» Thu Aug 13, 2015 3:05 pm Unlike many, I've always liked Morrowind's Medium Armor. I think having an in-between option for personal protection makes a lot of sense, and while it was rather undeveloped balance-wise, one or two mods is all it takes to fix that. I think removing it entirely from subsequent games was giving up too easily, boiling down armor to a binary choice with zero incentive to mix and match. Not to mention, Medium armor has some of the coolest looking equipment in the game, like Bonemold and Indoril. However, one way in which Medium Armor definitely got the shaft was in the acquisition of its penultimate artefact: the Ebony Mail.
It's never made sense to me that you have to become the Patriarch of the Tribunal Temple to acquire it. Medium Armor is not one of the Temple's favored skills, so what use would it be to a priest-type character the questline is tailored for? I do recall there being a lore reason for it, but I don't remember what it was. I only ever progressed that far in the Temple once. Which is kinda my point. Of all the factions in the game, I think it makes the least amount of roleplaying sense for an Outlander to become the spiritual leader of the traditional Dunmer religion(Especially with how much of that religion's dark secrets are tied up in the main plot). It also seems a little random to me from a design standpoint. I can only of one other instance where you have to become head of a faction in order to acquire the undisputed best example of a particular piece of equipment, and that's the Skeleton Key. And really, if you get that far in the Thieves Guild, you'll never need to use it, so it doesn't really count. Who here has ever made extensive use of the Ebony Mail in a game? There are just so many factors stacked against it and plenty of options that are just as good and much easier to acquire, I'd be willing to bet it's a very small number. And it's a shame, because it's a very snazzy looking armor with a handy enchantment, worthy of the Nerevarine. So I've been knocking around ideas for an alternate way of acquiring it, and I would love some input.
Probably the simplest method would be to just drop it in as loot at the end of a particularly challenging dungeon that otherwise wouldn't give a lot of payoff. A little cheap perhaps, but the Dragonbone Cuirass does provide something of a precedent. I'm also still a noob with the CS, and adding a container and contents is about as advanced as I'm capable of. Any suggestions on a particular dungeon?
The second idea I had would be far beyond my skill, but perhaps a lot of fun; make it something of an extension to Boethiah's quest. Maybe after the statue at Khartag Point is complete and you acquire Goldbrand, you can activate the shrine again, and Boethiah sends you out to kill a particular boss-monster with it(similar to the Fork of Horripilation), to spread the fame of the new shrine. Once that's completed, you will then receive the Ebony Mail.
