Heartwood Castle

If you're anything like me, you've long wanted a player home that felt secure and defensible (Skyrim is a great place for making enemies, after all) without being oversized or totally incompatible with Skyrim lore. A convenient safe haven where you can dump your wealth and urchins, without worrying that the Whiterun drunk will stumble in at 4 am and help himself to a Daedric artifact from a wall display. Grand and impressive without being a sprawling maze. A balance between aesthetics and utility.

If so, this could be the player home for you.

MAIN CHANGES FOR VERSION 2. 0

• []Four additional follower beds, for a total of either six (main version) or ten (alternative version), divided between the great hall and gatehouse

  []New area: postern gate that leads directly outside the bailey for a short-cut to the jetty

  []New area: gatehouse, with additional quarters and a bathing area (NPCs will automatically undress and dress on entering and leaving the baths)

  []The boat at the jetty will now take you to either Riften Stables, Riften Docks, or Ivarstead

  []Brunhild, the steward, will now be willing to sell you basic tavern supplies, plus a few ingredients and furs

  []Spare key in the gatehouse in case you do not wish to defeat the dragon, or in case it flees and takes the key with it

  OTHER FEATURES

  • []Acquired by a combination of bounty quest and purchase system

    []Room for a spouse, four children, and either six or ten followers

    []Depending on the version you choose, either two or six household staff and guards, each with their own daily routine

    []Open-plan great hall, with galleried quarters around the main feasting hall

    []Undercroft with forge, armoury, and postern gate to exterior

    []Gatehouse with additional quarters and baths (NPCs will automatically undress and dress on entering and leaving the baths)

    []Five mannequins and various weapon racks and plaques for displaying your gear

    []All the usual crafting stations and plenty of named and generic storage for flexibility

    []Bailey (courtyard) with a byre for a cow, goat, and two chickens, stabling for your horses (and a dog), fifty-odd hearthfire-style planters, and training dummies and archery targets (which the guards will use)

    []Roof terrace with scenic pool, fountain, and shrine to Kyne (with a special blessing)

    []Additional lore in the book on the desk

    []Interior and exterior fully navmeshed (of course)

    * There are two versions available: one with four guards (v 2. 0a), and one which dispenses with these in order to provide a greater number of beds for followers (v 2. 0b). Choose the one that best suits your needs from the Files page.

    I am not a completionist, and as I made this mod for one of my own playthroughs, I have