED!!!!
Just drop the content into your Oblivion-data-library. The various folders
(meshes, textures, sound) should automatically merge with your existing
folders (which will guarantee that everything ends up at the correct
locations). You will get a message concerning this from the computer, just
say OK.
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7 - COMPATIBILITY
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Vilja should work very well together with other mods. However, an old mod
called Cheydinhal Petshop affects a global that will prevent Vilja's
daycounters from working (this is not unique for Vilja - the Petshop has the
same effect on all mods with daycounters).
In order to ensure that she won't conflict with landscape overhauls etc we
have avoided adding anything to the exterior game world.
If you use mods like for instance persuasion overhaul you might find that
npcs from the Vilja-mod will have additional topics where they will use the
game-original voices. It's not a conflict, but it sounds a bit annoying.
There isn't much I can do about this, although immersion-breaking it won't
cause any real problem.
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8 - CREDITS
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In alphabetical order:
- Blockhead - for playtesting, suggestions, troubleshooting and support, and
last but not least for the Zrenk dungeon.
- Charley the Khajiit - for voiceacting Heneri, Runar and Thorgeir
- Cyrano - for proofreading, script optimizing of Vilja ver 1,
brainstorming, troubleshooting, encouragement, playtesting and many valuable
suggestions. I don't think Vilja ver 1 would ever had been released without
your support, Cyrano!
- CM Partners/Blackie - Looking through this great companion template gave
me many valuable ideas and solutions for ver 1. The Partners base mod can be
found here: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7819
- DarkDiva - for feedback and encouragement on ver 1.
- Eamico - for feedback, playtesting, troubleshooting and suggestions for
ver 2.
- Kateri - for playtesting, feedback and encouragement on ver 1.
- Korana - for playtesting of ver 1, for feedback, encouragement and for
explaining many things about Oblivion moddings that were new to me.
- Kpss - for valuable input and innovative ideas regarding scripting and
animation (some ideas yet to be implemented).
- Loriel - for proofreading of ver 2 additions, playtesting,
troubleshooting, encouragement, support and suggestions.
- Neko - for support and scripting suggestions for ver 1.
- Nequam, who made the lovely eyes Vilja is using. Vilja's eyes are included
with the mod, but for those who would like to see more of Nequam's eyes in
their game, the full mod, Elaborate Eyes, can be found here:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5097
- Ogramirad - for voiceacting Thordar and the Redheaded woodelf as well as
playtesting, troubleshooting, and giving suggestions, encouragement,
feedback and support.
- Osiris - for feedback, encouragement and suggestions for ver 1.
- Princess Stomper - for feedback, encouragement and suggestions for ver 1.
- Pseron Wyrd - for feedback, encouragement and suggestions for ver 1.
- Robert - the swimsuit is made out of the meshes for his female body, which
can be found here: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15624
- Rsdnt_Evle for his lovely Neeshka companion, which inspired me to start
out on Vilja. The first version of Vilja was a rework of the latest version
of Neeshka, although today, after CdCooley's overhaul, there are not many
traces left of Neeshka anymore. If you want many companions in your game, I
strongly recommend Neeshka, she is adorable! You will find here here:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8256
- Surazal - for feedback, encouragement and explanations of various mod
installments. Also thanks for the lovely new walking style Vilja is using in
your mod "Sensual walks for female npcs", available here:
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=28223.
- Terry Pratchett - for feedback, encouragement and several valuable
suggestions for ver 2.
- Xtudo - for making noise reduction files for Vilja ver 1, and in the
future hopefully also for the voice files added in Vilja ver 2.
- the original author of a texture called TXCZ01_skin_hi.dds, which I edited
and reworked long ago and have now used the result for Vilja's face.
- All the helpful people at the Oblivion TES-forum, who have given me so
much support, feedback and encouragement.
- Last but not least, the modders who with their scripting achievements made
the foundation that originally turned Elder Scrolls companions into useful
friends rather than cannon fudder, Grumpy (RIP, dear friend) who spent years
on improving and finetuning a warping system for Morrowind companions, and
The Other Felix, who has optimized and improved almost every aspect of
Morrowind companion behaviour.
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9 - FURTHER USAGE AND UPLOADING
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- Vilja in her current state is to be considered as a WIP - I/we will most
likely continue to tinker on her and add to her. Therefore, it would be very
unfortunate if she was included in some kind of compilation, or if this
version was uploaded at various locations without our knowledge. Please do
not do this!
- I have been voice-acting Vilja, myself, and as I am not too proud of my
scandinavian accent, I wouldn't wish to find my voice re-used in other mods.
I ask you kindly to understand and accept this.
- As the mod is so dialog-heavy, it probably wouldn't work very well as a
template. If you still want to re-use scripting and AI-packages, feel free
to go ahead and do so, but please make sure that everything is properly
renamed in order to avoid conflicts. The scripts are by CdCooley, if you
have questions regarding them, please contact him.
- The main home of this mod is on my
web-site,http://lovkullen.net/Emma/index.htm. If you have received this mod
from any other source it may not be the latest version!!
- Should something happen so that the mod is no longer available on the net,
please try and contact me or CdCooley. In case you have been unable to reach
us for more than one month, please feel free to upload this mod IN ITS
CURRENT STATE to one of the public Elder Scrolls download sites. Please send
an e-mail or PM to notify on this!
- Please do not upload any altered versions of this mod anywhere without my
knowledge and agreement!
- Emma
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IMPORTANT NOTES ON GAMEPLAY
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A. Vilja's new combat system.
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Vilja has three combat settings:
1. Only attack enemies that attack us. This is her default setting! With
this setting, she will not engage in combat until a) enemies attack and you
raise your weapon OR b) she is directly attacked by an enemy OR c) you have
taken a few hits from an enemy (i.e. you have started to take damage). This
means that you can gladly run past wild animals and sneak past enemies
without having to fear that she will charge ahead and ruin your plans.
However, if you are injured after a battle and don't heal yourself before
continuing, she will get protective and rush in to defend you against any
potential threat. So, if you want her to obey your orders on a long term
basis, don't run around injured.
If you like to play stealthy, this setting should be excellent. She will
never attack enemies that haven't spotted you, and I have been sneaking my
way through whole dungeons, without Vilja acting up at all.
If you play as a mage and choose not to carry a weapon that you can raise,
this might not be the optimal setting if you want her to be your tank while
you attack with spells from a distance. The best solution to make her respond
quickly is that you carry some kind of weapon and raise it as an
'attack-sign' for Vilja to follow.
2. Attack any enemy upon sight. I don't think this one needs any further
explanation :p. What you get is traditional Oblivion companion behaviour and
a Vilja that is happy to bash everything from rats to daedras.
3. Let's avoid fighting. With this setting Vilja will not fight, and enemies
are very unlikely to attack her. There are two things that will make her
disobey your orders: a) if she still is directly attacked by an enemy, then
she will defend herself OR b) your health is so low that she fears you will
die very soon. Then she will rush in to rescue you - after all, she is your
loyal friend, and as such she couldn't just stand there and watch you dying,
could she? As with setting no 1, she will continue to disobey your orders if
you refuse to heal yourself. And realistically, why would anyone follow
orders from someone who hasn't got enough sense to take a healing potion
instead of running around half dead?
Oh, there is one more thing that will make her disobey you! If someone
attacks her horse Bruse, she will rush in to defend him. Don't blame her for
that. It's her horse and she loves him dearly.
You will note that the original Oblivion enemies respond differently to
Vilja than to other companions. Whereas most enemies by default attack
companions rather than you (which is a nuisance when you want to level up
your combat and armor skills), they will in most cases rather attack you
than Vilja. This may not be valid for enemies added by mods, though.
B. Vilja and other companions.
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With Vilja ver 2 we are introducing a new system for companions from
different mods to interact with each other. You can introduce Vilja to any
of your followers and she will know that this is a fellow companions. With a
number of unique companions, she also has unique interaction. She will
recognize them by name, discuss with them as individuals when in wander mode
conversations, and sometimes smalltalk with you about them.
These companions are so far: Neeshka, Rhianna, Arren, Stoker Wolf, Viconia,
Saerileth, Sonia, Valeria, Vincente.
However, Vilja won't recognize a companion until you have properly
introduced them!
In Viljas main topic "Let's just talk for a while", you will find a
sub-topic called "About my other companion". Choose this topic, and then
choose which companion you want to introduce her to. She will then prompt
you to introduce her to the other companion as well (i.e. you have to talk
to the companions). After this, the introduction is finished and Vilja will
'know' your mutual friend.
If you should make any mistake when introducing a companion, the
introduction can be undone in the same topic. Tell Vilja that you made a
mistake, and then tell the other npc.
Vilja will know if a companion has died. But if you have removed a companion
mod from your game, you have to do something manually. Go to Vilja's
option-book (you'll find it in her skillreport menu) and mark which
companion should not be around any more.
C. Vilja's option book.
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With Vilja ver 2, we are introducing the Options book - a book where you
can toggle various features for Vilja in-game. For instance if she should be
set to essential or non-essential, if she should sell lockpicks, if she
should provide you with armor hammers, if she should get encumbered like the
player or not, if she should wear her swimsuit or not (if you turn her into
an argonian the swimsuit won't fit very well). Here you can also delete
companions that have been removed from your game, so that Vilja won't talk
about companions that aren't around anymore.
Her default settings are non-essential, sells lockpicks, provides armor
hammer, will wear swimsuit, will get encumbered.
You'll find her Options book in her Skill report menu - click on it and pick
your choices.
D. Extra storages
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Apart from her main inventory, Vilja now has a Pyjamas bag and a Blue and a
Red storage bag INSIDE her inventory. She will wear anything you put in the
pyjamas bag when she sleeps. The items in the Blue and Red storage bags she
will never wear or use - these storages are for items you just want her to
carry for you.
E. Upgrading from ver 1
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>From what we have seen, upgrading from ver 1 of Vilja should be easy:
Put Vilja in an interior cell, leave the cell and save your game. DO NOT USE
QUICK-SAVE!
Leave the game. Replace the old esp with the new one (keep a backup of the
old esp in case something should go wrong and you need to re-do the
upgrading)
Ingame, return to Vilja and ask her to join you again. Important! You must
give her new combat instructions! Else, it won't work properly.
This should be enough... you are ready to continue your adventures in
Vilja's company. However, there is no way to grant that this easy-upgrade
will work in your game. Should you find that the 'new' Vilja acts odd in any
way. Try this: Put her in an interior cell and leave her behind for +72 game
hours (i.e. you can just go somewhere else and rest for +72 game hours).
Return to her, and hopefully she should behave well again.
If nothing helps, and you are not happy with how your 'new' Vilja behaves,
use this recommendation from TESPOSitive on how to update saves:
http://sites.google.com/site/oblivionpoinfo/runoblivion/updatesaves
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e-mail: emma9158@hotmail.com, emma@lovkullen.net
web-site: http://lovkullen.net/Emma/index.htm
Emma's forum with hints- and spoilers- section:
http://forums.elricm.com/emma/index.php
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You are welcome to discuss and ask questions about my mods in my forum.