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ATTENTION! MUST READ OR YOU CAN BREAK THIS QUEST!
During this quest make sure you take all of the armor off of the draugr corpse on the embalming tables ONE CORPSE AT A TIME as the quest updates! Be sure to follow the quest markers exactly, each of the three times.
DO NOT LOOT THESE CORPSES OUT OF TURN BEFORE THE QUEST ASKS YOU TO!
If you don't follow the markers exactly, it will destroy the entire CVR questline. You'll be stuck. Unfortunately, I scattered these armors around this area. If one picks those armors up and uses them on the embalming tables out of turn with the quest, big trouble.
Fix: (if you do happen to loot these corpses out of quest than you MUST load a save prior to doing so)
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Fortify Volkihar is a quest added by Castle Volkihar Redux. The purpose of this quest is to create three new guards, re-decorate the catacombs and to find the portal to the Forgotten Vale.
Description
Becomes available after the Dragonborn completes Releasing the Coven and has gone outside to the Volkihar Docks. During this quest, the Dragonborn will create three Draugr Castle Guards. Two of the guards will now patrol the Daedric South Tower and the last guard will patrol the Volkihar Undercroft.
The Dragonborn must place Armor of Service into three large embalming tables. Which will create three new guards that will begin patrol paths in the new Daedric South Tower. This quest also shows how to enable the portal to the Forgotten Vale and how to clean and decorate the Master Throne Wing's catacombs. The last objective requires the Dragonborn to toggle an activator that decorates the catacombs main foyer.
Rewards
*Three new Draugr Castle Gaurds
*Ability to redecorate the catacombs
*Access to the Forgotten Vale portal
QUEST STAGES
Console name: CleanerFortifyVolkihar
0 You've grown Castle Volkihar, now it is time to bolster the guards.
10 Use the "Table of Draugr Creation" to create a guard who will patrol the "Daedric South Tower".
20 Talk to the guard and awaken him.
30 Create another guard to be a lookout on the new outer tower. Loot a full set of "Armor of Service" from the corpse.
40 Use the "Table of Draugr Creation" to create another guard.
50 Talk to the guard and awaken him.
60 Loot a full set of "Armor of Service" from the corpse.
70 Use the "Table of Draugr Creation" to create a guard who will patrol the "Undercroft Market".
80 Talk to the guard and awaken her.
90 Activate the Forgotten Vale portal.
100 Use the tapestries and supplies to clean and decorate the Catacombs.
110 Castle Volkihar has been fortified.
Bugs:
This quest was originally designed to allow the addition of all the guards to the castle. However there were some issues with the scripts in that quest so it was minimized to only three additional guards who populate the Forgotten Tower (South Tower). Hence, one can find many sets of the "Armor of Service" that can still be used on the altars with no effect but the permanent loss of said armors. The armors are useless in any other capacity.
Location
This quest is automatically initiated when the Dragonborn enters the external or internal cells of Windhelm.
Description
This quest is not available until the Dragonborn opens up the housing area of Windhelm through the Skyrim quest Blood on the Ice. After that, one must exit and enter Windhelm to initiate this CVR quest. This home comes with a coffin, a Blood Bucket and a chest for safe storage.
If one becomes a vampire at the early stages of playing Skyrim it can be extremely challenging to stay alive. That is why this house was added by CVR.
Rewards:
*Receive access to an Abandoned House in Windhelm with all the basic vampire needs.
Backround
The abandoned house sit's untouched because it is famed as haunted by the locals. An entire family was murdered in the house decades ago and ghosts were rumored to have been seen in the windows. In this case there are no ghosts. What people actually caught glimpses of were feral vampires making themselves at home in this location.
Due to other recent murders by the butcher (this is referencing the murders of the Skyrim quest Blood on the Ice) a guard was sent to investigate and see if the killer might be hold up in the abandoned house. The guard was never heard from again. The guards bloodless husk of a corpse can be found near a storage chest inside the abandoned house.
Just the Bare Necessities of Life is a quest added by Castle Volkihar Redux. The purpose of this quest is to make the Dragonborn aware of a fledgling vampire starter home available in Windhelm known as the Abandoned House.
QUEST STAGES
Console name: CleanerAbandonedHouse
0 An abandoned house, let's go inside.
10 A free hideout for two. Nice.
Keep em coming is a quest added by Castle Volkihar Redux. The purpose of this quest is to reward the Dragonborn with an endless supply of thralls and bring two new creature companions into the fold.
Location
This quest is given by the Volkihar vampire known as Dexternus. He moves down from his original location in the torture chamber of Valerica's Tower to the Master Throne Wing when this quest is enabled. He can be found in the small vampire cattle dungeon in the Catacombs.
Description
Becomes available after the Dragonborn completes the Castle Volkihar Redux quest The Forgotten Tower and has moved into the Master Throne Wing. This quest populates some vampire cattle to feed on as well as two new creature companions.
After completing this quest a lever appears just outside the cattle dungeon gate that will spawn an endless supply of vampire cattle with each pull. Please note the bugs section relating to this lever below.
This quest also gives the Dragonborn two essential Elite Death Hounds that cannot be killed. Their names are Cherub and Torimar. They are much faster and do three times the damage of a normal Death Hound.
Rewards
*Unlimited supply of vampire cattle
*Two new Elite Death Hounds
Background
With all the new vampires being added to the Volkihar clan, vampire cattle were in short supply. Putting together hunting parties and venturing out into populated areas was becoming increasingly risky. Above all other things vampires cannot risk being discovered. Many meetings have taken place regarding this issue until a solution recently presented itself. That solution was Dexternus who was a serial killer in his human life. Dexternus was originally observed by the vampires when they were out hunting human's as prey. The hunting party of vampires stumbled upon him by accident and after following him became intrigued by his uncanny and methodical ability to capture and detain victims without detection.
Because he was someone who already had acutely refined skills hunting human's, he was an obvious candidate to be invited to be given the dark gift and to join the Volkihar Clan. His payment for immortality is rounding up plenty of vampire cattle for the clan.
Dexternus would later prove to be the best at vampire cattle procurement that ever existed. He has also had an incredible knack for bottling potions of blood. This talent would later be tapped to make said potions for the new Volkihar Real Blood brand.
QUEST STAGES
Console name: CleanerThralls
0 Talk to Dexternus about keeping a fresh supply of thralls coming into the castle.
10 Dexternus has captured some thralls. If you need more thralls, pull the lever next to the cage.
20 Dexternus wants guard dogs to patrol the thrall enclosure.
30 The castle now has a steady flow of well guarded new thralls for the eating.
Bugs:
Although this really isn't a bug, it might cause someone angst if they don't figure it out.
After getting the dogs from stage 20 one must step out of the thrall enclosure outside the big double doors, then step back in for the final stage of of "Keep em coming" (stage 30) to engage.
If you are having issues with followers in the castle not working right please see the FAQ here: http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/129969995/846966336549220989/#c846966336549568886
It's Good to be King is a quest added by Castle Volkihar Redux mod. It becomes available when the Dragonborn has completed the Dawnguard quest Kindred Judgement.
Location
When the Dragonborn has completed Kindred Judgement and has exited the Volkihar Keep / Guild Hall the quest It's Good to be King will be initiated.
Description
After sitting in his rightful throne gargoyles attack the Dragonborn. Once the gargoyle enemies are dispatched a quest marker will point to the quest giver named Theoden who will explain everything and move the Dragonborn to the next phase of this quest.
Theoden is found in Valerica's Tower in the Volkihar Tavern sitting in a chair. The Dragonborn must then take a small ferry boat from the Volkihar Docks to Gargoyle Point. Once there one must then go through a very large stone door adorned with carvings of gargoyles.
After making one's way through the Gargoyle Lair Entrance, another door is found on the upper level of this dungeon that goes to the Gargoyle King's Lair. After dispatching some enemies, looting some chests and solving a few short puzzles the Dragonborn must defeat the Gargoyle King. Placing a key back where it was found completes the quest. Completing the quest opens a new area of this dungeon allowing access to a secret brick wall door. Completing this quest also spawns a broom that clears all cobwebs and debris from this dungeon. The broom is found in the lower kitchens of this level inside a closet with a wooden door.
It is recommended that the Dragonborn takes the key back into inventory after completing this final stage of the quest because it is needed to open a secret brick wall door to the Volkihar Undercroft.
Rewards
*Gargoyle King's Weapons. Two blue ember fire swords (do not drop these from inventory!)
*Gargoyle followers now populate the castle where Gargoyle statues use to be. They look like they are statues, but if you walk up and interact with them they will follow you.
*A secret door is unlocked in the Gargoyle level that allows fast passage to the Undercroft (an entire wall is removed revealing a room with large vat's for brewing ale). On that same wall is a locked door. use the key from the viscous material to open it.
Backround
Gargoyles will attack the Dragonborn when he claims his throne because Harkon no longer controls them through the pact with the Gargoyle King. The pact requires trial by combat. Every new owner of Castle Volkihar must subdue the Gargoyle King to command the gargoyle army.
The gargoyle army was already habitating cave systems on Volkihar island prior to the castle being built millions of years ago. The pact was created when Castle Volkihar was built. The original builders of Castle Volkihar worshipped Molag Bal and leveraged his gift known as the The Gargoyle Kings Weapons to control them.
QUEST STAGES
Console name: CleanerGargoyleKing
Starts after completing Kindred Judgement and exiting the Guild Gall
5 What is a king without his army? Ponder this on your new throne.
10 Gargoyles attacked in force! Talk to Theoden and see if he can shed some light on this.
20 Use the small rowboat at the shipyard and enter the lair of the "Gargoyle King" hidden deep beneath Castle Volkihar.
30 Find the key to the King of Gargoyles lair.
40 The Gargoyle army now stands between you and your final goal. Destroy the Stone Guardians.
45 One down and one to go. Destroy the final Stone Guardian.
50 You've triumphed over the Stone Guardians! Now you are well equipped to take on the final fight.
60 Now it is time! Conquer "The King of Gargoyles" and claim his army for your own!
65 The final prize is yours. You are now King of the Gargoyles. Get the key you used on the Gargoyle King's portcullis door that is still inside the viscous material
70 Put the key back into the viscous material where you originally found it. This will open a secret passage to the undercroft.
80 Go to the Volkihar Undercroft using the secret passage.
90 You are now in command of the Gargoyle Army. Gargoyles will now be under your command throughout Castle Volkihar.
Bugs
If the Dragonborn has already completed Kindred Judgement prior to installing Castle Volkihar Redux and the last save was inside the castle it will be necessary to enter and exit the Guild Hall to initiate this quest.
Gargoyle enemies that attack when sitting on the throne during this quest will unfortunately re-spawn every couple of weeks. More on why here on the FAQ . There is no fix for this until there is a new release.
If you are having issues with followers in the castle not working right please see the FAQ here: http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/129969995/846966336549220989/#c846966336549568886
Port of Call is a quest added by Castle Volkihar Redux. It's purpose is to reward the Dragonborn with upgrades to the Volkihar Docks, a new follow ready merchant companion and to provide a new source of income.
Location
The quest giver, Louis Du Point du Lac is located on the Volkihar Docks near the smithing area and sometimes spends time selling his wares at a booth inside the Volkihar Undercroft.
This quest does not become available until the quest Releasing the Coven has been completed. The Dragonborn must then move in and out of the castle's interior to the exterior of the castle.
Description
Allows the upgrade of the Volkihar Docks to a port of call giving the Dragonborn a new way to earn gold.
Three characters added by CVR are involved with this quest. Louis du Point De Laq, Dexternus and Captain Wheeler. Louis de Pointe du Lac is the new black smith vendor who wants to upgrade the Volkihar Docks. Dexternus is recruited to begin bottling the ficticious product Volkihar Real Blood. When this quest is completed, Captain Wheeler will begin selling Volkihar real blood across Skyrim and bring a monthly stipend of gold to the Dragonborn.
Rewards
*Upgraded shipyard (new banners, signs, pictures and clutter on the docks)
*A helm is added to the main ship docked in the port. It offers four destinations.
*Follow ready merchant vampire companion (
*Monthly income ($5,500)
Backround
After many ages of being in a state of disrepair, Castle Volkihar is being restored by the Dragonborn's new influence over the Volkihar Clan. The Volkihar Docks are no acceptation.
Prior to the Volkihar family being turned into vampires and Harkon's harsh rise to power, the Volkihar Docks were the main source of income for the Volkihar family. In it's hay day it was a bustling port of call.
Beside being the main hub in the northern sea in Tamriel, the castle was revered as a warm safe haven for hundreds of merchants and shipping lines to trade their wares. It was also a renowned location for entertainment and lodging.
Not long after the Volkihar family became vampires the Volkihar Docks were still being visited by patrons. Due to being new vampires they could not control their unquenchable thirst for blood and would immediately descend upon anyone who docked their ships in the Volkihar Port.
On more than a few occasions sailors would either witness the cannibalistic nature of the vampires taking place or fight their way back to their ship's to flee. Knowledge of their dark gift could not be left to spread for fear of being destroyed by the human population. And so many battles would take place in the waters surrounding the port. Remnants of these fierce struggles for life that ended in death can be found strewn at the bottom of of the Volkihar bay.
QUEST STAGES
Console name: Cleanerlightbonfire
5 Castle Volkihar needs an income and a way to attract new pray. Speak with Louis about upgrading the shipyard into a "Port of Call".
10 Tell Dexternus he must ramp up his efforts to make blood potions for distribution to vampires across Skyrim.
20 Light the Bon fire in the Castle Volkihar Shipyard. This will bring Captain Wheeler to port.
30 Talk to Captain Wheeler at the Volkihar Shipyard about having him distribute sell the blood potions made by Dexter.
40 The Volkihar Shipyard has been upgraded to a "Port of Call". You have also set up a production and sales channel for a monthly income. Be sure to check back with Captain Wheeler every 30 days to collect your profits.
Don't forget to use your quest markers!
Releasing the Coven is a quest in the Castle Volkihar Redux mod.
Location
This quest is located inside a new tower inside Castle Volkihar named the Master Throne Wing. As soon as the Dragonborn travels to the exterior of the castle's island, the quest should begin.
Description
Releasing the Coven becomes available once the quest Kindred Judgement is completed and Auriel's Bow has been acquired. The Dragonborn must travel to Castle Volkihar before the quest will trigger.
This quest opens up a new area known as the Volkihar Catacombs. The Catacombs are inside the Master Throne Wing and can only be accessed through a false cabinet with a key given to the Dragonborn during this quest.
This quest adds armor and follow ready companions to Skyrim. A list of these companions can be found here under Brunar's coven.
Rewards
*Four new vampire followers
*Access to the catacombs
*Access to a portal to the vale
*Heavily enchanted vampire armor on Brunar's corpse
Backround
Prior to Harkon's rule of the Volkihar Clan he had an older brother named Brunar. After Molag Bal made the Volkihar family vampires, a power struggle insued. Harkon built an army by giving the dark gift to massive amounts of people. His sheer strength in numbers turned the tides of the war between brothers.
Brunar and his clan retreated to the ancient family burial catacombs where they were sealed in by Harkon's powerful magical enchantment. Not long after these events Valerica hid Serana in a sarcophagus inside Dimhollow Crypt and retreated to the Soul Cairn.
QUEST STAGES
Console name: CleanerWTFHappenedHere
20 Get the key to the locked cabinet.
25 Open the locked cabinet and dispel the magic barrier.
35 Why was this wing of the castle sealed? Find the journal and read it.
40 The trapped vampires can now be released and will be under your rule (open the coffin and awaken).
50 You have expanded your empire with four very ancient and powerful vampires.
The Forgotten Tower is a quest added by Castle Volkihar Redux. The quest rewards the Dragonborn with a new tower added to the castle.
Location
This quest starts inside the Master Throne Wing's Catacombs and ends in the Daedric South Tower.
Description
A book named Report: Forgotten Tower is given to the Dragonborn by Irarak which initiates this quest. This quest does not becomes available until the Dragonborn completes the CVR quests Releasing the Coven and Port of Call and has moved into the Master Throne Wing. This quest opens up a new tower in the castle, the Daedric South Tower. The tower has daedric and aedric artifact displays as well as many glass weapon display cases, weapon racks and mannequins.
The picture in the infobox on this page shows the Altar of Namira with the Ring of Namria inserted into it. Once the ring is inserted it gives a unique spider companion known as Namira's Gift. This altar serves as the gateway for the Wizard Anigo Montoya's soul. Originally his body was placed here so that he would suffer eternity in the realm of Namira.
Rewards
*An entirely new tower filled with unique displays for Daedric and Aedric artifacts
*Possible access to Namira's Gift (dependant on prior choices in the skyrm quest The Taste of Death)
*Access to two new Balconies
*Use of many new mannequins
*Use of many new glass weapon display cases
*Use of a few new weapon racks
*Use of Edler Scroll displays
*A new teleporter becomes available
Backround
Prior to the time Harkon and his army ruled the castle, there was a Daedric Tower where magical trophies were displayed. One of the trophies was the body of a powerful wizard of whom hunted the Volkihar Clan because they had eaten his entire family.
Due to the wizards amazing powers he was still able to summon Namira's shadowy powers and minions forth into the tower even after his death. Because of this the entire castle was almost lost. So the portal to the Daedric South Tower was bricked up and magically sealed away by Irarak.
The Dragonborn must dispatch all of the enemy creatures inside of the Daedric South Tower to claim it as the final reward from this quest.
QUEST STAGES
Console name: CleanerDaedricTower
0 Irarak has some very interesting news, find him and get the "Report: Forgotten Tower".
10 Read the "Report: Forgotten Tower". The story of the Daedric South Tower is told.
20 Find and dismantle the barricaded entrance to the Daedric South Tower.
30 Destroy all creatures inside the Daedric South Tower and cast an "Ice Rune" over the wizards corpse.
40 Get the key to the utility closet from the Wizard's corpse.
50 Clean out all the spider webs, eggs and debris by using the magic broom.
60 The Daedric South Tower is now a part of Castle Volkihar once more.
The Scent of Old Death is a quest added by Castle Volkihar Redux.
Location
The new cells associated with this quest are located inside the city of Solitude. The quest begins as soon as the Dragonborn enters Solitude and will give a quest marker to a manhole cover just outside the back door of Erikur's House.
The Secret Sewer has three external manhole cover's on the street near Erikur's house and Proudspire Manor.
There is also a secret entrance located inside a downed tree's stump. It is heavily obscured by fauna making it extremely difficult to locate. The hidden downed tree entrance is due east on the road from the Solitude Docks, just below Solitude nestled in an alcove under an over hanging cliff.
Except for the manhole cover outside Erikur's house, all entrances need a key to open. That key is given to the Dragonborn at the end of this quest.
Description
This quest becomes available after the Dragonborn has moved into external Solitude cells, or from fast traveling inside the city.
The entire quest takes place inside the Secret Sewer of Solitude. The Dragon born must dispatch six feral vampires and four skeevers while being lead through the lair by quest objectives. At the end of this quest the Dragonborn is rewarded with a full service vampire lair equipped with everything a starting vampire needs.
Rewards
*An underground vampire lair player home
*Secret passages in/out of the city
*New access to city through several sewer doors (helps with stealthy midnight snacks)
*A few thralls (try not to over drink, these thralls do not respawn very quickly if at all)
Quest Stages
Console name: CleanerSolitudeSewers
0 Your sharp nose detects the slight hint of a scent reminiscent of old death. You should investigate further as there is probably a vampire coven safehouse somewhere nearby.
5 Carefully investigate the secret lair, who knows what lurks inside!
10 What utility would this secret lair offer a vampire?
20 Explore further and see what you can find laying around.
30 You've found a key. Search around and see what it goes to.
40 You've found a secret hatch on the ceiling! This must be what that key is for. You are now the proud owner of a secret lair in Solitude.
Bugs
If the Dragonborn gains entry to Teleport Tower West which is added by Castle Volkihar Redux, it is possible to teleport into the Secret Sewer before triggering the quest by entering Solitude. To fix this bug, the Dragonborn must climb out of the manhole cover to Solitude to kick off the quest
This is the one and only part of this mod that makes this CVR mod not compatible with Open Cities mod. Apparently the doors to the sewer somehow conflict. More information on this conflict should be read about on Open Cities mod page as a whole FAQ is listed there
This subject is almost one of the most important about using mods with Skyrim. It touches upon the fact that when installing mods, eventually there is going to be a conflict that will eventually corrupt your save, cause CTD's or other strange behavior as the modified conflicting code of two different mods eventually spiral out of control.
Most mod authors who create mods do not fully understand software development and the how the Skyrim game engine relies on things they change when making mods. Some mod authors change original Skyrim scripts, objects or NPC's. When you install yet another mod that relies on the original mod file it might break your game save or cause other strange glitchy issues.
Load order can sometimes remedy these conflicts between mods. The last mod to be loaded trumps the other mods loaded before it. Move mods to the bottom of the load list to make them trump the others.
To change load order, open up skyrim to the initial splash screen;
Play
Options
Data Files <--------- click this option to edit yoru mod load order
Tech Support
Exit
You can then move mod load order by highlighting the mod you want to move up or down in order by using the arrows at the bottom of the load order window.
As seen here: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/582448895995345540/B7F142C6F46259424EB1D53354C61E9E4BD6120F/
All of the Skyrim master files such as Skyrim, Dawnguard, Hearthfires and Dragonborn must always remain at the top of the load list. Anything below them will overwrite and change those. Which is what you want.
If you are having issues with conflicting mods you can try experimenting with load order. Caviat is that you'll have to load a game save from before you installed any mods to see which load order works. Otherwise your game save will stop you from seeing the changes.
LOCATION:
Two chests contain one sword each inside the Gargoyle King's Lair. These chests can only be found during the quest It's Good to be King.
INFORMATION
Although these swords are etheral, they are not learned from a spell tome like bound weapons. Once found by the Dragonborn they are kept in inventory. They are enchanted with shock, fire and frost at 25% intensity. They are not extremely over powered, but are still powerful and could be used to defeat the Gargoyle King and his guards.
Because they are etheral they do not possess any additional base weapon damage. That being said, any foe with resistance to all three schools of magic might be somewhat impervious to damage from these swords.
DESCRIPTION
Both swords are identical except one is for the right hand and the other is for the left. They are both transparent by 50% and are red in color with a lick of blue flame flowing over them.
LORE
Although it is believed that Molag Bal created these swords in his realm of Coldharbour with the specific purpose of helping the Volkihar Clan subdue a very powerful daedric entity known as the Gargoyle King, it is unlikely.
Their origins are disputed because these etheral swords were crafted with an ancient magic specifically made for men to wield in battle against Daedra. Because of this fact, some believe they were actually crafted in Mundus by Et'Ada with ties to Lorkhan (the hero and patron of men who tricked the Et'Ada) or possibly even Vivec.
BUGS
Since the swords are etheral, do not attempt to put them in a display or drop them as they will turn completely invisible. They can still be picked up again if you can find them
CASTLE NPC's DO NOT RESPOND - WON'T STOP FOLLOWING - MOD COMPATIBILITY
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First check to see if you have an animal follower that got lost or the game got confused if you had one. Using the following command in console should reveal 0 if you have no followers and 1 If you do have one:
Show playeranimalcount
If it comes back with a 1 than use the next console command:
Set playeranimalcount to 0
====================================================
REASON THIS HAPPENS:
You have another mod installed that conflicts with this one. You have some kind of mod installed that changes NPC's/Followers. Mods that allow for more NPC's to follow you or a mod that has altered the games main follower coding (scripts) may cause these issues.CLICK ON THIS LINK TO FIX THIS ISSUE:
http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/129969995/846966336549220989/#c846966336549568886
DETAILS ABOUT THIS ISSUE:
installing mods that change original Skyrim objects, scripts or variables that the game itself and other mods rely on will cause major problems. There is not a question of if it will break your game save but when.
For instance, mods that allow you to add more than the allotted two followers at a time change the games original scripts that control follower NPC's. Skyrim was not designed to have more than two followers (one animal and one person).
When a mod changes original scripts and files that the base game and other mods rely on it will cause bugs and sometimes eventual crashes to desktop.
When using modifications of you PC games one has to choose which mods to use based on their side effects with other mods or even Skyrim itself. The fact is eventually your Skyrim game save will be compromised by mods that change original game files.
That is why Castle Volkihar Redux mod DOES NOT MODIFY VANILLA GAME SCRIPTS! If I want to change something, I make a copy, rename it differently, viola, no problems with other mods. Remember, mods are made by amateurs, many do not understand "dependencies" in a technical manor. This means most of the mods you download are going to cause some kind of issue sooner or later.
Mod authors are supposed to make a copy of files, rename them and then make their changes. Mods that change the original game are guaranteed to cause problems at some point later on. It will seem random or will not appear until a mod is installed that relies on the changed original files.
This mod relies on the original scripts for NPC's. If you install a mod that changes you will experience a conflict. Luckily in this case it's not game breaking but you'll be unable to get rid of my NPCs. Fortunately there is a work around. 100's of subscribers have tested this for me. Follow the link recommended in this answer above ^
Sorry but no. This mod is exclusive to steam. Keep in mind that Bethesda designed Skyrim to be downloaded and maintained from Steam. There are reasons for that. Namely security and integrity. I am not sure why ANYONE would want to use anything else because steam is secure and so easy to use.
From my experience 99.9% of the time people only want a direct download because they have pirated versions of Skyrim. I support Bethesda so I like it only being on Steam.