Online:Cut Content/Grahtwood

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Quests and content in Grahtwood went through some major changes during development.

• The antagonist of the Grahtwood quest line would have been an Imperial Daedric priest called Vonov Sarturus. He would have hastily trained the Imperial troops responsible for the Haventown attack—not Jackdaw Pirates as in the final release—to be Daedraphiles. You would have cleared the city with a member of the Khajiit Warrior Guard named Warmaster Rahira who would be worried at not finding Vonov's body despite witnessing his demise.
• Aldmeri reinforcements stabilized Razorvine Refuge and slowly reclaim Haven.
• Later he killed the Treethane of Southpoint and stole an ancient relic. Vonov set up magical wards around the town tied to the illusion magic he cast inside the town's cathedral.
• The Blacksap Bosmer were a lot more antagonistic; allying with Imperial forces and Molag Bal's cultists to be rid of the Dominion. They would have used Daedric magic to create lurchers and wielded Imperial weaponry.

Bonebarrows

• The Bonebarrow was guarded by King Faume Toad-Eye. You would have had to place decapitated bonesnatcher heads upon his grave to summon him. Imperial soldiers were seen carrying bones from the Bonebarrow to Haventown in order to build an Infernal Device but were not attacked by skeletons. Priestess Fleile sent one of her personal guards, Golleon.
• The Imperial soldiers were actually zombies disguised by illusion magic, explaining why the skeletons were not attacking them.

Gil-Var-Delle

• Gil-Var-Delle was atop a plateau that sat between Cold Harbor, and Nirn and is inaccessible to most thanks to a miasmata which characters described as a "strange fog" that is "not alive, but seeks life, and extinguishes it". The Wardens of the village of Karthdar Pilgrimage wore special rings that protected them from the miasmata. The stream flowing off Gil-Var-Delle was foul and undrinkable water called Blightwater that polluted the rivers below.
• The great Elden Tree of Gil-Var-Delle was Lifetimber and its corpse became known to the local Bosmer as Black Log. However the ancient plant-lich Darkcarcass made his lair in the core of Black Log and used necromantic plant-magic to raise an army of the undead, threatening the tree's future. He was responsible for the tree's Daedric infestation, afflicting the tree with a pox that caused necrotic sores and nessiciated you to apply Lifetimber Pollen to them. Scamps would threaten Lifetimber blossoms to the northeast. You would have used a Woodrune that caused a snapweed to sproutout assisting in killing the scamps.
• Vonov's troops have stolen enchanted rings from Karthdar's wardens. A Warden's Ring provides protection from the miasmata at Gil-Var-Delle. You would have obtained a spellbook from the Grove of the Dead that would be a manual for summoning Daedra. A page is marked for the creation of amulets. Apparently, it requires the Daedra associated with the ritual.
• You would have required a potion to keep you alive in the miasmata and would have had to obtain seeds of the asphodel, a flower native to Cold Harbor, and Nirnroot from an Imperial alchemist. Your task would be to kill a lich named Vonov, a priest in the service of Molag Bal, that aided the Imperials. After killing a treethane he stole amulets that turned him into a lich and is drawing power from the miasmata.
• Within Gil-Var-Delle you would have encountered a strange magical barrier generated by a staff. This would have protected the house pod of a mage who claimed to have sealed herself away inside her home for five centuries. Touching the staff would have destroyed the barrier allowing the hostile ghosts of the town to breach it.
• On the ground you wouldn't have assisted High Ordinator Danys but a Priest of Arkay who was observing cultists sacrificing innocents in the Daedric temple. An encounter would have involved saving a Bosmer from being sacrificed and he would reward you back in Residue.

"The cultists could use this artifact to draw Molag Bal back to Grahtwood.
You were brave to fight your way into that temple and wise to destroy the claw.
Thank you."

"I imagine the Empire would turn back from their invasion if Molag Bal was released... but their threat is miniscule in comparison to the devastation you prevented.
Thank you, <<1>>."

"Five hundred and eighty-two years I've been protected by my prismatic barrier. This had better be important."

"I must give credit - you do excel at destroying things.
The ghosts of Gil-Var-Delle may not deserve such a fate, but at least you've given me enough time to improve the prismatic barrier. It no longer requires the Presturgical Staves."

"Lifetimber's roots stretch beneath us now and draw from the forest.
It will take time, but Lifetimber will be reborn."

"You carry the blessing of Arkay now. The ritual you performed allows you to enter Gil-Var-Delle safely, unaffected by the miasmata.
And this is well. There's another matter we must speak of."

Catchclaw

Catchclaw was a large mudcrab encountered in Southpoint Harbor. You could fight it and take its pincer.

• Journal Entry: I should tell one of the fishermen of Southpoint about the demise of Catchclaw. They often gather on the town docks.
• Journal Entry: While swimming across Southpoint Harbor, I noticed a piece of loose driftwood on the bottom. When I moved it aside, I was attacked by Catchclaw, a mudcrab of unusual size and aggression.
  The fishermen of Southpoint were pleased to hear of his demise
• "A giant crab off the shore? That'd be old Catchclaw. A local legend, you know.
  He's dead? Well, that's one small victory in all this mess, I suppose.\n\nMy father lost his thumb to Catchclaw. Only fair I keep the beast's claw, eh?"
• Catchclaw's Pincer

Settlements

• Brukbook was a town north of Elden Root that Carelleth, a priestess of Arkay, would have lived in.
• Branglebracken was an area west of Gil-Var-Delle that Imperial troops would have retreated to for a final last stand after the failed attempt to takeover Elden Root.
• Ebon Ro was a settlement occupied by the Blacksaps. It's suggested they would have attacked Brukbook and Carrelleth would have led the survivors to safety.
• Moss Lord was a city far to the west and had a large Aldmeri Dominion presence.
• Residue was a refugee camp near Gil-Var-Delle.

QUEST: A Grieving Mother

I am a... spirit. A being of the ancient forest. Some call my kind Changelings.\n\nMy powers allow me to assume the forms of other creatures, and take on their characteristics.\n\nIt is not unlikely you have met a Changeling before, without knowing it. <<1>> is dead, and a Changeling has taken her place. I can choose to tell <<2>> the truth about her supposed daughter, or let her go on living in ignorance. I chose to tell <<1>> that her daughter was killed in Branglebracken, but she refused to believe me. Now a Changeling has taken her daughter's place, and no one will ever know the difference. I chose to let <<1>> go on believing that her daughter is alive and well, when actually she has been replaced by a Changeling. This is... my daughter. You say she was next to the body of my wife?\n\nThis... should not have happened. Branglebracken is usually safe!\n\nI need some time, <<1>>. Thank you for bringing my child back to me. You are standing at the edge of Branglebracken, friend. This is where the local Bosmer do their hunting.\n\nWe have an understanding with the forest. We only collect what we need.\n\nIt is reasonably safe here... as safe as the forest can be, I suppose. <The baby Bosmer wakes up and babbles incomphrehensibly at you.>\n\n<Someone nearby may know what to do with it.> That... looks like the Lilymoth child! What happened?\n\nThat poor child should be reunited with Namien. He's probably still at his camp to the south. Oh, no! My poor child! What's happened to my wife? I can only hope she hasn't died... or died in vain.\n\nWhat's happened to the forest? Why would she find danger in a place like Branglebracken? <The spirit ceases its wailing long enough to motion to the east. Then it resumes its ululation.> The tribes of Lushwallow have many laws. The first is that no Lushwallow Bosmer can draw the blood of another.\n\nInstead of declaring war, a tribe enacts the Rite of Quarrel. The land itself defends the tribe that invoked it until the conflict ends. Your daughter is dead. I found her body in Branglebracken. <<1>> is upset because her daughter <<2>> has run off to Branglebracken, a dangerous thicket east of Moss Lord. She fears <<2>> may not return unless someone goes in to retrieve her. This is your daughter?

QUEST: Lost in Branglebracken

Before I can complete the ritual and commune with a local spirit, I'll need to collect eyes from Branglebracken's crocodiles and graht-oak bark from its trees. I've collected the ritual components. The ritual should be performed in a clearing near cliffs on the northern end of Branglebracken. I may find a dedicated ritual circle deep in the forest. I've spoken with a local spirit. I was told to convey a message to Namien Lilymoth at the southern border of Branglebracken. <<1>> wants me to look for his companions. His camp is at the edge of Branglebracken. His companions might be at a wayshrine to the northwest. Branglebracken is a place where the Bosmer often collect materials needed in day-to-day life. They use bones and sinew to craft many of their weapons, especially bows. Slouchbear bones are strong but flexible. To string their bone-bows the Bosmer of Valenwood prefer the sinew of Khajiit and their relatives. Since the Aldmeri Dominion prohibits the hunting of innocent Khajiit, Senche-Tiger sinew is the optimal choice. Treethane Tarhellor needs supplies carried to Jaqspurs in the treetops above Branglebracken. He gave me a magical Silver Branch which will carry me between Bouncing Boughs, where the Jaqspurs wait. Ellaria Belloc has found a lost wayshrine in Branglebracken. Unfortunately, it's inhabited by a restless spirit. Perhaps I can silence the spirit. Carelleth, a priestess of Arkay, lives in the town of Brukbrook to the north of Elden Root. She may know the location of Sorcassil. Carelleth said that the Imperials have retreated to Branglebracken, west of Gil-Var-Delle, and are building for a final, important battle. Grahtwood has been strangely hostile lately. The Bosmer are unsure why. A book I found in Branglebracken contains a summoning ritual. If I can summon a local spirit, it may have further answers.

Dialogue

"The Worm Cult wanted them for their rituals. The Elden Tree grew over the place where many ancient magical creatures came to die. Can you imagine what horrors they might construct of their remains?"

"We were … smugglers. As long as the coin was good, it didn't matter who we traded with. Covenant, Pact, Dominion; everyone's gold is the same.
But those Worm Cult … they did something to her. Convinced her to throw in her lot with them."

"Ugh! What is this? It smells like an orc warrior's loincloth after a day of battle!
The Blacksap of Ebon Ro have been drinking this? The fungus used in this brew are native to Cold Harbor [sic]. It could explain the sudden aggression of the Blacksap."

"Molag Bal cultists and Bosmer plant-necromancers?
How on Tamriel does one raise a plant from the dead? Someone should teach my gardeners that trick.
I am not sure what to make of your report, but it seems you handled the problem adequately."

"I'm glad you escaped the Nereid's clutches. I wouldn't want to see anyone else die by her deceit.
I have no use for this ring now. I'll stay here and haunt this place a while, now that it's mine again."

"I suspected Daedra worship, but not this. Molag Bal is about the worst of that lot. He's a "burn before you pillage" sort. He destroyed Gil-Var-Delle - a town up north - a few centuries ago.
This might have been fun and games before, but not now."

"Imperial weapons using Bosmer hilt-wrapping? Those treacherous Blacksap!
They've sold out their kin. I guarantee you this is how the Imperials managed to invade Grahtwood. I was wondering how those clumsy soldiers managed it!"