Escape the Cell SE_AE

[jfraser]

View File

Escape the Cell SE_AE

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Mod Description
I enjoy Live Another Life and Skyrim Unbound, but after talking to the statue and then activating the bed or pressing "begin", it always feels a little jarring to just suddenly be standing somewhere with no real context other than a small journal entry.

That's where this mod comes in. It will add a very simple story to many of the scenarios that gives you some background on why you're there then points you in the direction of Helgen (where you otherwise have no contextual reason to visit except for LAL's generic "you heard rumors about Helgen"). 

Each of the stories will give you an option to choose DRAGONBORN or NON DRAGONBORN playstyles. 

The Dragonborn choice will dump you at Helgen from whence you can go on your merry dragon-slaughtering way.

The Non-Dragonborn choice will lead to a questline to find your parents by visiting the little ramshackle cabin halfway between Helgen and Falkreath (go to the bridge where bandits are trying to ambush you then take a left (coming from Helgen) and climb the hill where bandits are trying to ambush you to find the cabin where Mallin will forcegreet you and start you on your path).

The scenarios that have something at this point:

(Helpful hint - I have placed immediately-available map markers for these locations so if you want to use a specific start but don't have the mod to start you there, you can quick travel there as soon as you are in-game. Although you will not be set to any particular faction, so be cautious if you, say, try to be a vampire.)

Altered Beginning (and any other version of the Vanilla start)
You (or someone else, if you're using AB) were caught crossing the border illegally. Thank the Divines a giant dragon staved off the headsman's axe just in the nick of time! 

Note: Cora, the EtC quest giver, is down the road where the path from Helgen's front gate and the path to the cave meet. This is to ensure compatibility with mods that start you in Helgen versus those that have you go through the cave.

Live Another Life
"I want to escape this cell"
You've been captured and dumped in this cell! Why? Who knows? All that matters is getting out. A couple of new friends may help you fight your way past those who put you here. (Two potential followers are locked up. Free them if you want help! There are bandits in the main entry, so if you don't feel like fighting them, sneak out the hole in the floor.)

"I've Been Shipwrecked!" 
You were a prisoner on your way to trial in Cyrodil. Fortunately the ship crashed and almost everyone is dead. Unfortunately, the ship crashed in about as inhospitable place you could imagine. You're free! If you can get to land without freezing to death.

To start the quest on this option, escape the boat. There is another survivor near the shore on a sandbar extending into the sea. Find him and talk to him. 

"I was attacked and left for dead!" (Gate to Morrowind location)
You were attacked near the gate leading out of Skyrim! Or was it the gate leading INTO Skyrim? It makes a difference, you know.

"I was attacked and left for dead!" (Steamcrag location)
You were just about to start your life as a merchant, going to a market with your first load of goods. Alas, thieves took everything and left you nearly dead. Now you'll have to decide whether to crawl back home to face your mother's scorn or try something else.

"I am a warlock's thrall"
Isekai alert! Following fanuilh1's fantastic idea, this one is a "pulled from the real world" scenario. Also, it contains bad language.

You were at a great party on campus, but the punch must have been spiked 'cause now you're in this weird dream where things keep trying to kill you. Can anyone help you make sense of this?

"I am a vampire in a secluded lair"
You and your friends went to the wrong party. Now they're nearly dead and you have been turned into an undead scourge. Follow your new master's instructions to begin your life of destruction.

The Bee and Barb Inn
You're finally of age and free of that horrible orphanage and its vicious matron! But what will you do now? Seek out your friend Arentino? Or maybe make your way across Skyrim to find the family you never knew you had? Speak to Mianne to begin

"I own property in one of the Holds" (Shoal's Rest Farm)
You just started your new farm. But your steward has arrived with bad news.

"I own property in one of the Holds" (All player homes (does NOT include the homes you can build (Heljarchen, Lakeview, Windstad, Shadowfoot) nor Tundra Homestead))
You have a new house! But what is the official-looking man doing in your parlor? Whattya mean, I have to move out?!

 

Skyrim Unbound/Alternate Perspective
For SU/AP, you will need to pick whatever general start and fast-travel to one of the locations using the handy-dandy map-markers. Unless you start at the Bee and Barb or with a player home - those will still work out of the box.  
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Anyway, that's it. Just a little extra story to get you up and running.

This doesn't require Live Another Life or Skyrim Unbound or anything else. It does not use anything from LAL or Skyrim Unbound. If you download it without either, all the NPCs will be there and you can still fast travel to my map markers and use these stories. 

 

Voice Credits

Michelle (Non-Dragonborn story) - Alice Irvin

 

 

Parman the Great ("Warlock's Thrall") - NankyYoodle2 (or NikNak45 on Discord)

 

 

 

 

FinalFrog used this mod as an example for adding xVASynth voices in game, so here is an example of this mod in action:

 

 

 

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• Submitter
  jfraser
• Submitted
  02/07/2025
• Category
  Regular Mods

 

Edited September 19, 2025 by jfraser

[jfraser]

So it begins. Again.

[jfraser]

don't worry, @Hex Bolt. i don't want SS back. i could never do the things you have done with it.

[jfraser]

it is so strange. i remember having the non-dragonborn quest complete, up to and including killing the BBG. but now it stops well before that. hmm...

[jfraser]

Update!

 

I spent all day Saturday fighting with the CK to give me a book that would increment a quest when read. They have default scripts for this! But I could not get it to work, so the quest moves forward on someone's death instead.

 

I could have got so much more done! Grr! Arg!

 

 

[YaBoiTimathy]

So uuh i got the Forcegreet from Mallin but he doesn't say anything and there is no dialoge option availible. Maybe some mod conflict?

[jfraser]

4 hours ago, YaBoiTimathy said:

So uuh i got the Forcegreet from Mallin but he doesn't say anything and there is no dialoge option availible. Maybe some mod conflict?

 

Which beginning did you use?

[jfraser]

Never mind, it is broken for all of them. Now i remember why i stopped making mods. I did not change anything about that scene, all conditions are correct, there is no reason for the dialogue to be missing. so frustrating.

[jfraser]

Found the answer. In a three-year-old FO4 forum, of all places. Apparently all quest aliases need to be set to 'optional.' Why? i don't know. why did that suddenly matter when it was working fine before? i don't know. whatever the reason, it seems to work now. thanks for letting me know about it1

[DayTri]

2 hours ago, jfraser said:

Found the answer. In a three-year-old FO4 forum, of all places. Apparently all quest aliases need to be set to 'optional.' Why? i don't know. why did that suddenly matter when it was working fine before? i don't know. whatever the reason, it seems to work now. thanks for letting me know about it1

 

Is it possible you're setting the quest alias to something which is initially disabled, without checking "allow disabled"? If that is the problem setting the optional flag might not be a real fix, if it's allowing the quest to progress without the alias being filled.

[jfraser]

4 hours ago, DayTri said:

 

Is it possible you're setting the quest alias to something which is initially disabled, without checking "allow disabled"? If that is the problem setting the optional flag might not be a real fix, if it's allowing the quest to progress without the alias being filled.

Good thought but no - it was the alias thing. As soon as I set them to optional, it worked again.

[jfraser]

New for version 021025
Fixed yet more typos;
Cora will now talk to you (but I'm not sure you want to talk to her);
Vernon has been moved to the shore so he doesn't drown if you have removed the ice;
the vampire start should now work in Broken Fang Cave and Mara's Pond or whatever it is called;
hopefully Marmot will stay where he is instead of wandering down the road.

[InterruptingOctopus]

any chance to add support for content consumer's alternate starts? 
Theres an SE fork in this topic: 

 

[jfraser]

4 hours ago, InterruptingOctopus said:

any chance to add support for content consumer's alternate starts? 
Theres an SE fork in this topic: 

 

EtC is compatible inasmuch as you can fast travel to any of my start areas to use them. However, most of CC’s starts are ports to other SL mods, most of which are no longer functional. I might look at them at some point to see if there is a way to include some of them in a way that makes sense, but it won’t be until the rest is done. 

[xtro334]

11 hours ago, jfraser said:

New for version 021025
Fixed yet more typos;
Cora will now talk to you (but I'm not sure you want to talk to her);
Vernon has been moved to the shore so he doesn't drown if you have removed the ice;
the vampire start should now work in Broken Fang Cave and Mara's Pond or whatever it is called;
hopefully Marmot will stay where he is instead of wandering down the road.

 

Four other places for vampire start are Shriekwind Bastion, Moldering ruin, Haemar's cavern and Movarth's Lair

Edited February 11, 2025 by xtro334

[BigOnes69]

Almost missed this. i have been using Unbound for years and was surprised no one made any alternate starts for it. Will try on next play. Will you be giving permission for other people to add starts to this???

[jfraser]

3 hours ago, BigOnes69 said:

Almost missed this. i have been using Unbound for years and was surprised no one made any alternate starts for it. Will try on next play. Will you be giving permission for other people to add starts to this???

this doesn't include any starts of its own - it just adds little stories to some of the starts available via LAL (and, via fast travel, any other alternate start mods)

[jfraser]

3 hours ago, xtro334 said:

 

Four other places for vampire start are Shriekwind Bastion, Moldering ruin, Haemar's cavern and Movarth's Lair

oh, you are here too! XD

[xtro334]

7 hours ago, jfraser said:

oh, you are here too! XD

 

Yeah

 

Out of curiosity, did you intend to include some sexual solutions since you placed it here as well?

Guess that kind of content probably would be best to be added as a extra mod file in that case.

[jfraser]

1 hour ago, xtro334 said:

 

Yeah

 

Out of curiosity, did you intend to include some sexual solutions since you placed it here as well?

Guess that kind of content probably would be best to be added as a extra mod file in that case.

That was not part of the plan, no. I just post everything here because some people don't like nexus. 

 

Edit: also, last time I tried to add sex stuff, I could not get it to work.

Edited February 12, 2025 by jfraser

[jfraser]

Of course I could always add some sex along with making a dragon born storyline, but I also have the several other mods I need to update and expand upon so if I do any of that it will be some distant time in the future. 

[jfraser]

On 2/11/2025 at 3:44 PM, xtro334 said:

 

Yeah

 

Out of curiosity, did you intend to include some sexual solutions since you placed it here as well?

Guess that kind of content probably would be best to be added as a extra mod file in that case.

i take it back. i might have one LL-only scene after all.

[jfraser]

Very close to finishing the non-Dragonborn storyline. Just a couple nuisance bugs. I'll be asking for help for the denoement after this next release. 

[jfraser]

The Non-Dragonborn storyline is complete as of version 021925!

 

After you have played through it, if you want to help with the denouement, please let me know. 

 

 

[Blinder]

I've been having this mod in my load order, for as long as i remember myself playing Skyrim.
So glad you picked it up again!
You are doing awesome work! Thank you! ❤️