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MORROWIND - SMALL VVARDENFELL v1.1

Travelling the Easy Way

Created January 02, 2003


Table of Contents
-----------------

1. Introduction
2. Equipment and Abilities
3. Efficient Travel
4. Acknowledgements
5. Version information
6. Contact Information
7. Copyright Information


1. Introduction
---------------

A first-time player of Morrowind usually is overwhelmed by the vast size of the game world. Taking a first trip into the wilderness, getting lost, finding the goal only after searching for half an hour, all contribute to the feeling that this world is absolutely HUGE.

Well, it's bigger than most games offer (exceptions being other Bethesda games), but it is definitely not huge. It's not even large. It's just not TINY. "Small" is how I would characterize it.

Why, then, does it feel so big to first-time players? Simply because they haven't yet found efficient means of travel. Much of the game's "emotional size" comes from the fact that the roads between neighbouring cities are long and windy, even when the cities are fairly close to each other.

Judging other guides to Morrowind, even experienced players sometimes have problems finding efficient means of travelling. When I found I was able to reach even far-out places of the Morrowind world quickly, I felt it could be useful to other players to share my experiences.

This guide describes how to travel through Vvrardenfell efficiently. I think many experienced players will have discovered most if not all of the tactics described here. They may even know some tactics I haven't covered yet here. If so, I would appreciate hearing them. Contact information is found at the end of this guide.


2. Equipment and Abilities
--------------------------

You need some equipment and abilities to perform the fast travelling described in this guide. Specifically, you need the following:

- Boots of Blinding Speed
- 100% Magic Resistance
- Constant 3 points Restore Fatigue
- Constant 1 point Levitate ring or amulet
- Master Propylon index
- Mark and Recall spells
- Divine and Almsivi Intervention spells
- The Vvardenfell map
- An interactive map

The following sections are dedicated to those items of equipment, how to get them, and alternatives in case you don't have them yet (in the early game stages, for instance).

2.1 Boots of Blinding Speed
---------------------------

The Boots of Blinding Speed are found on Pemenie the Trader, who is found on the road from Caldera to Ald'Ruhn. She is close to the spot where you meet the naked barbarian who is seeking the witch that stole his magic axe. You can kill Pemenie to get the boots, or do a small quest for her and receive them as a reward. Killing her is not such a big deal, since there is a bounty on her head anyway (though she might prove to be a tough opponent for low-level characters).

The Boots of Blinding Speed have the following constant effects: 100% Blind on
Self and Fortify Speed 200 points on Self. The speed increase makes travel on foot a breeze, even in walking mode, let alone in running mode. However, 100%
Blind makes you do this in complete darkness. Unless you have...

2.2 100% Magic Resistance
-------------------------

100% Magic Resistance makes you forego the bad effects of spells, potions, ingredients and magic items for 100%. That means, if you put on the Boots of
Blinding Speed while you have 100% Magic Resistance, you get the 200 points
Speed Increase without any of the Blinding effect! Even when the Magic
Resistance wears off, as long as you keep the boots on, you won't be blinded. I put them on once and never took them off again.

Best is to have 100% Magic Restance at all times. For instance, if you play a
Breton (a popular choice) you already have 50% natural Magic Restance. Get the
Cuirass of the Savior's Hide (in Tel Fyr, in a locked chest in the room of
Divayth Fyr) for another 60%.

If you don't have 100% constant Magic Resistance, spells or potions can give you the resistance for the short time it is needed. Or, if you can only get, for instance, 50% magic resistance, you can spend your time partly in the dark while you are travelling.

Notice that, while the effect of potions stacks, you cannot cast the same spell several times to stack an effect (neither from memory nor from an enchanted item). So if you have a 5 second 50% Magic Resistance spell, you cannot cast it twice to get 100%. However, you can create a second spell with a different name with the same effect, and these two spells WILL stack. So, as soon as you have bought a spell that gives Magic Resistance, go to a spellmaker and create several Magic Resistance spells which you are able to cast with reasonable success. You can skimp on duration, as long as the magnitude is big enough.

2.3 Constant 3 Points Restore Fatigue
-------------------------------------

When you wear an item that restores your fatigue constantly for about 3 points, you can run everywhere without getting tired. This makes the Boots of Blinding
Speed even more useful. I enchanted a Glass Helm for these 3 points, but there are many other possibilities.

If you don't have such an item, don't worry, it's not absolutely needed and you will probably get something like it later in the game. Just make sure you interchange walking with running, so your Fatigue level will always be over
50%, or carry Restore Fatigue potions with you. If you are an accomplished alchemist, these potions are cheap and easy to make.

2.4 Constant 1 Point Levitate Ring or Amulet
--------------------------------------------

While running with a 200 point Speed Increase is a pretty fast way to get around, having to go AROUND mountains that are too steep to climb takes excessively long. Just fly over them! An expensive ring can be enchanted with a constant 1 point Levitate. This allows you to fly over all obstacles, avoid enemies (except those annoying Cliff Racers), avoid the need for swimming or water walking, and is a great way to scout.

I recommend enchanting a ring or amulet with this effect and not your armour, because you don't want to fly always. Flying inside buildings often gets you stuck, and you cannot sneak while flying. A ring or amulet is easily taken off, while you usually want to keep your armour on.

You can enchant an exquisite ring for a constant 8 points Levitate, but frankly, I don't notice any difference between a constant 1 point or 8 points
Levitate, and 8 points is a lot more expensive. I believe 8 points Levitate lets you fly faster than 1 point, but wearing the Boots of Blinding Speed increases your speed significantly more.

As long as you don't have the money or the Golden Saint soul to create a constant effect item, you can enchant an expensive ring with 106 seconds of 1 point Levitate. This will be enough to do most trips, and is easily recast if the trip takes longer.

If a 106 second Levitate is too expensive for you, make it a 10 second 1 point
Levitate. It's cheap, and at least it'll get you over the mountains. Such a short Levitate is a good thing to keep alongside the long Levitate anyway, because there are many moments in the game where you want to levitate for only a few seconds, for instance to cross a chasm, after which you want to sneak again and thus must get rid of the levitation effect. A constant effect
Levitate you can just take off, but a timed Levitate has to wear off, which can be a bore.

2.5 Master Propylon Index
-------------------------

The Master Propylon Index was introduced in an official plug-in by Bethesda (www.morrowind.com). While the ten propylon indexes already existed in the game, the Master index combines them into one coherent whole (not for the
XBox, obviously, but that's what you get when you go for console gaming).

The ten propylon indexes allow you to travel between the Propylon chambers of ten Dunmer strongholds. Each chamber links to two of the other chambers. With ten indexes, this allows you to travel to any of the strongholds if you are at one of them. However, the Master index changes that. With the Master index, you travel from the Caldera mage's guild to any of the ten Propylon chambers and from them back again to Caldera. Since without the Master index it's a pain to reach one of the Propylon chambers by normal travel and since even with all ten indexes it may take up to five jumps to get to the chamber you wish to reach, the Master index makes the chambers much more useful. A final advantage of the
Master index is that you don't have to carry the ten pretty heavy separate indexes around with you.

The Master index is particularly useful to get to several places that are far away from other fast travel opportunities. For instance, Urshilaku Camp, which you have to visit quite often during the main quest, is pretty far from the nearest town, but very close to the Valenvaryon stronghold (note that you have to fight four big Orcs when you leave the Valenvaryon Propylon chamber, so be prepared).

To get the Master index, gather the ten propylon indexes and bring them to
Folms Mirel in the Caldera mages guild. He'll give you the Master index, and becomes a travel agent to the ten Propylon chambers of the Dunmer strongholds.

Gathering the indexes is quite a bit of work. Folms Mirel asks you for them one at a time, and tells you the location of the next one, but it is easier to get them in the order of your choice, and deliver the whole bunch to him in one go. That way, you can also use them for your own purpose until you get all ten of them.

The indexes are found in the following places:

Andasreth: Owned by Brilnosu Llarys who lives in the dome of the Hlormaren stronghold. The index lies on a shelf in the dome chamber.

Berandas: Owned by Baladas Demnevanni in the Arvs Drelen Tower of Gnisis. He'll give it to you if you ask him, or you can steal it off the shelf in his dome.

Falasmaryon: Lying next to the rock shrine in the Temple of Maar Gan. You cannot buy it, so you must steal it (maybe if your Speechcraft skill is high enough, you can convince the owner to part with it, but I didn't manage to do that).

Falensarano: Found in the Lost Galleries of the Maelkashishi Daedric shrine on the western edge of the mountains west of Maar Gan. There are two entrances in the shrine, of which the upper one goes immediately into the Lost Galleries. To get the index without having to bother about fighting high-level enemies, take the upper entrance, and fly over the chasm to the ledge at the other end. The index lies next to the corpse found there. Don't forget to take the Daedric Bow while you're there.

Hlormaren: On the windowstill of Irgola the Pawnbroker in Caldera. You can buy it from him or steal it.

Indoranyon: Owned by Divayth Fyr, the Master Wizard of Tel Fyr. He'll give it to you if you ask for it, or you can steal it off the table next to him.

Marandus: In St. Olms Temple in Vivec, lying between two crates in the storeroom where two rats attack you. Look closely, it's easy to miss. A Light or Night Eye spell may help to find it.

Rotheran: Carried by Rols Ienith, who lives in the Communal Hut on top of the
Rotheran stronghold. Kill him to get it.

Telasero: Found in Telasero, the Dunmer stronghold between Suran and Molag Mar.
This is the most difficult index to get. To get it without fighting at least a couple of Dreamers is nigh impossible, but you can try to get by with stealth or invisibility. Find your way to the lower level and search the right trough facing from the entrance, which is filled with all kinds of stuff. The index is there.

Valenvaryon: Owned by Nibani Maesa, the Wise Woman in the Urshilaku Camp. You can buy it from her or steal it from the table next to her. Do not tick her off because she is an important NPC for the main quest.

2.6 Mark and Recall Spells
--------------------------

Mark marks a single location in the game. Recall takes you immediately to that location. You can buy the spells in several locations early in the game (don't worry, you'll enounter them soon enough), and you can also find Recall amulets