Today's update is going to be a relatively short entry in comparison to the rest, but packed full of important changes. There has been more talk among the team regarding the Primal Magic subschools, this is where the bulk of the changes and attention are going to be at for the next week or so until we can get these critical details ironed out.

The Subschools Strike Back!

After another session of discussion, the team managed to nail a few more things down in regards to how the much-debated topic of Primal Magic subschools should be handled. In the end, we decided to condense the previous four subschools of magic into three instead. We liked the idea of separating the new spells and abilities by type, so we just couldn't do away with the subschools as we had previously wanted to. However, the functions of the Ferocity line have been changed significantly. In the same manner, the Allure line has been merged into Growth because many of their spells and abilities overlapped. The Decay line has been renamed to Wrath and changed in function moderately.

Growth

The Growth subschool has changed quite a bit in terms of role. Before, the Growth line focused on keeping the player alive primarily by means of healing and a handful of spells/abilities which merely hampered or slowed down enemies. With the Allure line merged into it, the player will have the ability to call upon spells and abilities which may also seduce or incapacitate foes temporarily. In addition, you will also have access to spells which improve your magical and/or elemental resistances to enhance the player's overall survivability. Most of the spells will be plant-based, meaning they'll derive their power directly from the trees and vegetation around the player character. While there might be some offensive spells, they will be typically less powerful than the wrath line.

Ferocity

Ferocity has changed significantly. Originally, this line was the bread and butter of any self-respecting Primal Magic user (and to some extent, it still might be), emphasizing damaging spells and damage enhancement. Now however, the Ferocity subschool will be responsible for handling all of the player's shapeshifting abilities and combat enhancements. The player will be able to temporarily take on the form of several types of animals to fill in certain roles during melee combat. For example, transforming into a bear will grant the player a damage resistance boost and health; the tanking archetype. Saber tiger form will improve the player's melee damage and attack speed during combat; the damage dealer archetype. Wolf form will make the player faster, see in the dark, and other unique attacks; the traveller/jack-of-all-trades achetype. Ideally, this form could be used for travel or as a means to ambush enemies.

It was worth mentioning that these shapeshifting abilities will likely not come in the form of spells, but rather abilities bound to your shout toggle. You will be able to hop in and out of them at will. The longer you remain in animal form, the more your primal urges bar increases. To really get the most out of them, you will need to invest heavily in the ferocity tree, otherwise you will find your urges bar maxing to quickly.

Wrath

The new damage-oriented line will be the Wrath school. This particular specialization favors high damage spells in combination with crippling or disabling spells. These spells will be elemental-based, meaning they will use elements such as water, earth, or air to inflict wounds onto their target. Wrath spells will consist of things like thunderstorms, tidal waves, rock entombment, and other similar elemental attacks. In a sense, this line will serve a similar role to what you can expect from the destruction school of magic, except that it might be more powerful given the arousal cost they may have attached. The spells will all be distinctly unique from what already exists of course.

The Three Sages

As we touched on last time, we made mention of the handful of wise and very powerful sages; the masters of Primal Magic. Unlike we planned before, there will only be three of these sages scattered throughout Skyrim rather than trainer and an entire tribe. Each of these sages will be the master of a certain subschool of Primal Magic. They will offer to teach and train the player in their respective field of expertise in exchange for completing tasks or doing "favors" for them. All three of them will be extremely reclusive, and hesitant to take in the player as an apprentice at first. Fortunately for you, they'll eventually come to trust and warm up to you after completing some initial tasks and behaving in the way they expect you to. Through serving them you will also complete an overall plot quest. Due to how few primal magic users exist in the world, they will no longer tie into the foresworn. Instead, primal magic will be a force that has always existed, but so rare that few know of it.

Now with the lore direction out of the way, let's look at these sages in detail now:

(Please note that we don't have any names for these characters... yet)

The Ferocity Sage

Name: ?

Race: Nord (?)*

Sex: Female

Personality: Aggressive, dominant

This Sage is a particularly fiery one, as her name hints. She'll be the most aggressive, ill-tempered, and rude. She will likely be first to attack and slaughter an encampment of settlers creeping close to her forest, rather than to even bother asking questions. This sage will spend most of her time shapeshifted and hiding in her forest, stalking prey. When she is not out mauling poor travelers or some sob for trespassing into her territory, she will likely be found in her hideout somewhere in The Pale, the northern part of Skyrim which is covered in permafrost and fresh snow. Sex will almost always be rough with her and she will be the only one on top. Her expectations from her apprentices are very high and she loves to dominate and command her apprentice, whom she sees more like a minion and less as a student. Bestiality can be expected from her. This Sage will have the appearance of an amazon. Tall, strong, and a well-built physique like a true warrior.

*We're unsure on whether to use Nord or Redguard for this sage.

The Growth Sage

Name: ?

Race: Bosmer

Sex: Female

Personality: Passive, laid back, lustful

The Growth Sage will be the most laid back and peaceful of the three. She will live in secrecy somewhere in the warmer southern regions of Skyrim. What is the most notable from this Sage is the fact that she has an extremely high libido. If she isn't found pleasing herself, she'll surely be found having someone or something do it for her instead. She will routinely ask the player (or even seduce at times) for sex as part of their "training". Sometimes, she won't even bother hiding it and just have sex with the player for fun rather than for ritualistic purposes. Her style will emphasize foreplay and sensuality during intercourse. Unlike the Ferocity Sage, the Growth Sage is the slowest to react and prefers to let someone else deal with a problem unless it becomes severe enough to warrant her immediate attention. Speaking with her will always be a pleasure (pun intended), as her dialogue will be full of sexual innuendo and very flirty in nature. This Sage's appearance will favor a seductive slender build, soft skin, large breasts, and radiant beauty in general.

The Wrath Sage

Name: ?

Race: Breton

Sex: Male

Personality: Authoritative, demanding, judgmental

Of the two other Sages, the Wrath Sage will be the most focused and wisest. This guy means business and will not put up with an apprentice's bullshit or cockiness. He will demand respect from the player character for their apprenticeship to work. At first, he will expect the player to be submissive, subservient, and tend to his desires (blowjobs, quickies, etc). He will also be the one in control during sex. Above everything else though, the Wrath Sage is a fair person who can appreciate power that isn't his own and eventually come to treat you as an equal after earning his trust and respect. He is very observant, tactical, and cunning. However, when he passes judgment, it will always be final. The Wrath Sage will be a strong, handsome man, but will also emit an aura of command and attention by his confident nature. Just because you live in the wilds doesn't mean you can't have civility.

A Creator Is You!

Fans, here's your time to shine! We're currently looking for character submissions which will become the personality for the Growth and Wrath sages. In order to make a submission, your character must meet certain criteria. The guidelines go as follows:

Common Guidelines

• Ideally, we prefer that you use Navetsea's skin textures, Mature skin textures, SG Textures, or Real Girls textures.
  
• We encourage the use of cosmetic enhancement mods such as RaceMenu or ECE.
  
• No barbie dolls, anime characters, or celebrity look-alikes please.
  
• All character submissions must have the following pictures: front full-body, side full-body, back full-body, face close-up, face profile. Anything else is up to you so feel free to get creative on a couple of them.
  
• We prefer portraits, but full-body pics are also welcomed. Just be sure to include one or two good close-ups of the face.
  
• The use of ENBs and/or lighting overhauls are highly encouraged, but please, no photoshopped pics.
  

Ferocity Sage

• Must be Nord or Redguard.
  
• Keep the makeup to a minimum on this sage. She is a warrior, not a beauty pageant contestant. Light eyeliner, eyeshadow, and lip tint is fine however. Darker colors are preferred if using tints.
  
• May have a "butch" look, but be sure to keep her mostly feminine.
  
• Hair is preferred to be kept short or in a bun/ponytail. Must be kept to shoulder-length at most.
  

Growth Sage

• Must be Bosmer.
  
• Must be made using Ethereal Elven Overhaul. No exceptions.
  
• There is no limit on how much makeup this character can have. But once again, no barbie dolls please.
  
• Gentle facial features are preferred, but face can be of any shape.
  

Wrath Sage

• Must be Breton.
  
• Must be male.
  
• We prefer that all submissions use Geonox's hi-rez facial normal maps.
  
• Ideally, we would like this sage to look young (mid 20s to mid 30s) and have a "I-can-kill-you-by-fucking-looking-at-you" appearance, yet have gentle facial features.
  
• May be slightly feminine-looking, but prefer a masculine appearance.
  
• Hair may be short or long.
  

If there are any questions regarding the guidelines, please feel free to leave them as a comment on this entry. Otherwise, happy character-making! We anxiously await your submissions! The selected character models will be announced in an upcoming entry.

p.s. no shinies 4 u today!