SubRosa – How fun to see Serana as an NPC. You’re right in that she does look pretty good in most things. I agree that, for business, the Nordic Carved, Ancient or Elven all look greats (sans helmets of course). Serana the cook? I’m nervous about what might be in her recipe book.

Lopov - What a nicely done update! There’s even tributes to Lydia’s magic quill from Buffy and to Jerric popping Delphine in the face! How delightful that, after adamantly declining a haircut, Lucius ends up cutting his hair – for Lydia. That said, I hope it grows back quickly, as the longer hairstyle really does more justice to how handsome he is.

Ha, so Lucius cut his hair for no reason! .. Women, I tell ya. ....

I love it when the story goes from story to journal, back and forth. That's like your signature style of writing right there.

Woo, Serana DOES look great in everything! The blacksmith outfit is my favorite on her. Good grief, she looks hot! The Ancient Nord armor looks unexpectedly awesome on her, too. I wonder if after all of the quests Valdi will ever take the ancient princess out to play, true Nord style.




Oh my gosh, Lucius cut his hair for nothing! Well, not for nothing if Lydia likes it that way. He does look quite the badass with his shaved head.

Poor Samson Lucius cut his hair for nothing! Well, at least Delilah likes it better this way...

Buffy and Superian rode into Riverwood as the afternoon shadows were about as long as the trees are tall. Frodnar, the young lad that hangs out in front of the tavern admired Buffy's robes and asked if she could make him invisible.

Now, this is not the first time she's heard that request. But is is the first time she's had the ability to grant it. That is due to the spell Fade Other - this spell is in the game but only available via the command console. It turns the target invisible for 30 seconds.

Anyway, Buffy turned Frodnar invisible and he was ecstatic. By the time he ran over to his friend Dorthe, the spell had worn off, but he didn't seem to care as he stood behind Dorthe making ghostly noises trying to scare her. He gleefully then ran off to yell 'Boo!' at several of Riverwood's residents. Buffy had great fun following him around. Everyone else in the town ignored his impression of a scary illusionist however.

As ever, Buffy is quite entranced by the simplest things. . . .

That’s so neat! I’ve had a kid ask that before, but never with a character who could oblige. It was fun to imagine that scene!

Wow that's quite awesome, Acadian. That actually happened? That's pretty cool that there are some hidden game commands like this. Can't wait to make a wizard-ish character.

Claire Voyance has been making her way back and forth across Skyrim. She beat the baddies at Hraggstad with some help from Farkas and Aela the Huntress, found the Jagged Crown and delivered to Solitude, and so she's now headed toward Whiterun to let the Jarl know about some possible threat from the Stormcloaks. Pretty excited about this.

As a cleric, her combat patterns are divided roughly in half between attacking enemies with her mace, and restoring health to her comrades. Really fun stuff. Unlike my Xbox games, I've kept her game on Adept the entire time, I haven't had to move this down to Apprentice.

How neat! I have had characters cast Calm spells on kids (and adults), but making them invisible is brilliant!


He was looking for his giant miniature space hamster! "Butt-kicking for Goodness!"

Thanks, all!

Heh, Renee, Buffy really does have a vivid imagination but all that happened just as described. The game is scripted for you to tell the kid he is invisible (when he's not) and I imagine he'd do the same thing. This was just really neat because of that command console accessible spell, Buffy actually was able to grant his wish - albeit only for 30 seconds. I imagine they dumped the spell from normal access because it is of such limited use for practical 'beat the game' types. Sure is fun for RP stuff though.

What Buffy really wants is a spell to turn someone into a chicken for a few minutes. She threatens folks who tease her with that all the time but is unable to actually pull it off.

That's a neat story, Acadian, it's little things like this that make Skyrim so great. Buffy for sure made Frodnar happy because not many interesting things happen to kids in Riverwood. It made me laugh when I read that he was still trying to scare people when he was already visible.


My thoughts exactly.

That's where the MQ gets initiated, right? How will she tackle dragons, maybe disable them via Timing is Everything?

Claire Voyance sounds like fun, Renee. I’m a fan of healers, and you don’t often hear about a character who uses a mace.


Lildereth and Jerric (in Lil’s game) covered some familiar ground today. They went to White River Watch on behalf of a neighbor. Lil slipped through the whole place by herself and only got spotted once. Then she got Jerric’s help before she went outside since they knew the boss would be out there. (I love it when the game gives you little tips like this. ) Lil shot the bandit boss and started to get a sweet kill cam, then Jerric stepped up and took her arrow in his back as he knocked Hajvarr off the cliff with his firebolt. On the one hand I’m pleased to see NPC Jerric using fire against Nords, but dammit! Here’s where Hajvarr landed.

They made it back to town in time to return Amren’s sword and spend some time with Amren’s family before it was time to go to the pub. Here Lil is listening to Braith talk about Lars. Funnily enough Lil has a soft spot for Braith.

Before White River Watch they were out on the volcanic tundra collecting jazbay grapes to make Jerric’s Juice. It was raining so they spent the night in the Eldergleam Sanctuary rather than naked with the hot springs hunters or passed out in a random tent at Darkwater Crossing. Here Ulfe helps Lil set up their camp.

In this game the gang lives in Breezehome via Alternate Start. Their NPC selves all have schedules throughout Whiterun when they’re not following. It was neat to see NPCs Abiene and Darnand doing what they were supposed to be doing. Abiene was cooking when they walked in the door. Probably why they decided to go out. Abiene is not much of a cook!

I note from its wiki page that the Wabbajack can do that, so there must be an existing magic effect in the game. I''ll see what can be done with it.

Am I remembering correctly that there was a spell to do that in Baldur's Gate? I'm pretty sure that somebody gets turned back from a talking chicken into a person, but don't remember if you can get the spell that caused it.

Renee, I’m so glad that Claire’s doing well. The cleric play, with mace and healing, sounds like great fun.

Grits, Yikes! The good news is Jerric jumped in to help; the bad news is his timing sucks! And landing their quarry amidst a pair of necrodudes? Wow, that shot of Lil as she is listening to Braith is stunning! Lil is so darn exotically attractive! How neat that you have the whole gang in whichever character’s game you want to play!

ghastley, where the spell to ‘turn someone into a chicken’ comes from (for me anyway) is indeed Baldur’s Gate II. Specifically, Aerie (the wingless avariel elf who is a cleric/mage) asks you something about her magic, and one of the replies you can chose is something like, “Fine, just don’t turn me into a chicken.” For some reason that always stuck with me as just cute as a button. Buffy’s first use of it was a jokingly made thread to Vigge the Cautious when she woke up to discover him leering over her as she was in bed at the guild hall. A spell like that in Skyrim is probably not too far fetched. If you help Brelyna at the College with her research, she ends up briefly turning you into several farm animals.

Claire brings back memories of the old days of playing D&D, and playing clerics. Come to think of it, the last character I ever played in D&D (it was 3rd edition by then) was a Cleric/Thief.



Wow, that is Lil and Jerric in the black robes? They look like necromancers!

Lil looks amused by Braith.

I love Ulfe's 'help'! Just like when I pull out a carryout menu and Freya 'helps' me decide what to order.

Acadian, I hope that Buffy masters the "Doom of a chicken" one day, turns Nazeem to one and then asks him whether he goes to the Cloud District very often.

Neat story, Grits, I hope that Hajvarr was still alive when falling because his demise is well-deserved.

Lil looks very good - as always - nice to read about them spending some time at Amren's.

I love Ulfe lying on a bedroll, great shot! The Eldergleam Sanctuary is a good place to relax, it's so soothing and makes one forget about the dangerous world outside.

--

Today we discovered one of the most majestic places in Skyrim - Arcwind Point. I heard much about this ruin, until today I only knew that it's hidden somewhere in the south. Coincidentally, we discovered it today but alas, its keeper, a powerful frost dragon, didn't like us treading on his grounds. This dragon must have been ancient for it has been one of the most powerful dragons we ever encountered, and for the first time since traveling with Lucius, I was not sure whether we will survive the battle or not. And after successfully defeating it, Dragonborn Miraak appeared right in front of us and stole the dragon's soul that should have rightfully been Lucius'! I do not know how this feels but Lucius tells me that he feels a huge pain in his chest whenever a soul is stolen from him. We underestimated Miraak and we should travel back to Solstheim to finish our battle against him but Lucius insists that we have more important matters to do in Skyrim. If I have managed to convince him to cut his hair, perhaps I can convince him to return to Solstheim earlier than intended.

Lydia, Autumnwatch Tower,

3rd of Morning Star 4€202

Doom of a Chicken!

Aww, thanks, Acadian! I thought she looked sweet in that picture, with a little smile for bratty Braith.

Those necromancers must have spawned at that spot by the tree and gotten bored waiting for the player to show up. They strolled along while Lil was searching for Hajvarr’s body, much to her surprise. You can see her crouched up in the rocks (ready to dual-cast Fury). She had been using Detect Dead, not Detect Life! Oh, and that deer skull in the front is the one by the bridge that everyone stubs their toes on. At that moment she was both ticked off at and impressed by Jerric, which is not unusual among those who encounter him.


Lucius has a manager! Arcwind Point is such a neat location. Lots to do there!

Wow, we're all playing Skyrim. This is fun having us all here. All we need now is some pizza and beverages



Yes, I've got Timing is Everything in Claire's game. I've got it way dumbed-down though: 5% chance of dragon every 25 days. That's pretty rare. I've seen a couple dragons in her game though, but they were way in the distance.



Clerics traditionally used blunt weapons in table-games, and there's been some debate about why this is. Some people say that back in the middle ages, members of clergy sometimes carried around blunt weapons instead of swords, and that there was some actual reason for this, but I forget what this reason is supposed to be. Other people say this is hogwash.

I like to think there is some sort of connection between real-life and fantasy here, but really, clerics like Claire are pure table-gaming imagination.

Fighting that final boss of White River Watch is pretty funny sometimes. Half the time, he falls right down the side of the mountain, and we can hear him saying "Is that it? Is that all you got?" as he is completely unable to attack! :lhehe:

What is Jerric's Juice?



Nice!

Lopov - Nice glimpse into Lydia and her Thane at Arcwind Point. Emboldened by her haircutting succses, she's now working on hauling back to Mirak it seems.

Grits - I'm glad you mentioned Lil crouching and watching the necropair in that screenshot. I missed it the first time I looked.

Renee - I'm sort of like you in that my impression of the term cleric comes from D&D - Baldur's Gate I and II in fact. So I tend to associate them with a church affiliation, unbladed weaponry (like maces), some form of 'body magic' and comfortable with casting while wearing armor. I suppose Vigilants of Stendarr come pretty close to this in Skyrim. I hope Grits will forgive me answering for her, but 'Jerric Juice' is restore magicka potion. Jerric was born under the (Oblivion) atronach birthsign so he doesn't regenerate magicka without help. His Jerric Juice brew is coarse, laden with pulp and he makes it in big batches. In fact he needs a waterskin to carry it in instead of prissy little potion vials.

Thanks all. Not so joyful story for today but life consists of ups and downs.
--
It is difficult to keep up with a man on an eternal quest.

As of today, 5th of Morning Star 4€202, Lucius continues his journey without me. I have stayed at Breezehome, too tired to continue. The battle against dragons has taken its toll on me. On both of us. But it's not just dragons. From cave to cave, from dungeon to dungeon, on roads and deep below - we have faced death at every step.

But Lucius - he is unstoppable. He is not the one to rest, to relax. I understand him. Being Dragonborn is a gift but a curse as well. But I need to slow down, I need to rest. What hurt me is that he did not show any feelings when I told him that I can't continue anymore. He said nothing, just nodded, like he still serves in the Legion and I'm one of his soldiers. Feelings are secondary for Lucius.

I wish you luck on your travels, my Thane, and let the Divines watch over your battles.

Lydia, Breezehome

5th of Morning Star 4€202

The sun hasn't risen yet when Lucius
left Solitude. He arrived to the capital of Skyrim the previous day with a carriage from Whiterun, to tell Jarl Elisif that her late husband's war horn has been placed at the Shrine of Talos. He has been offered to buy a spacious manor in Solitude which he accepted though he didn't really know why. Perhaps he will live there once...once in the future when times will change. As he walks down the road, he feels an uncomfortable pain in his chest. It's been months since he traveled alone. He's waiting to hear footsteps behind him but there aren't any. His thoughts shift to Lydia but he drives them away. His goal is clear, and to successfully complete it, one must be prepared for sacrifices. Whoever can not keep up with him...too bad. Because Lucius Caro is a man on an eternal quest.

Aww, well that's so sad! He's imagining the footsteps of his ... uh girlfriend. I do feel bad for Lydia, but maybe they need to just chillax from one another.


Nice, I think I have the same mod as Grits there.

Lopov, nice to hear the tale from Lydia, then from Lucius. A man driven by a quest. The life of the Dragonborn is far from easy. Perhaps someday . . . .

As I understand it, there comes a time during the latter portion of the main questline where you must go without followers for several quests in a row. Perhaps this is a way of helping to deal with that.

Haa-Rei is taking a well earned break today to spend time with his family. Probably teaching his adopted daughters to hunt in the forest surrounding their house.

I however have joined a Dunmer gentleman called Hrelath Dralen. He's a very powerful, and very old, vampire lord who spends his spare time being a master thief and assassin. He's an old friend of Haa-Rei's and isn't such a bad guy once you get to know him

Actually Illusion is one of the easier magic schools to level. McB has the right of it, just buy and then cast Muffle repeatedly while walking around the Hall of Attainment/Countenance. You don't even have to sneak.

Edit: Oh, if you can't but the Muffle spell from Drevis at the College then you can get it from any court mage. I know Farengar sells it from the time you leave Helgen.

Renee, Jerric’s Juice is exactly as Acadian described it. Thank you, Acadian! I changed Skyrim’s Atronach Stone to be the same as Oblivion’s Birthsign, with no magicka regen at all and a boost to base magicka along with a percent spell absorption. Jerric doesn’t use any enchantments that would give him a magicka regen boost, since we RP that the Atronach blessing/curse makes them not work on him. I love playing an Atronach that way.

Lopov, I will miss Lydia’s steps behind Lucius and her journal entries as well. The Dragonborn continues alone. I like how that lovely manor in Solitude gave him thoughts of someday.

Haa-Rei on vacation! Hrelath Dralen... Drain Health??

Hazmick - Yup, master thief, assassin, vampire. . . doesn't sound like such a bad guy at all.

He's very polite and has the nicest manners, so we can overlook all those other little nits

Grits - I'd never noticed that before! It works so well!


I rejoined Haa-Rei today as he traveled to Falkreath, to begin construction of a house. We're not sure if he'll move in properly though - his family is happy living in Solitude (and moving all of his stuff would take ages). On the other hand, Haa-Rei wants his girls to grow up in the forest because it's peaceful and the city gives him a headache.

We have some Dawnguard business to take care of in the mean time so Haa-Rei can think on it.

Haa-Rei could always have fun fixing up a house in Falkreath then, if prefers to remain in Solitude, sell the new house in Falkreath – you know, add ‘Real Estate Tycoon’ to his resume. Ask your scaly pal to say hi to Serana!

*

Buffy’s never spent much time in Windhelm because, frankly, the place is rather unwelcoming to elves. She does have some business there however with the court mage and is determined to get to know Windhelm a bit better. She’s finding the city’s reputation to be somewhat deserved. . .


As Buffy approached the main gate, the guard on duty stared at her ears as he warned, “We got a nickname for anyone who trifles with us guards here in Windhelm – suicide.”

Buffy pulled the hood of her robe up to obscure her elven features. Acadian quietly reminded her that she was likely too slender and graceful in her movement to be taken for a Nordic child. She ignored the paladin, passed through the gate and was greeted by another guard just inside the city. “Hands to yourself, sneak thief.”

Believing that being an elf was a lesser crime than being mistaken for a thief, she lowered her hood again. The guard seemed appeased that she was not a thief, but the eyeslots of his helm then traveled downward over her mantled robe. “What business do College mages have in Saarthal? It’s a place for Nord dead, not your weird experiments.”

“Welcome to Windhelm,” Acadian whispered to the dejected elf as she trudged through the snow trying to find her way to the palace. . . .


Now, I will say that despite the dreary feel of the city and barely veiled hostility toward elves (and mages), Windhelm has a mysteriously big, confusing, medieval city feel to it – the place seems very atmospheric in its own dark and uncomfortable way.

We had Serana around with us for a bit of hunting. Unfortunately my game is glitched so i can't ask Serana to get the cure for vampirism . I suppose it just means that she and Haa-Rei will be friends forever.

As for Windhelm, it's not a bad place...especially after you help the Empire to remove Ulfric. The Argonian community there is always welcoming so we like to visit from time to time. Tell Buffy to just ignore the more vocal Nords, they're not worth her time. (Though if an arrow happened to hit Rolff Stone-Fist in his big mouth, Legate Haa-Rei would provide Buffy with an alibi )



After much deliberation we've decided to move the family to Falkreath. The house is finished, but we need to get some more decorations up to make it more like a home. Haa-Rei has promised to teach the girls how to hunt, though Sofie also wants to learn more about plants. I'm just happy to be out in the forest again - city life is not my thing.

Yes, I can imagine Buffy would not feel very comfortable in Windhelm. Oh no.

The Falkreath home is nice to have, eh? My crusader guy wound up buying the initial one-room cottage at first, decorated it (in a manly-man way, ha ha) and then added extra parts later on.

Renee - I agree with you there, it's a great location. Also, isn't everything in Skyrim manly-man stuff?




Haa-Rei finished all the decorating and moved the family in. He also asked his friend, Derkeethus, to help clear out the nearby bandit hideout at Pinewatch (just to be safe). Now he's having a little rest at the top of his newly built enchanters tower extension. The lake view is his new favourite.

Renee, thanks!

Hazmick, Buffy's rescued Derkeethus before, but never traveled with him. I bet he's perfect for Haa-Rei - they can sit around drinking nightshade tea and telling Black Marsh tales.

yeah, he's our favourite companion. He and Haa-Rei are practically twins once they have their armour on and bows ready
Haa-Rei doesn't make use of companions too often since he spends too much time worrying about their safety and making sure they don't get lost. Derkeethus is immortal though, thanks to a glitch in the game which prevents his 'essential' tag from being removed once you rescue him. A very handy talent to have in Skyrim.

Whoa, that's a nice glitch to have. Some glitches can be welcome, or funny.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Claire Voyance is moving right along with Civil War / Imperial stuff. Unlike Haaf-Mersey, she does not really 'sidetrack' very much. She does not see a cave, and "wonder what's inside". She might go in that cave to warm up a bit, and search for some food, but she's not a mega-dungeon-diver like some of my others. She's a drone, basically, doing whatever she is told, for the Imperial's side.

And I'm fine with this, but I feel like I'm itching to create somebody new, somebody who likes getting deep into some draugr barrows and whatnot.

Claire's main problem with Skyrim (so far) is the cold. For some reason, the Imperials placed one of their main camps in the middle of nowhere, located in The Pale. So she does a lot of running back and forth from this camp, to Dawnstar, to her next quest location, back to Dawnstar, back to camp, etc. She's gaining resistance against the cold slowly.

Renee, I know what you mean about Claire. But I sort of envy her focus to task - something my butterfly/waterfall/dungeon chasing elf lacks. Let me know how you like the civil war, as I've never touched it and probably never will.

Aww, hugs to Buffy after that chilly reception in Windhelm. Wuunferth the Unliving is one of Darnand’s pals, at least for Darnand’s part. Darnand appreciates Wuunferth’s blunt manners.

Congrats to Haa-Rei and the family on their new home. Lakeview is one of my favorite places.

Renee, I can picture Claire running around in the snow with her knees out in that Legion uniform. The Civil War questline can be a real grind without any breaks. I’ll be watching MD’s forecast to see when your dungeon diver might make an appearance.
~~~

In between mod test sessions both Jerric and Lildereth have gotten new games. For the most part we’ve been getting the basics set up in their worlds: Gildergreen restored, Breezehome furnished, friends moved in, dogs collected, horses purchased, Aravi Manor (Lakeview) built, Kharjo’s amulet fetched, Erik’s Slayer status renewed, Helgen on the path to rebuilding. And this time, dragons released! We’re doing ‘Dragons Lite,’ as Acadian named it.

Jerric and Lil have both had a bit of trouble with the law lately. Jerric is used to stopping at the Honnigbrew Meadery for a little refreshment after he squares things with the crossroads guards, since he is prone to indulging in his impulses. I usually don’t even remember who he punched by the time he pays of the bounty. Lil likes to know what people have in their pockets, but she rarely takes anything or gets caught. This incident resulted from her ‘stealing’ a book for Darnand off of a shelf in Dragonsreach. She was very annoyed about it. If they didn’t want citizens borrowing the more expensive books, they shouldn’t leave them out in the common areas. Also if she had meant to steal that book, they wouldn’t have seen her doing it! Lil usually reserves pranks for her friends, but I can see some wardrobe changes coming for the Dragonsreach folk once she gets that Perfect Touch perk.

Grits, I like how you restart your games when needed. I've grown to enjoy doing the same thing in Skyrim. Somehow the game seems to lend itself to that (not to mention a good time to purge scripted mods). Glad you're enjoying 'Dragons Lite'. I think this playthrough or next I might try the mod that I think Renee uses to adjust random dragon attacks (and other quest things). The mod is 'Timing is Everything'.

How very Jerric that his habit includes a stop at the Honnigbrew Meadery. Nothing like fine spirits to raise your. . . well, spirits! And how frustrating for Lil! I'm sure you're exactly right - that if she meant to steal something it would be gone without a single trace leading to her.

Grits, I like how you actually caught a picture of that text, when Lildereth gets busted there. That almost looks like a Kahreem moment. I agree about the books thing. Why put them in such obvious locations, if they're that rare? !

Acadian: I will let you know how Civil War goes. I'm kind of kicking myself. I wish I had started a very simple journal with Claire. Maybe she'll do this anyways, it just won't include early moments of Civil War.

I'm really looking at the WARZONES mod from the Colonel's Awesome Mods thread; WARZONES looks really cool. I'm a little leery of the fact that it requires so many other mods, one of them being ENB, which I've read horror stories about at Beth. Maybe you folks have some experience here, and can calm my nerves, because it would be really cool to get Claire's game actually feeling like a war, rather than occasional (and very rare) skirmishes here and there.

I think you're right, I remember reading that the final portion of the MQ can only be done without any followers.

Perhaps he'll once sit down and relax indeed. But that day still seems to be far away. And since he was quite enthusiastic about the life of Skaal, he might call Solstheim his home in the future.

Haa-Rei is a wise father.

Great story, I like how you mention paladin Acadian talking to her. Looks like many of our characters feel unwelcome in Windhelm, Lucius also got a lot of negative comments. He even thought about joining the Legion again just to free Windhelm of Ulfric.

I guess that's okay for a change because that means that she's moving through the questline faster. It makes sense that she focuses on fighting the war instead of dungeon-delving.

I couldn't agree more. The same goes for all free food, coinpurses and potions in rented rooms. I see that the party has been quite busy doing various odds and ends all over Skyrim.

Lucius' story is mostly told in pics and the dark one's in the general thread, so I might write an occasional story with my new character here. I probably won't write about him too often but still...

...I've been intending to create this type of character for about a year and a half. I had the name, I had the backstory, I knew what would he do, but the burden which I put on me, was the appearance. I knew exactly how I wanted this character to look like but whenever I tried (four to five times altogether in the past year), I failed miserably. For me appearance is one of the most important traits, not because I want my characters to look beautiful but I want to feel that "special something" when I look at them, I want their faces to express their soul, I don't want to get bored of them, so to speak.

--

"You've seen the true face of the Empire here today. You should join the fight for free Skyrim!" said Ralof to his silent friend with whom they teamed up after being almost executed by the Imperial Legion in Helgen. "But where are my manners?! The name is Ralof. Pleased to meet you, kinsman," he said and extended his hand for shaking.

"Aard," said the short-haired Nord with a deep voice, shook Ralof's hand and smiled vaguely.

"We better get moving. We'll be safer once we get to Riverwood. My sister Gerdur runs a mill there."

"Yeah...you told me already. Say...why were Imperials after you?"

"Seriously, you don't know? That was Ulfric Stormcloak himself!"

"Ulfric who?"

"Oh right, they said you were captured crossing the border. Still, I'm surprised you haven't heard of Ulfric. He's our leader - the leader of Stormcloaks."

"Which means...?"

"Surely even down in Cyrodiil people have heard news of the war in Skyrim?" asked Ralof, surprise in his voice.

"Surely...I didn't pay much attention to...to what was going on outside Cyrodiil. Being...busy."

"The Nords are tired of spending our blood fighting against the Empire's wars, and paying for the Empire's decadence with our taxes. Ulfric is our rightful High King. He's leading the fight to drive the Empire out of Skyrim, once and for all."

"Mhm."

"We need people like you to fight for Skyrim's freedom. You should head to Windhelm and join the Stormcloaks!"

"Hmm...may...be."

In that time four bandits came running by, chasing a deer. But when they spotted two travelers, they figured that they will have more use of their septims than of some meat. They surely frightened Ralof because he ran ahead, leaving Aard alone to deal with a pair of melee fighters and another pair of archers. Nonetheless, within a few minutes, all of them were dead, their septims, gems and potions now in Aard's pockets.

He continued down the road but Ralof was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe..even better."

If Ralof knew who was his mysterious companion, he might not like him as much. Aard was almost hanged in Bruma for a kidnapping of some noble that went horribly wrong, but he escaped the night before the execution. It didn't last long, though, after crossing the border he was caught by Imperials again, however this time he was almost beheaded when the dragon flew over his head, saving him.

Aard's life was not a happy one - first it was him that suffered from violence but as he grew up, roles changed. Extortions, kidnappings, larcenies, a murder here and there...all of this accompanied by plenty bottles of wine and skooma vials didn't contribute in forming a kind man. But Aard didn't know how to live any other life. He came to Skyrim to escape the justice and now he was a free man, he could do anything he wanted.

Windhelm sounded like a good place to go. It sounded like a city of Nords so he shouldn't have troubles there. But joining an army? Not in a hundred of years. He'll definitely find something else to do there. Something that will suit him.

--

Aard later came to Riverwood but didn't have enough gold to afford a room at the Sleeping Giant Inn, so Delphine kindly told him that this is not a Temple of Mara. He met a traveling merchant and bought some skooma, then moved on. Currently he's in a cave called White River Watch and has cleared it of its denizens. He only spared one - Ulfr the Blind - Aard didn't feel that killing a blind man who left him alone, would change anything on this good-for-nothing world.

Welcome to Aard! Not gonna join the bluecoats, eh? I'm willing to bet he's not up for throwing in with the redcoats either. Dragonborn? I'm thinking no. I chuckled at Delphine's 'kindness'.

Congrats, and a great beginning story there. Lots of backstory on this one. Acadian's head must be spinning with all these new Skyrim characters, they sure showed up all at once, right?

What difficulty is his game? Pretty neat that he's able to take on 4 NPCs at such low level. Then again, they're just Bandits. Not Highwaymen or anything really tough.

LOL he'd rather spend his money on skooma than a place to sleep!

No, no and no. Thanks for a welcome.

I guess it must be Apprentice but I'd need to check it to be sure because I haven't changed any settings since I started Lucius' game, which means since November.

I suspect Aard might be headed for Riften eventually. I hear there are like-minded people living under the streets there...

Indeed.

Or he might overhear rumors about a certain boy in Windhelm.

Or both.

Lopov - Lucius and Aard sound kind of like the light and dark sides of the Force.

*

Buffy and Superian were riding along the road this morning near Nightgate Inn when they encountered a pair of Vigilants of Stendarr. The roving crusaders gave their stock spiel on how evil consorting with daedra or trafficking in their trinkets is. Buffy, with Azura’s Star sitting quietly in her pack, just smiled politely.

After watering her mare at the pond by the inn, Buffy continued her travels. Soon she encountered the same Vigilants engaged in a pitched battle with a pair of ice wraiths – and not faring very well. Knowing the hazards and futility of trying to shoot her arrows into the dancing ice wraiths with Vigilants so close, she dismounted - allowing her to cast spells without restriction.

The elf conjured a flame atronach named Cindar. Given the ice wraiths’ weakness to flames, Cindar’s fire missiles quickly turned the tide of the battle - likely saving the Vigilants from icy deaths.

Cindar did a graceful victory pirouette over the wraiths' remains as the two Vigilants healed each other of frost wounds. Buffy smiled impishly, then approached and spoke. “Could you tell me again how dangerous it is to consort with daedra?”

The vigilants do seem to be rather weak when you encounter them fighting. I followed a pair past Broken Tower and the one forager outside killed both of them.

I think they might responsible for my finding a single non-hostile vampire on the road near Rorikstead. There's a standard encounter of a pair chasing a vamp, but if she's cornered, she'll fight, and possibly win!

Buffy just had to rub their noses in it, didn't she!

One thing that's really weird about this Vigilants is if you try to heal them up, they get mad and start attacking. I've had this happen on console and PC. Kind of bizarre. Only THEY get to heal, not us.

Lopov, Aard sounds like he will be a fun change from Lucius. I enjoyed his first story. Now I need to go look for Aard screenshots!

Acadian, that is hilarious! I love Cindar’s name.

Buffy has the last word - I'll never forget her dumping out a Bag of Holding full of Daedric artifacts in front of Raminus Polus!