Holy compassion that is deep, Grits.
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2:37 PM, 2nd of Evening Star, 4th Era, Year 201

Gunter, Son of Talos arrived for his first time ever in Winterhold today on horseback. It's a grim, desolate place, and he hasn't seen the sun in hours. After visiting the Jarl (looking for work) and selling off a few items at the shop, he headed up to the bridge stepping off from this small (very small) village.

"Gunter want see Ysgramor! Meet Companion friends".

On his map, he had marked a small X on the location where he thinks the tomb is located. It looks to be on a small island, just northwest of Winterhold.

As he climbs the steps to the bridge, a figure stops him. A woman.

"Cross the bridge at your own peril! The way is treacherous, and the gate is closed, You shall not enter!"

"Me Gunter. Me Companion Nord of Cyrodiil. Gunter want climb step. Gunter want go bridge. See in far away."

"Welcome to the College of Winterhold, I'm Faralda, senior Destruction Mage of the College...." her words trailed off, while Gunter's short attention span wandered away. He had no idea what she had just said to him, but she did not look to be very eager to let him pass. After a moment of awkward staring, Gunter says

"Gunter no care silly words of womanfolk! Gunter want climb step. See bridge! See Companion friend in Ysgramore"


"I am here to assist those seeking the wisdome of the College..." continues the lady, seeming to ignore the brute's words. ..."And if my presence deters those who seek to do harm, so bet it. The real questoin is, why are you here?"

Gunter looked at Faralda, not really understanding why she says so many words, yet has nothing really to say. Plus, he just told her why he's here. Twice!

"Gunter no listen silly woman word in cold!"

With this, he walked forward, brushing past the mage standing out here in the frigid winds. He was trying to have a gander at Ysgramore's Tomb, completely oblivious to where he is, and what its purpose is, and to whom he just spoke.

The Jarl had told him something about "The College" and he seemed angry about it. But Gunter doesn't have a clue as to why. Maybe the "silly woman" had something to do with it.

It is cold and dreary. Gunter tries, but cannot see the place. All he can make out is a bit of a shape of a large rock or something. Visibility is almost nil. After a few minutes of staring down, he walked back past the silly woman again without speaking.
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6:50 PM, 2nd of Evening Star,

Gunter: Son of Talos had walked into town with literally a single gold to his name. But after selling off a few magic gems (soul gems) and other assorted small treasures, he's now got 358.

"If you have business with the College, you're welcome to stay here. It's where most of our business comes from, in fact", says Dagur the Innkeeper.

"Gunter no want busness. Gunter no want Collge. Gunter want MEAD! Gunter want MEAT!"

"Take a look!"

Gunter is dismayed to find the Innkeep only has a single bottle of Nord Mead. Gunter buys it, along with a slab of cooked meat, baked potatoes, a sweetroll, and some ale. He loves mead, he loves ale, but he will not buy the three bottles of that Elven crap-mead, Honeybrew or whatever it's called.

"Why sell for so much, this mead from Elven-make? Elven-make mead so is terrible Gunter!"

"Mmm hmm", says the innkeep, keeping his opinions to himself.

As Gunter arrives in his doorless room, the Jarl himself is sitting right there! This surprises Gunter, and he finds himself thinking the Jarl is actually gracing Gunter with his presence. He performs a small bow.

"I don't care how many mages the College shall bring! I'll out last them all! again, there's an anger here. An anger Gunter doesn't really understand.

Standing before the Jarl, Gunter starts feeling a bit insecure, even though Gunter's the one in the fancy Dwarven armor suit. He leaves the room, and goes to have a sit-down out in the main room, feasting upon a meal truely fit for an adventurer. Or a Jarl.

Haa-Rei is having a day off today while I catch up with my Dunmer, Hrelath Dralen.

He's your classic bad guy: Vampire Lord, Dark Brotherhood listener, Thieves Guild master and he's a pretty talented illusion mage. Today he's been travelling skyrim on the hunt for feral vampires and Dawnguard spies.
It's always fun to play as Hrelath, he's incredibly powerful and has so many different fighting techniques.

Although I'm probably going to go back to Haa-Rei in an hour or so, being evil gets pretty boring for me and my Argonian friend needs to make some fancy armour for himself and Derkeethus, then he needs to stockpile resources for Hearthfire. It's going to be a busy weekend for us

Is his name an anagram of Valen Dreth?

Valen Dreth did actually play a big part in naming my Dunmer, he was the first Dark Elf I remember from Oblivion and with the amount of characters I've made I've seen his ugly mug far too many times so he's etched into my memory

Another slow day for Haa-Rei while he waits for Hearthfire to arrive

He tried on several new outfits but eventually went back to his iron/fur armour combo that he's been sporting since day 1, he just swapped the fur shoes for his old legion boots which he dug out of his wardrobe.

Then he put some of his excess materials to good use and crafted himself a beautiful new glass sword, which he has named 'Tyr'. He's already put it to the test against some bandits and can see the improvement over his old steel sword. Tyr has been enchanted with frost damage, a personal favourite of ours.

Tyr is a great name for a weapon!

I've been reading up on Norse mythology lately and thought it was perfect, Haa-Rei's bow is named Wōden, after the Anglo-Saxon deity of the hunt and his horse is named Eiroch after the Norse goddess of help 'Eir' and the word for horse 'roch' in J.R.R Tolkien's created language of Sindarin yay mythology!

Wow, this is such a good idea. I need to do this, next time I'm at the library I need to take out a book on Norse mythology, and vikings. A really good book to find, by the way (one I'm reading now on and off) is called The Year 1,000. It's about how life was in the Year 1,000 in Europe.


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Sundas, 7:48 PM, 7th of Evening Star

"It is strange .... de strange white flakes that sometimes fall from de sky ...."

"Gunter like strange white flakes! Me taste on tongue!"

"It is called snow, what you call 'strange white flakes".

That last sentence was from Aela the Huntress, Gunter's new partner. They are walking along with a group of Khajiit travellers. Also included in this group is an Imperial traveller, who has mentioned he is going to Solitude to 'join with the Imperials'. Nice enough chap to have along. Gunter, Son of Talos wonders why the man is walking along in just townie clothes, though. Not a smaht thing to do, in such a dangerous place like Skyrim.

"Ah-mor way better for travel Skyrim".

Gunter and Aela are on their way back to Whiterun, after making it through Ysgramor's Tomb. And Gunter is now leader of the Companions. But he absolutely no idea what the title means. He has no idea what the concept of being "on top" means. He doesn't understand what the job of a Jarl is, for instance.

He's just an oaf who happens to have a few talents, basically, and is benefitting from them in ways unforseen.

If we only had spears, we could name one Gungnir...

Anglo-Saxon and Viking kennings have a lot of wonderful names for weapons too. Shield-Hungry, Leg-Biter, Heaven-Scraper, etc... Harald Hardrada's mail byrnie was named Emma, because the skirt hung down so low.

I'll have to check it out, thanks


Well today Haa-Rei and Derkeethus have gone on an epic 'bro-venture' which consists of wandering around, killing things and drinking wine.

So far they have visited all of the hold capitals apart from Dawnstar and Morthal, they're currently stopping over at Imperial controlled Fort Dunstad, more specifically the 'Stumbling Sabrecat' tavern within the fort's walls. The soldiers are avoiding the tavern for some reason so the Argonian adventurers have it, and all the alcoholic contents, to themselves.

Haa-Rei is thinking about making it a semi-permanent home because it's a rather nice little place to sleep.

Goodness me is that the time? Looks like another adventure update is in order

Haa-Rei and Derkeethus finally finished their epic bro-venture and Derkeethus has headed back home to Darkwater Crossing. Haa-Rei decided to have a wander over to Rorikstead to see his friend Erik the Slayer.

We were reading his wiki entry and it turns out our farmer friend prefers light armor and two-handed weapons (even though he buys himself iron armor and a 1H weapon ) so we stopped off in Whiterun and made some Scaled armor and a very nice Glass greatsword which has been enchanted and named 'Cabbage' so Erik will feel more at home when he uses it to cut a swathe through the masses of bandits we're sure to encounter.

So now, our Argonian and our farmer slayer are on their way to The Reach to hunt some Forsworn. Fun fun fun

Ulfdis is about half-way through the Companion quests, and I am feeling vastly underwhelmed. I do not know if I will bother with trying to finish them. Even just for curiosities sake. I have to say, the major questlines in Skyrim are really poorly done.

The main quest feels not only forced, but flat. As many have noted elsewhere, Alduin is a poor villain. He is bad because we are told he is. It is much easier to be pissed off at Tullius or Ulfric than it is to be at the dragon who saves our butts at the beginning of the game. Alduin just isn't there. He is the absentee landlord of major villains.

The Civil War gets dull pretty quick, as it devolves into a series of near identical 'take the fort' quests. Then it just completely jumps the shark when you get a bounty for killing soldiers of the opposite side. Not to mention being prevented from killing the leaders of each Imperial/SC camp, even though they have no purpose whatsoever in the game.

I loathed the first few quests of Thieves Guild line. Framing innocent people and roughing up shopkeepers is not what I really want to do in a game. The quest where you sneak onto the island, break into the safe, and burn the three beehives was excellent. I felt like a real thief there, tip-toeing my way around one guard after another with none the wiser. But the rest of the questline does not follow up with more of the like. Instead it is a lot of dungeon-crawls killing Draugr, Falmer, etc... Stuff you expect a muscle-bound brute to do, not a master thief.

The College of Wintherhold just pushes you too fast down its railroad to solve the mystery of the plot macguffin and then get rid of it. There is not a nice place in the middle where you can just stop and be a student for a while. Unless you just try to ignore that giant glowy plot macguffin and psijicc agents lurking around. Plus they never even bother explaining what the plot macguffin really is, or what it does. After all that trouble, you think they could at least tell us what the bother was all about?

The Companions of course force you to be a werewolf, whether you like it or not. Yes you can choose not to get all furry. But then you cannot do half the questline can you? Then the lycanthropy is a watered-down twinkie designed to appeal to Twilight fans who think you need to have superpowers to be cool and sexy. Obviously I am old school, because I remember when werewolves were terrifying monsters, creatures of unbridled bloodlust and fury that killed everything in their path, regardless of what the person inside the wolf actually wanted (and usually to their absolute horror, as they kill all their loved ones). Lycanthropy should be a curse, not a set of cool powers that makes you a superhero and babe-magnet.

Even besides that, the Companions themselves just leave me flat. They just strike me as being nothing but a bunch of loud-mouths long on talk and short on action. Why would anyone want to hang out with these losers? I think the questline should have ditched the werewolf crap, and instead focused on each of the members of the Companions. They could have given us a quest or two that was about each one, getting us a chance to get to know their backgrounds and flesh them out as real, living people. Through it all we could have been retrieving the fragments of Wuuthard as an overarching goal, putting it back together at the end, and smiting some big bad out to use it for evil. Then we would have both characters and simple, but believable plot holding them all together.

I have yet to try the Dark Brotherhood, so I cannot say much about it. Being able to destroy it rather than join up was a good thing though. So just on that alone I would rank it as the best of all I have done. I wish they would give the option of destroying the Thieves Guild and Maven Black-briar, and putting Riften back together. That would have been much more satisfying than the regular TG questline.

hazmik: Why did they name their sword "Cabbage"? Interesting choice for a weapon-name.

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Loredas, 7:18 pm, 20th of Evening Star,

Gunter, Son of Talos return Winterhold helmet for Winterhold. Go deep inside cave, make pay many white ghost. White ghost woman-folk un-dead. Gunter make white ghost woman-folk not go happy.

Fight draugr. Fight white ghost woman-folk. Fight man who make ice from fingers at cave end. Man who make ice from fingers strong magic, but Gunter strike man who make ice from fingers much. Man who make ice from fingers stagger. Fall. Gunter hit much. Gunter kill man who make ice from fingers!

Me find key. Key open lock and Gunter find Winterhold helmet.

Gunter travel new girl-friend Aela Huntress. Gunter like Aela Huntress girl-friend much. Aela Huntress girl-friend like Gunter, Son of Talos much for too. Me and Aela make good for marry. Me give Aela Huntress girl-friend gold neck-piece. Pretty gold! Shiney! Aela Huntress girl-friend give Gunter many happy thinking.

We make sleep. We travel in morrow, need find Magic Ring in cave on map.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with most of that. The most fun I have in Skyrim is the stuff I make up for Aravi. I haven't done the other guilds yet, but prepare to be underwhelmed by the companions conclusion.

I think some of them are well-done. I enjoyed The College questlines, for instance. My only criticism is that wow....it was over so fast.

Gunter completed the Companions, and I would agree that it wasn't very good. I mean, it started off okay, and I even tolerated Gunter accepting werewolf blood. But the end of the questline really fell flat. I can't even really describe how it fell flat....I just wasn't very impressed.

Good thing Gunter happened to be the perfect character for Companions! As an uncomplicated oaf, Gunter Son of Talos doesn't really understand what happened, that he is now the leader. The concept of leaders and what they do is something he can barely comprehend, which makes it easy for me to ignore his role, as well.



Me too. You have to be playing a really evil charcter I suppose, one who likes torture and blackmail. I started TG with Khahkhayre, but even he (as careless as he is about other people's feelings) had trouble messing with the shopkeepers. He really struggled through that part, and gave up on TG altogether.

Nice. And the sword's color should match his thumb.

Mikke of Green River has been engaged in the Dawnguard questline. Spoilers follow.

I agree, it's interesing when we get to that part of Dawnguard, Grits. I have yet to finish Dawnguard yet, but I did find the parts that i did to be interesting.

Erik's a farmer when you first meet him, then you convince his father to let him become a mercenary (and a follower) When he follows me he always talks about how he doesn't miss farming so I thought wielding cabbage in battle might make him think about his life and stop complaining when he's adventuring with me

That's cool. I have an idea for a Crusader character that starts off poor. I already see him as a farmer, too. At least, that is how he will start off.

---------------------------------------------------------------
, 2;39 pm, 23rd of Evenng Star

Gunter find inn. Me tired. Find place sleep with Aela huntress.

Before go in, man run to Gunter. Man give gunter note. Note many words, Gunter not know many words. Gunter give note girlfriend Aela huntress. Aela huntress say "Jarl of Falkreath want us pay him visit". gunter agree.

Me head and Aela huntress follow Guntr. We go Whiterun, meet cat-faces. Cat-faces sell many good thing Gunter. Me buy doll. Gunter buy doll. Gunter give doll Aela huntress-girl friend.

Aela make smile at Gunter. Aela want know when go RIften. Gunter confuse. Me go Falkreath? Me go Riften? Gunter not know!

.

Ulfdis got as far as the kill the witches quest, and I just gave up on the Companions. Kodlak sounds like such a whiner. What was he expecting when he became a werewolf, to be tip-toeing through the tulips for the rest of eternity? He knowingly sold his soul to a Daedric Lord in return for power, but now that he's had his fun and its nearly time for him to pay the price, he wants to weasel out. It would be one thing if he had been infected by accident, or against his will. But the Companions all willingly agree to become lycanthropes (well, except the player characters who want to complete the questline, they are forced into it...). If they do not think there are going to be some downsides to becoming Hircine's beyotches, then they are dumber than they look (and that is saying quite a bit for some of them!).

So I deleted all my saves up to that point, and went back to playing Ulfdis from that point. I found a quest mod that adds a ship and a bunch of quests along the Sea of Ghosts, I might try that out with her.

Um. Well this is the spoiler section so I won't use official spoiler tags, but I'll give a hint. At the "end" of Companions (just after Kodlak grants us his title), we have the option of giving up werewolf blood. I won't say how to do it, if you choose to get that far in the future, you can figure it out; you're a smart cookie. The game doesn't just give us this option though, we have to figure out how to do this ourselves, which I thought was kinda neat.

Another thing I've noticed is Companions does not "end" just because we've become leader. There are still quests after this, and the ones I've seen so far are all radiant. But still, this is better than in Fighter's Guild IMO, during which the FG leader no longer has much to do once he/she becomes head of the guild.

I know you can cure yourself of lycanthropy at the end. I just do not want to go any farther in the questline at all. It just is not enjoyable.

I do like the radiant quest system, and how Skyrim uses it to add to all the major questlines. The minor ones too. I think I most like how they use it for the bounties that the steward of every hold hands out. That was a neat idea. I agree that it is much better than Oblivion's purely static system of quests, where once you are done, you are done.

I kinda dug portions of it; especially the fact that as we're doing Companions, the NPCs actually are acting as companions. They don't just stay in their guild like they do 95% of the time in Fighter's Guild of Cyrodiil.

I figured out what bugs me about Companions, by the way. The main thing that bugs me about Companions (and College, too, but not as much) is how easy we can become the leader. In FG and MG, the questlines are very long...by the time they "end", I felt as if my character earned the title. I don't get that feeling with Companions. It would make more sense if some other Companions got jealous or something, since they've been there longer than we have, and then they challenged us somehow.



Yeah, me too.

.

"J'Zargo?...What brings you to darken my door again?"

"'Zirlo...We found something...In a place called Saarthaal...Near the college."

"Yes? What is it?..And why is this so bad you have to come all the way to Whiterun to seek my help?"

"Um...There is something strange with this...Your lot...You do strange."

"My lot?..The Companions? or...Ohhh."

"There is something else. Some of us think the Thalmor are snooping around."

"There's that word again...Snooping...*Sighs*...What makes you think that?"

"There's this Altmer asking too many questions...His name, I swear I've read his name somewhere before."

"Well, what is this name?"

"Ancano...I know I've read it before...Years ago...I don't know...All I can remember is, Mother was there."

"Even if you did read it, that may be a common name amongst Altmer, no?"

"Yes, it may be...Or...It may not...We shall see..."

"*Sigh*...I need to see the others, leave Farkas in charge...We will need to find Caerellin and, if possible, Dinasafon...He knows a thing or two about the Thalmor..."

"Dinasafon?...Hmmmm...There's something..."


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



J'Zirlo is doing the College of Winterhold questline, but I'm having it that it was actually J'Zargo that started it off and came to get J'Zirlo for help...Ties it all in to my overall story...Which doesn't make anything complicated and overlong at all... ...

That is fine, man, that is fine.

So Gunter Son of Talos died. He and Aela the Huntress were in some fort, and at some point they got swamped with bandits. There were like 8 of them! I couldn't ignore this...he died fairly. I was pretty bummed though. I like the guy a lot.

After a day of mulling about, I decided I'd start him all over again. Well almost all over again. There was no way I was doing Helgen all over, for instance.

I re-started his game from Save 10, and deleted anything later than 10. This put him just outside Whiterun. He was wearing a nearly-full armor suit + an iron sword. He apparently had not started crafting yet at this point, yet had heard of the Companions (this was in his list of questlines).

In this alternate existence, Gunter Son of Talos has re-started Companions, and just finished retrieving the first fragment from Dustman's Cairn. Gunter is annoyed with his partner Farkas, who is strong but so bad at combat. The Xbox is glitching or something; half the time he just stands there and doesn't even recognize he's being attacked!

Gunter and Farkas are on their back to Whiterun.

.

Haa-Rei spent the weekend messing about in Falkreath, building a house e.t.c so there hasn't been much time for adventuring.

We did purchase an armoured frost troll from our Dawnguard friend Gunmar though and it's already managed to save Haa-Rei a couple of times so it was money well spent Now we intend to do some serious adventuring and have agreed to try and find the White Phial for Nurelion.

This is another thing: just before Gunter died, he had gotten word from a Courier, and made his way to Falkreath to speak to the Jarl there. He was so excited about being able to buy property (to please his girlfriend), yet had nowhere near 5,000 gold.

I think that's what did him in; he starts to rush into situations that he shouldn't. But I gotta say, I'm glad his game has started all over. I am glad because I am curious to see how Hearthfire works itself into the game (and therefore Gunter's story) from an earlier point in time.

4:23 am, Loredas, 18th of Frostfall, 4th Era 201

Day 62:
Gunter many thing need do. Me go Whiterun. Speak Companion Farkas. Gunter have cheap iron daggar from wizard cave. Must give Farkas cheap iron daggar.

Why companion want cheap iron daggar of wizard cave? Gunter not know.

Me need make cave bandit dead today, before. Too. Find cave near Riverwood. Make bandits all dead. Bandit bad. Bandit must PAY. Gunter MAKE bandits pay for steal good from friend Skyrim. Jarl Falkreath want bandit dead for no pay gold to Jarl. Gunter make bandit PAY for no pay Jarl Falkreath.

me need find little girl Whterun. Sad little girl, need father. Me speak little girl. Me need speak sad little girl want Gunter take? Gunter make father little girl?

Gunter make house, take sad little girl beggar find house. Gunter make sad little girl of Whiterun friend. Gunter like friend, make little gi rl beggar more smile.

Make all thing happen soon. Gunter make find many thing happen soon.
.
Gunter, Son of Talos II is organizing his thoughts, trying to figure out what he's going to do today. That's what the above is, basically. He hasn't actually done anything yet, you see...

Ummm...Not sure if this warrants its own topic really, but I'm shy see...So I'm putting it here...

Soooo...I never knew this...

J'Zirlo's smithing it 100 with all the perks...And everything is all Legendary and all that...

So there's me thinking that I can't improve anything anymore...

Oh no... ...The daughter wanders up and announces that she's tried one of the Smithing fortifying armour things and that does, in fact, shove the stuff up just that little bit more...

Snassn Frassn...

So this morning, I went to every shoppe...Found a grand total of two items...Disenchanted one, enchanted a bunch more things (armour, necklace and ring...Just realised I never tried a circlet...Oooh, there's one for tomorrow...) you can't enchant helmet, gloves and boots btw...Yeeeeah, love the way Bethesda did that...Aaaamywho...

So, I buy loads of Ebony...And, adding one item at a time, I improve my sword...(y'know...Put on armour and improve, put on necklace and improve, put on ring etc...)...So now it still says legendary, but it's something like 30 points further along...And as my enchanting only added 10% improvement...

Putting the one on at a time, I think helped...

When I enchanted and improved the stolen Blades armour in order to do this Thieves Guild thing it would only go to Flawless for some reason...Now it's up to Epic...

It's technically a new thing, or at least something I didn't know...If I find more wearables + the potions, I shall be doing all this again... ...

BTW I appreciate that I may be behind on this, but I was, like, well chuffed to have found it out... ...

Well done that daughter there!!... ...

You can enchant helmets, boots, and everything. You are just limited to the types of enchantments you can use on each type of armor/clothing. Helmets and circlets are mainly Fortify Magicka or Fortify Magicka Regeneration, and I think maybe one other thing. Here is a list of what you can enchant every piece with.

Ah, yeah...My bad englishness... ...

Yeah, I've enchanted pretty much everything there is to be enchanted in the game ...I just meant that unlike Oblivion where you can enchant any item with anything you want...You can't do Boots and Gauntlets with Fortify Smithing is all...

Cheers for the list though...

Nivoniel leaped onto the railing, then dropped lightly to the rocks below. The waterfall’s spray made the going treacherous, but its roar kept the guards from hearing her muffled yelps. The barely controlled descent cost her some blood, but nothing she couldn’t heal. Sneaking in had been difficult. Now that someone had raised the alarm, sneaking back out would be next to impossible. And that Altmer was demanding her head. Best to make a quick exit straight down.

A few moments’ shuffling in the shelter of a stone pillar got her gowned and ready for the walk through the city. This time her prize was highly portable. She wouldn’t even need Vorstag to—

Oh sixteen hells, thought Nivoniel. Vorstag. He was back inside the building. She had brought him along so he could see some of those Dwemer artifacts that seemed to fascinate him. They had strolled through as invited guests, but now the place was crawling with guards out for blood. Vorstag would draw a weapon if one of them even thought of looking at him funny, never mind the uniforms. He might already be in jail, or even on a slab in the Hall of the Dead by now.

He could handle himself. That was his job. She should just go on without him.

Niv leaned her forehead against the cold stone. These past weeks had seen her mauled by wildlife, battered by draugr, shot, poisoned, stabbed, and left for dead. None of these disasters had occurred while she was under Vorstag’s protection. Nivoniel knew what betrayal felt like. She was not going to do that to him.

She slipped back into her enchanted armor and drifted through the shadows. Vorstag was standing where she had told him to wait, in front of the gleaming doors right outside the restricted area. He looked like a mountain of ebony illuminated by a thousand lanterns. Nivoniel worked through her repertoire of curse words waiting for the guards to turn their backs. Then she stepped into the light.

“Good afternoon,” Vorstag bellowed in his friendly tone. He shifted his feet with the sound of an ironmonger’s cart tumbling down a mountain.

“Let’s go,” hissed Nivoniel, dropping into a stealthy crouch. “Quietly.”

“You lead. I’ll follow.”

She made it to the door before she realized that her partner was not at her back. He had started a war with the guards. Nivoniel breathed a prayer and began shooting. Vorstag took them down one by one while Nivoniel pumped arrows into the crowd. Eventually Vorstag dropped to his knees. Three guards turned as one, and Nivoniel faced a wall of shields. This time she felt no urge to run and hide. Perhaps the end of this life would just be another beginning. As they closed on her, Nivoniel drew her daggers.

Maybe Vorstag found one more healing potion, or perhaps he had saved a few baked potatoes for just such an emergency. Somehow he got back on his feet. While the guards hacked at Nivoniel, Vorstag cut them down from behind.

It was over. Nearly blind with pain, Nivoniel filled her hands with healing light. They made it out of the city without being stopped by guards. Niv supposed it helped that Vorstag had killed all of the witnesses. She felt sick knowing how many families would grieve tonight, but she had made her choice. She would not trade their lives for hers. And she would not trade her partner’s.

“Let’s go home,” said Nivoniel.

“I’ve got your back.”

But when they got there, someone had changed the locks.

*
Events occurred within the Guild that should not be recorded. Oaths were sworn, and secrets kept. Nivoniel joined two others in pursuit of justice for their Guild. Mighty Vorstag was left outside.

In the depths of a Dwemer ruin beset by Falmer and chaurus hunters, Nivoniel fell. Hopefully that fetcher Brynjolf died soon after. It was his heavy feet that gave them away.

Poor Niv. This is why I do not play dead is dead. Especially in a game like Skyrim!

This was a tough one for me. She went through a lot in her 47 hours, and she had plans.

Brynjolf and Karliah went down in seconds, and Niv got completely slaughtered. The chaurus hunters found her while she was invisible. I’m not sure how I could have gotten her through there with Brynjolf’s horrible sneaking even if I did reload. Dammit.

Mikke of Green River has scored a great victory for the Dawnguard. The vampire threat from Castle Volkihar has passed. Of course there is probably a new clan ready to rise, but that’s a fight for another day. The Dawnguard headed back to the fortress after the battle. Mikke stood on the castle bridge for a while, shooting bonehawks and thinking things over.

For one, Serana has to go her own way. Mikke has grown fond of her, which is a sure sign that the vampire is working her wiles. Mikke is a werewolf. There is no way this undead creature really wants anything to do with her.

Next she’ll go get Erik the Slayer and tie up some loose ends. Her beast blood is starting to burn again, so I expect she’ll wolf it on the way there. She likes Erik, but she’s pretty sure he would not approve of her beast behavior. I think their questlog cleanup might be kind of a farewell trip. When she makes it back to Jorrvaskr, they’re going to want to keep her busy. We’ll see. She’s going to have some decisions to make.

But first she wants to go home and bake some sweetrolls for the orphans Sofie and Alesan. They’re in good hands with Lydia, the bard, the Housecarl, and the carriage driver, but Mikke is the one they want to call Ma.

Mikke summons her spectral horse and points his flaming nose toward Windstad Manor.

Mikke looks so cool in her DG armor! Sounds like her story is coming to a close however.

Thanks, KC! I like how the DG armor looks so pulled-together, since she is such a savage in combat. It makes a nice contrast, especially with that very knightly looking helm.

This chapter has definitely come to a close for Mikke. I’m going to leave her at Windstad for a while. She was working with Aela on Companions business when the vampire attacks got to be too much for her to ignore, so she feels a strong pull to get back to Jorrvaskr. I’m sure she’ll continue with that questline, since I know what happens next. Then there’s the dragon business. Jarl Balgruuf told her to visit the Greybeards, but she left his company in an awkward manner one morning (kicked out of his bed by the guards after he had already gotten up ) so she’s trying to forget everything about the Dragonsreach Incident. Still, she’s starting to realize that what happens when she kills a dragon is not normal. So I’m sure she’ll eventually take a walk up that hill.

Mikke did not start out as Dead is Dead since I wanted to get through the whole DG business and see what it was about. Somewhere along the line I realized that I would not reload if she died. Not because I was tired of her, but because her life had become her own and it would seem disrespectful to manipulate it. (Hmm, that sounds more than a little crazy. ) In the final battle she went flying across the room coated in ice like a kill cam, but then she got up and the controls worked again. I thought it was over, but she still hasn’t died even once. She is a very interesting character to play, quiet and reserved in some ways with an almost paladin-like sense of duty, but then she strips down under the moons and runs around eating people. So she can be a little tiring.

Also I want to focus on Jerric’s doings, and Mikke takes up a lot of space in the imagination. And The Boy just found Tropico 4, so it will be awhile before I get back on the Xbox!!

What difficulty do you prefer to use, Grits? Just curious.

Adept. I sometimes (rarely!) bump it up if I find I have put too much into Health. I prefer to use minimally improved gear. Mikke’s axe is not enchanted, for example, and Jensa the 2-handed barbarian still wears hide armor most of the time. I could not manage that on the higher difficulties. Of course Jensa breaks out the Blades armor (not enchanted) if she thinks she's going up against a dragon priest. Now that I think of it, Jensa's greatsword is not enchanted either.

Achille the conjurer/illusionist was Expert from the beginning because he didn't deal direct damage and I wanted him to be vulnerable, and Zuuri was Expert for a while when she got a little too powerful. Her skills and perks were very tightly focused. Usually Adept is challenging enough for me.

Character: Skankee Krahkho

Level: 11

Alignment: evil

Class: conjurer / thief

Preferred Weapon: iron daggar

Apparel: Novice Robes of Restoration, Novice Mage's Hood, leather boots, hide bracers, Necklace of Resist Magic 10%, Ring of Minor Magicka (20 pts.)

Perks: Novice Destruction, Novice Conjuration, Novice Illusion, Alchemist (1/5}, Stealth (2/5), Muffled Movement, Armsman (1/5), Novice Alteration, Alteration Dual Casting.

9:22 AM, 5th of Heartfire, 4th Era, Year 201

Days Passed: 19


The morning was bitter cold. Skankee Krahkho had arrived in Winterhold the night before. She stayed at the village's inn, and is now off to the College. And it is COLD out here. Bruma cold does not = Skyrim cold.

The journey from Whiterun to Winterhold had not been an easy one. I am amazed that Miss Krahk-ho is still alive, to be honest. Thank goodness she is an alchemst, and had created dozens of health potions. Thank goodness she is also a thief; she had dozens more potions which she had stolen from various places in Whiterun.

She nearly died several times on her journey. She encountered a frost spider ( much tougher than the underground spiders, Skank noticed), and several wolves...some in a pack and some solitary. These wolves were stronger than the ones living in the Riverwood / Helgen areas, too.

Skank attempted to join the mages at Fort Kastav, but quickly found that in Skyrim, one didn't just walk into a fort full of mages and not pass their "test". These mages had proven to be aggressive and very powerful. They were casting amazingly fast cold spells (...like flying ice spikes, Skank noticed), and she had been hit by several of these. They slowed her down massively and it took several agonizing seconds before the magic faded out of them.

She had also seen what looked to be a giant made of ice in their fort. It had walked on two legs and was probably twice her size! As soon as Skank saw that thing, she had simply bolted. Ran for the hills, dodging ice spikes all the while!

But she made it to Winterhold. .....And why all this trouble to get to Winterhold? The College. The Winterhold College of Mages.

She had heard of The College while she was still living in Cyrodiil, about a month before joining up with those necromancers. Talk about "The College" had become all the rage, actually. It was supposed to be the "place to go" in Skyrim, if you were a magic-user looking to broaden your spell book.

Skank and her travelling band of Necromancers had wanted to go to The College, not to join it so much as to infiltrate it. They had planned on seeing if they could move in as a group. Join the College legitimately, but then slowly take over the place. They weren't exactly sure how large the College is, after all, or how many other mages there would be living there. Would they be able to "take over"? Not immediately, but perhaps over the course of several weeks? Would it be possible to take them to a remote location one at a time, and then make them disappear?

And now Skank, possibly the only survivor from her former group, is about to find out.

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"Cross the bridge at your own peril. The gate is closed, and you shall not gain entry!"

said the elven woman to Skankee Krakho after she walked up the stairs.

"Is this The College of Winterhold, or is it not?"

"Oh. Forgive me. Most who arrive here at the College of Winterhold do so because they have heard of the college beforehand. This is the college of Winterhold".

Good. Skank had arrived in the right village then. She only had an aged brown linen map to navigate by.

"I would like to pass. Do you mind?"

"I am here to assist those seeking the wisdom of the college...'" the gatekeeping female rambled on for a few moments. ..."but the more important question is, why are you here?"

"Simple. I want to gain access to the College itself, me lady".

"Perhaps. But what is it you exepect to find within?" asked the gatekeeper.

"I came across some evil mages just down the road who could throw spikes of ice, driven by their very hands! Such spikes could fly very fast! I would like to learn such magics", Skank said innocently.

"I see. That power certianly exists i assure you, she promised. "Wield it faithfully, and there are few who will dare oppose you". She rambled a few more moments and then said (in so many words) that Skankee Krahk-ho would need to pass a "small test" to get inside.

The game provides "I'll take your test", or a persuasion option. I don't see Miss Skank as a very boastful character, so I chose to simply take the test.

"Excellent. The Mage Light spell is useful to any mage. Can you cast it on this shield upon the ground? "

"Well, I don't know that spell, me lady", Skank had replied.

"No? Well if you think you're capable, I will happily sell it to you for 30 gold."

Skank had not expected this. If any sort of test were going to be started, why a stupid light spell? Would this lady not be impressed if Miss Skank summoned up her sword? Or threw some fire onto the wall? Why a light spell?

She bought the spell, anyways. .

"Here you are. Now I'm anxious to see you cast it."

Skank decided she would cast this spell this one time, and only this one time. As a sneaky spellcaster, she much preferred torches over magical light. At least torches could be extinguished at will.

She cast the Light Spell, and was easily made a member of The College of Mages. Where are you, my friends? she thought later on. Where were her necromancing friends, indeeed?

Name: Lord Haaf-Mersey

Age: 29
Race: Breton
Class: Crusader
Alignment*: Lawful Good

Skills*: Sword, Shield, Running, Literacy, Warrior

Spells: Heal Self

Mentor: Dyan phor a'Cauz

*= tabletop stuff.

What I know: he's a Breton originally from High Rock, who moved to Cyrodiil as a kid. Haaf-Mersey's odd name is the result of two families who had multiple marriages between them: Nords and Bretons alike. Haaf-Mersey is actually a mixture of Nord and Breton himself, although much more Breton than Nord.

He's had a comfortable life, so far. He's also had some military training, and is a devout follower of The Nine. He intends to do "good works" whereever he goes, as Dyan phor a'Cauz accomplished two centuries ago. He's read all about Dyan (she is one of my Oblivion characters from the 3rd era, btw).

Lord Haaf-Mersey recently decided to move to Skyrim, as there seems to be some sort of a "boom" going on there (a treasure boom, that is, as Skyrim's crypts have been rumored to still contain wealth). Haaf-Mersey is also knowlegeable about some sort of conflict brewing up in Skyrim between the Nords and Imperials.

At the moment, he is undecided which side is best, but being caught by the Imperials, caught and then branded as an outcast, has left him with a sore spot against the invaders from Cyrodiil.

Haaf-Mersey is about to be executed despite his protests, when something large and VERY fast blots the sun from the sky. It's a dragon! They actually still existed?

Haaf-Mersey wound up following an Imperial into Helgen Keep.

Yaay for Lord Haaf! He is a follower of the Nine Divines? Not the Eight? That says a lot right there.

WOw, oh yes GOOD POINT. He includes Talos since he's a follower of The Nine instead of the Eight. I hadn't thought of it that way.

By the way, I am trying something new with Haaf-Mersey's game: I am using the Apprentice difficulty instead of Adept. Some fights are going to feel too easy, but I want this guy to stick around for awhile.

His game is going to be DiD, but I want to see what happens (for instance) when the property in Falkreath actually gets developed. Both Gunters died before I could barely get the place started! Haaf-Mersey will also most likely do Dawnguard quests (aiding the vampire hunters instead of the vamps), join the College (he's gonna be using magic) and I am undecided on Companions and Civil War stuff. We shall see.

"See that ruin up there? Bleak Falls Barrow. When I was a boy, that place used to give me nightmares. Draugr coming down the mountian and looking through my window...that kind of thing. I admit, I still don't much like the look of it".

The day is sunny and bright. Lord Haaf-Mersey is walking along with an Imperial by the name of Hadvar. The two had escaped from Helgen, only to see the dragon fly overhead and to the north. Hadvar had suggested that he and Lord Haaf-Mersey should split up, but Haaf-Mersey thought this would be a bad idea. Better to travel in numbers, than alone.

"Come on. I'll feel better once we're on the trail to Riverwood", Hadvar goads.

"I am with you, my brother. Together we shall travel!" Haaf-Mersey says this valiantly.

He is glad to be here in Skyrim. He feels blessed to be here in Skyrim. He shall do good works here, and his devotion The Nine had saved him several times now: from execution by blade, and from destruction by dragon.

As he walks, Haaf-Mersey spies groups of colored flowers occasionally on the ground: red, blue, and purple. He picks these flowers because he knows of their properties: they restore magicka, health, and stamina respectively. Centuries before, Dyan phor a'Cauz the great Paladin was known to carry simple ingredients such as flaxseed and mushrooms to restore her failings. She used these ingredients to enhance her healing powers, powers granted to her by Mara herself. Haaf-Mersey knows this, and despite the fact that he knows how to cast healing magics to aid his body in war, he goes ahead and collects as many of these flowers as he can.

"One thing though, who were those others in the cart? I was to be executed, who were those with me? And what shall be their fate?" Haaf-Mersey asks.

"OH you didn't know? That was Ulfric Stormcloak and his top lieutenants", Hadvar says in a slightly raspy voice.

"Ulfric Stormcloak?"

"Right. He's the leader of the Stormcloaks. They claim to be fighting for Skyrim's freedom, but the war is all about Ulfric's wanting to be High King of Skyrim".

"I see. What knoweth you of the Stormcloaks, then? I am new here in Skyrim, come uppth from Cyrodiil, me-self."

"You haven't heard of the Civil war in Skyrim? I guess down in Cyrodiil people have other things to worry about", Hadvar says. "It's simple. Ulfric founded the Stormcloaks years ago, as a private army to further his ambitions. He's always used the banning of the worship of Talos as an excuse, to stir people up against the Empire. He never succeeded in getting much support. So a few months ago, he muldeled High King. That got the Empire's attention."

"Muldeled? You mean murdered? That is such grave news".

It is now dark outside, the air cools dramatically now that the sun is gone, but Haaf-Mersey can't resist just one more question.

"And Ulfric? He was on the same cart as I, off to his death. How cometh of this, that we should share the same cart?"

"A master stroke by General Tulius", Hadvar boasts. "He's only been here a few months, but he's turning things around for the Empire. We've been trying to to catch Ulfric since the war started, but he always seemed to slip through our fingers. This time, the general turned the tables on him. Ulfric walked right into our ambush with only a few bodyguards! He surrendered easily, too. So much to his death or glory reputation".

"I see. I am glad to knowth all you have spoken", Haaf-Mersey says diplomatically. He does not totally agree with everything Hadvar has told him, but he's going to let it go for now.

"We'd better keep moving", Hadvar cautions. "That dragon could be anywhere up above us".

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11:13 pm
The road bends sharply to the right, when all a sudden Hadvar stops, despite his previous cautionary words.

"These are the Guardian Stones", he says .... "Three of the Thirteen ancient standing stones that dot Skyrim's landscape. Go ahead. See for yourself".

As Lord Haaf-Mersey inspects the three stones, he gets a feeling of their power within, and sees they have been carved. One appears with the fascia of a warrior, one a mage, and the third one a sort of robed figure. A rogue, perhaps. He rests his fingers upon the Warrior stone.

"I feel honored by the spirit " Haaf-Mersey admits, although he can't say for sure if this spirit is caused by one of The Nine or not.

Hadvar seems impatient to keep moving up ahead, and Haaf-Mersey agrees with this.

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Morndas, 12:20 am

"I'm glad you decided to come with me. We're almost to Riverwood".

"I am glad as well", Haaf-Mersey agrees.

Eventually the pair make it to a small hamlet, by the river. This must be Riverwood. The smell of burning wood and searing metal is all around; it's good to be back in civilization. Hadvar meets up with another man, who appears to be working at a smithy. They invite Haaf-Mersey into a small house, made of wood.

"This reminds me little of Bruma", Haaf-Mersey notices, and goes inside.
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12:55 am

"Sigrid, we have company!" says the other man, the one who had just been tending to the smith outside.

"Hadvar, we've been so worried about you!" says a woman. "Come you must be so hungry. You must get something to eat".

These folk seem nice. Haaf-Mersey notices a girl is present, and she looks up to him with curious eyes. Suddenly, Haaf-Mersey is aware of the Imperial soldier's armor which he is wearing.

He spends the night with these folks, glad to have somewhere to be, for now.

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Sorry this post is so long. I like writing up early RP as a way to establish new characters. This is my new thing. Writing helps me to really get my new PC off with a good start

Morndas, 12:54 PM
Lord Haaf-Mersey had spent the previous night wanding a bit. He counted heads over at the house he had been welcomed into (Hadvar's friends) but there would not be enough room there. Haaf-Mersey did not want to take anyone else's bed.

He went looking for an inn, but wound up in a shop which had its door unlocked. In here, he learned that a "group of thieves" had stolen a "golden claw", and this immediately piqued Haaf-Mersey's attention. After he was guided to the edge of the village by the storekeeper's wife, she flirted with him....

"You're a strapping young man. Don't be a stranger".

He spent the night at the Sleeping Giant Inn, and is curious about the smith he had seen the day before.
He spends his first full day in Riverwood, therefore, learning a few things about how to craft weapons and armor, a trade only an elite few participated in down in Cyrodiil.

He also learns (after talking to a Nord woman named Gerdur) that if he picks up an axe and chops wood, he will be paid for his efforts by a man named "Hod". He eventually meets Hod running the mill (funny how in many previous games, Hod was nowhere to be found), and chops wood for many hours. This is a good thing, since Haaf-Mersey is literally goldless.

So a few months ago, he muldeled High King
He mulded! Brilliant of you to put that in on purpose!

I love it! That's just how he says it!

I know! I was like...did he just say "mudeled?" Lol.



Level: 1

Days Passed: 5
Hours Slpept: 47
Hours Waiting: 22

Gold Found: 558 (this must be from all the firewood he chopped)

It is early in the morning when Lord Haaf-Mersey arises from his rented bed in the Sleeping Giant Inn. He's been working all week: chopping wood and doing some smithing & selling of a few miscellaneous weapons and armor pieces.

A good crusader never goes off into battle unprepared, and if he is to go off and find this Golden Claw on his own, Haaf-Mersey is going to need more than the flimsy Imperial leather he wore outside of Helgen. Haaf-Mersey has crafted himself a suit of fine iron armor, fine iron helmet, finely-crafted leather gauntlets, and some Imperial leather boots. He has also sharpened up the iron sword he found just after the dragon attack. All he needs is a good sword, and he is off to Bleak Falls Barrow.

On his way out the door, he hears some talk. Apparently, somebody had raided and burglarized a one of Riverwood's cottages in the night*. The culprit must be found! Some say it was the dark elf who had mysteriously shown up in town recently.

*=Skankee Krahk-ho would have did some breaking & entering by now in Riverwood. Haaf-Mersey hears this, and vows revenge, IF he can catch whoever did this!

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Loredas, 4:47 AM

I've never made a shield from raw materials before, but I imagine it would take an entire day to do so. Therefore Haaf-Mersey begins his quest towards Bleak Flats a day later than planned.

It is very early morning, and the Lord is so poor, he cannot afford to rent the room again. So he sleeps in a chair after eating his last carrots. He has heard there are bandits up the hill; perhaps they will have some food and other supplies. Haaf-Mersey has no qualms about raiding from bandits, since it is ofen bandits who terrorize the good peoples of Tamriel, anyways. But like his long-dead mentor Dyan phor a'Cauz, Haaf-Mersey always offers evil-doers the opportunity to "change their mind". To give up their past, and "give in to The Nine".

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8:19 AM
Lord Haaf-Mersey climbs the hill towards the tower which the lady of the shoppe below spoke of. It is rumored by her to hold bandits, so he readies his sword and shield. As he approaches he sees a figure pacing just outside. He seems to be keeping watch of the place.

"HALT! You violated the law!" he shouts as he approaches. "I am Lord Haaf-Mersey, Crusader in trial of good works! And I command you to giveth up your holdings, and give in to The Nine!"

Those last few words are not his own; he had learned them from reading about a paladin from the Third Era: Dyan phor a'Cauz. Dyan had done many good works in her time, which included the destruction of Umaril, who had threatened to take over all of Tamriel. Lord Haaf-Mersey has all the books related to her tale stashed back at his family home back in Cyrodiil. He has been collecting them from childhood.

As Haaf-Mersey approached, he could see there are actually two figures. Both are dressed in furs, and brandish cheap weapons. They certainly look like bandits.

"Never should have come here!" one of them cries.

The Lord draws his blade now (he had sheathed it as he warned them), and attacks!

"Is that it? Is that your best!"

Haaf-Mersey bashes the first bandit repeatedly, and then manages three direct swings! GING! BANG! BASH!!!

"I said GIVE IN!"

The first bandit hasn't got a chance. He does not manage even a single blow to the Crusader. But then....

"I'll mount your head on my wall!" before Haaf-Mersey can start on the second one, a third bandit shows up, this one wearing heavy iron instead of furs. It is of no matter, though. All three bandits fall. Haaf-Mersey says a quick prayer for their souls, and then moves on.

It is a really clear day today for some reason. For the first time, I am noticing I can actually see Helgen, way off in the distance!

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10:10 AM
As Haaf-Mersey rounds the path, he is now on the other side of the mountain () he climbed. He can see a stone tower, what looks to be a rather large fort, and a town, way off in the valley below. The town is Whiterun, Haaf Mersey assumes. He will have to check his map (paper map) later when he gets out of this cold.

10:30 AM
Gotta say: these fights do feel easier than usual, now that I'm using Apprentice difficulty instead of Adept, but they are not the cakewalk I was assuming they'd be. Strategy is still coming into play, here.

"Tell ya what. You start running, so I can stab you in the back!"

Three more bandits, evil foul-doing brethren of Oblivion, are dealt with, and Haaf-Mersey makes his way into the very LARGE foundation, which is supposed to house many traps, bandits, and undead.

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3:58 PM
Lord Haaf-Mersey finds a bedroll located right by a fire. He cannot resist getting a couple hours of meditation before going deeper into Bleak Flats. During his meditation, he thinks of a new way to hold himself during battle. A better stance to support his weight. This will help him defend himself more properly in battle.

He made it to Level 2, and I selected the first Heavy Armor perk (Juggernaut)

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7:35 PM
I did something new with this character of mine, something I've never done before. Before cutting Arvel the Swift from the spider web, I decided to have Haaf-Mersey speak to the guy. Turns out, we have the option to demand the claw from him before cutting him down. We can demand he give it to us, and we can perform some other command. I'm forgetting what the other one is.

Anyways, that's not the new part, this is: Arvel refuses to give the claw over after being cut down, and Lord Haaf-Mersey attacked him. I've never had a character able to attack Arvel before he gets away. Initially Arvel ran off, but after a minute or two he came back to finish the fight with Haaf-Mersey. Therefore, the trap didn't get him in this instance.

This is Lord Haaf-Mersey, by the way. Isn't he a prettyboy? That's the look I was going for with him, and I'm actually proud of my accomplishment. Yes, he wears lipstick, and does not wear a helmet. He's supposed to be this gallant, Hollywood type of Crusader. Since his game is Apprentice (a little easier than Adept) I feel it's okay if he doesn't want to wear a helmet for the time being. He's too pretty anywyas.

Fredas, 5:37 PM, 29th of Last Seed

Character: Lord Haaf-Mersey
Level: 5

Days Passed: 12
Locations Discovered: 12
Dungeons Cleared: 3

Hours Slept: 107
Hours Waiting: 54

Gold Found: 3,330

Quests Completed: 2
Misc Objectives Completed: 9

Spells Learned: 5
Favorite Spell: Oakflesh


Notice Quests Completed and Misc Objectives. Skankee Krahk-ho got to Level 20, yet completed just 1 Quest, and 3 miscellaneous objectives. Lol.

@-}----- @-}----- @-}----- @-}----- @-}----- @-}----- @-}----- @-}----- @-}----- @-}-----

The day is pleasant. Lord Haaf-Mersey had heard Skyrim is a very grim place to live, but so far it didn't seem that bad. There had been a couple days which were drizzly with rain, but just as many days with full sunshine.

The Lord has a task at hand: take down the bandits at a place called Valtheim Towers. He has already found a few other bandit camps and raided them, and he's feeling confident Valtheim will be no different.

Haaf-Mersey has crafted together his own set of steel armor, and wears a mixture of Light and Heavy armor altogether. He carries a finely-sharpened longsword for a weapon, and backs this up with a big shield of banded iron. As he approaches Valtheim, he calls out...

"Hoy there! Bandits of Valtheim Towers! .... I am Lord Haaf-Mersey! Crusader from Cyrodiil! And I command ye to banish thine posts! ... Drop thine weapons! ... And give in to the Nine!"

Haaf-Mersey is answered by an arrow to the side.

"Huh!"

6:05 pm
He is still on the road, facing the nearest of the two towers, when a door opens, and a typical bandit brandishing a blade and wearing simple fur armor comes after him...

"Huuyah!" *CLINK!*

Haaf-Mersey allows the bandit the first swing before he draws his own weapon & shield. He then bashes the bandit in the face, stunning him.

"FACE .... THE NINE!!! *BANG!* ... RECKON WITH ... THE NINE!" *BONK!*

"Tell ya what, you start running ... so I can NOOOOO!"

The first bandit is felled easily, and Haaf-Mersey moves on. He drinks several potions before making his way into the towers: potions which will boost his Health, and Magicka, and increase his Stamina Regeneration rate. He drinks two more potions also, furthering his ability to block and use his heavy armor.

"GIVE UP! GIVE YERSELVES UP, MISCREANTS!"

6:13 pm
"True Nords never back down!"

Haaf-Mersey climbs a set of stairs, and looks out an opening. He notices it is raining. When did the rain start? ... He runs up a ramp, and sees there are two archers just waiting to take a shot at him. He ducks behind an entranceway, and then rushes out across the bridge!*

"Aaaaah!"

*this is the cool thing about playing on Apprentice level, I don't have to be as careful! He's supposed to be this Hollywood hero, and he gets to ACT like one

The first bandit also wears furs, and is using a cheap mace. He is no contest for The Lord, but then, another one shows up wearing heavier armor (the boss). This one would require more finesse, and as Haaf-Mersey sees even more bandits rushing across the bridge, he does not want to get cornered. He rushes back to the entrance of the place, and out onto the road!

"Come on! Face the Light of mighty Stendarr!"

The ringleader is tough. Haaf-Mersey runs around strategically, occasionally grabbing a purple mountain flower to restore stamina, or a healing potion to restore his health. Eventually the leader falls...

"By the power of Mara!" cries the Crusader, healing himself with Mara's love. He makes his way across the bridge, and searches both towers, until all the vermin have been expunged of their wrongful ways!


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7:17 pm
It is getting dark outside, and the rain falls steadily.

Rain is also falling outside steadily here on Earth, as Hurricane Sandy makes it way across Maryland. There is this dual-effect of rain noises in my room.

Lord Haaf-Mersey finds a Staff of Sparks on one of the bandits, and tosses it into the river far below*. He then places the Jarl's bounty letter in the pocket of one of the bandits, as a warning to other potential wrong-doers that this place will be under watch of the Jarl, through Haaf-Mersey's protection.

*(Anything enchanted is evil, Haaf-Mersey feels. Haaf-Mersey will not be using or selling soul gems, poisons, enchanted items, or armor. The only exception to this is if the item or weapon has something to do with one of The Nine. .

After he is done exploring the place and gathering up gold and food, Haaf-Mersey falls asleep in one of the bandit-beds, fully claiming the place as his own. He has a dream in which he seems himself in combat. During this dream, Haaf-Mersey realizes a new way to hold his shield, which will allow even less damage to be inflicted by enemies in future battles.




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Lord Haaf-Mersey walks the road back to Whiterun, where he will collect money from the Jarl's Steward, and visit the markets. He has heard about a group called the Companions, and thinks he might just visit them, too, as they seem to be the equivalent of Cyrodiil's Fighter's Guild.

Up ahead are 4 travellers, all wearing heavy armor. They come to a bridge, and one of them stoops down to inspect a dead wolf. (uh oh) Haaf-Mersey approaches, and one of the men says..

"COME ON!!!"

...drawing his big greatsword. .

"Four against one, eh? That is how this is going to be played?"

"HyYYYYah!!!! *clink!*

"I'll Kill you if I have to!" says a Nord woman.

"By the NINE!" Haaf-Mersey gets a couple swings and a couple bashes in. He notices an arrow flies past! The travellers have split up, then: two are handling Haaf-Mersy up-front, and two are now using bows.

"You don't fight fair!"

Haaf-Mersey turns around, and runs up the hill towards a bandit hideout he had dealt with the day before.

"BY THE POWER OF MARA!" he makes his way to a safe spot, and heals up. If these ruffians would not fight fair, Haaf-Mersey needs to flex his melee options.

"You won't leave Skyrim alive!"

Healed up, he now rushes the two closest to him!

"FALLL BEFORE ME!"

"NOW YOU'LL PAY!" says the Nord woman, before being sent off to the Afterlife. The other figher follows soon afterwards, then Haaf-Mersey goes for the archers!

"Thy shall meet thine fate, Ruffians!" he promises.

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12:34 pm
The Lord makes his way down the hillside. What happened to the archers? Suddenly, he sees a figure walking slowly. Haaf-Mersey now brandishes his blade, and rushes down the hill.

But it turns out, the figure is merely a Whiterun guard.

"Need something?"

Haaf-Mersey sees no sign of the archers. He sees a couple more guards across the bridge. Perhaps these guards took care of the two archers?

As the Lord walks, he sees a man who appears to be crouching. He nears the crouched man, who's wearing iron armor and carries an axe. But he does not attack. Instead he says...

"Victory is yours! I submit!" the ruffian says, and runs off towards Honningbrew Meadery.

What the? Lol...never seen this happen before. My character didn't even attack the man, yet!

"I shall not pursueth this man", Haaf-Mersey says to the nearest guard, who could care less. "This man has seen the Light of the Nine! May he go forth with clean faith upon his conscience!"

"Trouble?" the guard asks, not exactly agreeing, nor disagreeing. Haaf-Mersey makes his way into Whiterun, looking forward to the day ahead.

LHM is a pretty boy indeed! It is too bad he could not have teamed up with Dovahken.

That guy in the armor who fled was hilarious. Was he one of the bow-armed bandits? Or just some random person I wonder?

I thought the same thing, SubRosa! But they would need an imaginary mod wagon to carry their hair care products.

Renee, LHM reminds me of Errol Flynn.