I’ve always thought Triss armor was fabulous. Hey, looks’ll trump function every time! Especially in a world with shield enchantments. My only problem with the OB Triss is that it’s too busty and chunky-thighed for elves. The Skyrim version looks like it’s cut quite nicely.

What a sad story about Aja’s family at the lighthouse, but I love how you made it personal for her. I very much liked how the Redguard lore regarding seamanship and magic-aversion oozed through in the writings of her family. Aja seems pretty comfortable with that crossbow and capable with a blade.

This post has been edited by Acadian: Dec 27 2012, 02:30 AM

Yep, the Diadem is on the chopping block by Froki’s shack. It’s gold with a red stone in the middle and black on the sides.

I like the elven armor a lot, and I love your story behind Aja’s armor. I like the mod that gives the Thalmor black elven armor. That way it’s easier to have positive associations with the golden material. Isn't it fun when a character’s look comes together?

What a shock to find Ramati like that. I love Aja’s sword. It looks great for chaurus slicing. Plus Aja’s poison resistance is a real benefit here. Oh, poor Sudi. This is such a sad story!

Surprisingly enough, I’ve never actually done this quest. Come across it, but never did it.

Dead horse outside isn’t a good sign. What a horrible way to find your family! The journal sounds grim; I believe I know what Aja is going to find in the basement. Chaurus have a deadly bite that even a Redguard would have trouble fighting. They have poison resistance, don’t they?

Did you know that you can move bear traps? Aravi’s moved them before to better catch bandits! I’m sure they would work against these monsters as well.

What sword is that? I love the way it looks.

Aja seems to handle the Falmer better than Aravi does.

The blood stained note is heartbreaking.

Acadian: I never did the Triss outfit in Oblivion. Too many other good outfits I suppose!

It was Grits that gave me the idea to play a Falmer Hunter a little while ago. I was going over backgrounds last week, and trying to decided between a pure, uncorrupted Snow Elf, or a Redguard. I had the Redguard idea because of this dungeon, and the horrible story attached to it. I wanted a very personal motivation for Aja to spend her days hunting down the Falmer in the sunless world. Frostflow Lighthouse really brings it home.


Grits: Doesn't the Diadem give you bonuses to all your magical skills? Aja is an old-school Redguard, so she does not do any spellcasting. So it is not for her. She has her helmet for extra armor when things get serious.

It turns out her Redguard blood is a real bonus for her Falmer hunting though. That 50% resistance is really showing against the Chaurus spit attacks. Now I am glad I did not go with a Snow Elf!


King Coin: This is one of the better quests in the game. The story that comes with it is really heart-breaking.

I had no idea you could move bear traps! I always try to get the baddies to run over them when I can. Being able to move them into position beforehand would be great.

Aja's sword is Hadhafang. I have been waiting for the right character to use it. It goes with Aja because as a Redguard she will only use curved swords. Curved swords... It also fits in with her armor as a family heirloom.


The Conclusion of Frostflow Lighthouse

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 28 2012, 12:58 AM

Yes, I think it’s a 5% reduction in the cost to cast in all schools. The benefit I like is that it’s light armor, so the perks that require head to toe armor work with the diadem for characters who travel the roads without helmets. (I'm talking about you, Jensa.) The Elven helmet looks great with the armor though, so Aja doesn’t need alternate headwear. Jensa got the alchemy perk that gives her some poison resistance right before I took a break. Some day she will follow Aja into the dark.

Footprints, neat! Aja didn’t hesitate to go down into that cold water. I love this quest. Her own family killed or possibly still kept alive by the Falmer is enough to push her past that point of no return drop, but it’s an uneasy moment just the same. Ugh, I was expecting something to pop out of those cocoons!

It was good to see Aja put Habd to rest. What a sad and memorable story!

Yes, Aja really did make this ‘her’ quest and you captured her determination to get to the bottom of things and avenge her family. I felt, as Grits did, that when she made that leap down into the ice cavern, she was beyond concerns about getting back safely – a brave and driven young woman.

I will always be devoted to longbows of course, but I'll certainly admit that being able to 'nock and lock' that crossbow so it is instantly ready to fire is very nice!

I took a peek at the sword and it will be purely Aja’s. I like the shape, but I’m not happy with the textures the modder used.

You walked past a chest at 1:12!

Ugh, all those eggs in that pit. I love the story you came up with though for your falmer hunter. Nothing motivates a dangerous obsession like bloody vengeance. Aravi would be happy for her company when she has to face the damn things. Their poisons really hurt her.

I liked seeing her perks.

Good shooting Aja! Hate those bugs. Those eggs make a lovely potion however; don’t know if you are interested in any alchemy.

That was a neat reward. If Aravi is ever around there, she’ll have to do that quest too.

Grits: That little footprint mod is very simple, but I really do love it. I especially like walking through the wilderness and coming upon animal tracks before you see the actual animals that made them. It is a nice little touch as realism.

I was expecting something to pop out of those cocoons too! Maybe Aja was not high enough level for those Chaurumantises. They were in Raldbthar during her most recent dungeon dive though.


Acadian: I am so glad I tied Aja's RP into Frostflow Lighthouse. It really made the character, and created that driven nature she has to find and kill Falmer, not matter what the personal risk.

King Coin: I skipped a number of looting options when I did the vid, for the sake of brevity. Aja went back afterward and picked up every single chaurus egg in the place. There was a lot! Sadly, Aja does not use any magic, so the bonus to healing spells is lost on her. But putting Habd's bones to rest was the perfect capstone to the horror story.

Looks like Sam is so drunk he cannot sit on his chair properly...

Moon over Dawnstar

Hunting in the dark

Aja is building a homestead in the Pale

There is so much work to do, she is working late into the night

Time for a much needed break

Wait. . . did I miss that? When did we get to see . . . I mean I didn’t even see Aja take her top off and. . . oh. Oh! You mean that boring old skill stuff.

Getting fall-off-your chair drunk is one thing, but only in Tamriel could you fall through your chair.

Now. . . moon over Dawnstar was not what I was expecting. I guess I’m still thinking about Aja’s perks.

Okay, I got over that and really enjoyed hunting in the dark. Very nice.

Aja really is a pretty character. I’m glad to see her building a house!

It does not surprise me that Aja went back and squashed the eggs. I thought at the time that if she used magic, she would be dousing the whole place in flame.

Sam looks like an easy mark the way he’s sitting. Even Denelle might be tempted to join his contest if he was already in that condition!

Moon over Dawnstar is so pretty. A great look at the lovely Aja, plus I’ve never noticed that flame thing in the background before.

I love the Pale homestead site. You captured my favorite thing about it, the beautiful sky views. I love the Redguard outfit. It’s one of the few that stays as trousers on women.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Aja designs her home. At first I guessed definitely no Enchanting Tower, but she might like it without the enchanting table. Fun!


LOL, perks. I expect that Aja's perks were quite prominent in that ice cave!

Acadian: You guys should have seen her swimming across the river near Anga's Mill. Now those were perks...

Grits: I did the alchemy tower for the north wing, and it gave me a fully stocked kitchen with it. Well, except for a cooking pot. Unless that came with the main hall? Since there is a pot in the main halls fireplace, I did not bother making a kitchen in for the east wing. Instead I went for the armory. I was a little disappointed that it did not have a smithy/anvil tanning rack. It would have been nice to have a place in the house to do all the smithing, without having to go through loading screens. *sigh* She will just have to stick with the basement for her serious metalworking.

I wish there was a clean version of the Hammerfell Garb. While it is not the most flattering attire, I too like the fact that it remains pants. It is so annoying that everything turns into a skirt once a girl puts it on. It would be nice to have more clothing with pants.

Aja briefly tried a new outfit

A long way down...

Aja's basement is now guarded by Sammy the Friendly Skeever

Aja stopped by Gerdur and Hod's house to visit an old acquaintance

Baking some crostatas

This frost troll used to be an adventurer like you, until he...

Into the heart of darkness

Stalking among the mushrooms

That is some waterfall

One of Aja's girls is a chip off the old block

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 31 2012, 04:55 AM

@Acadian and Grits: I doubt we’ll be treated to such a view.

Sam’s glitched in my game too, he’s standing facing a wall in a way that looks like he has a sore rear.

Moon over Dawnstar is quite pretty.

Just seeing the Pale, Aravi chose her home location well.


Dammit! I just saw a mod that changed one of the women’s outfits to include pants! I doubt I’ll find it again, you know what hunting through the Nexus is like.

Aravi preferred the elven armor as well. It’s much slimmer than the glass is.

Is Sammy a Hearthfire addition, or a different mod?

Haven’t seen that stove before.

Woohoo Blackreach! Was the experience Septimus free?

How funny, she’s practicing! Those children always break Aravi’s heart when they ask ‘can you be my mommy?’

Aja’s new outfit looks great. Gosh, all the Skyrim armors look pretty good. I like that most of them are finished in a more subdued manner than OB armor generally is.

A long way down makes one’s head spin!

Sammy looks like Aja’s girl’s been practicing sword play on him when Aja hasn’t been looking.

Cooking! I love it! Oh, and the arrow to the troll’s knee =

I love those blue mushroomjellyfish and the blue light they put off. And you can never go wrong with a waterfall – even an underground one!

I do like the glass armor, although it is quite a bit bulkier. I think Aja just makes all of the armor look good!

Oh wow, what a view down the ruin! Thank you from the bottom of my console-playing heart. My characters can peak over the edge, but nothing like that!!

Sammy the Skeever! I love it. Long may he shed mangy bits of fur all over Aja’s basement.

OK, now is that oven on the wall of the Main Hall back room that has the fireplace on the other side?! I have never had that option. That’s a perfect use for that little room, and then you don’t need the separate kitchen! Also those ingredient jars look really neat. What a great house!

Beautiful views of Blackreach. Is that Sofie? I love when the kids play. Sammy better watch out if she gets a real dagger!

King Coin: Depending on what Sam got up to the night before, he might have a sore rear!

Sammy is a Hearthfire glitch. He can happen when you get the skeever infestation in your basement. Sometimes you will find one skeever that shows up as a red dot on the radar, but does not attack you. If you put your weapon away, the red dot will vanish. So you have to be careful not to kill all the skeevers, just the ones attacking you! After that he just walks around your basement, minding his own business. People on the Bethesda boards have taken to calling him Sammy the Friendly Skeever.

The stove is also a Hearthfire addition. I got it (I think) from putting the Alchemy tower in the north wing. But maybe it got put there as part of the main hall instead? I am not sure. I got it from a mod called Shezries Hearthfire Heljarchen Kitchen. You can use it to bake lots of new things, like apple dumplings (which heal you, and give you a +5% to archery damage).

Blackreach was a Daedric quest and elder scroll free experience. It was a rather simple mod to make. I was able to change the doors to Blackreach at Raldbthar and Mazeltov to take a gold piece instead of an attunement sphere. The door at Alftand just refused to do that, so instead I just left an attunement sphere sitting on top of it. Since the quest is not running, it is not a quest item, and you can put it back down again after you open the door.


Acadian: Most of the armors in Sky are less fantastical, and more gritty looking than in Oblivion. I find I rather like that.

It does look like Sammy has taken a beating doesn't it? The skeevers in this game must lead a much rougher lifestyle than the rats in the previous games. Probably partying too much with Sam (Sanguine).


Grits: That view down in Alftand is one of the coolest in the game.

Have you had Sammy in your games yet? He is one of the coolest bugs in the game.

That view of the kitchen is right behind the back wall of the main hall on the other side of the fireplace and cooking pot. I cannot remember if Flavia got it at Lakeview or not. I am still not sure if it came with the main hall, or the alchemy tower. Oops, it is from a mod. I downloaded it so long ago I forgot about it! It is nice to have it there, and not have to use the other wing for the kitchen. That let Aja build an armory there, which gives her an outside deck looking east. Hellajarchen has such great views!

That might be Sofie. Or it could be Lucia. Aja adopted them both. Since they both look alike, I cannot tell one from the other. Aja gave them both wooden swords, which they now walk around with on their hips all the time. Aja gave one of them an elven dagger too. It just happened to be in her inventory when she went to give the girl a gift, and I thought, why not? Thank goodness Aja never did the Mehrunes Dagon quest, otherwise one of the girls would probably end up with the Razor!


This was a weird weather glitch caused by going from Blackreach to Alftand, and then back to Blackreach. I guess the Alftand weather followed Aja back.

At home with her girls.

Last night Aja explored Arknthgard (or something), that is added by Dawnguard. It is the most amazing-looking Dwemer ruin I have seen in the game!

Aja teamed with a previous explorer, who had not fared so well..

Creeping over a pipe.

Can you find the Redguard?

Going out on a limb

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jan 2 2013, 07:34 PM

Eating apple dumplings helps your bow? Buffy’s out shopping for some of those little damage boosters now!

Nice to see those gorgeous blue jellyfishmushroomtrees free of their caves.

At home with the girls is adorable.

That Dwemer ruin is pretty neat all right.

Who’s the shadow girl?

Sorry, I couldn’t find the Redguard. I was looking in the falls hoping to see some showering perks.

EDIT: (After KC's comment below.) So I think I found the (fully clothed ) Redguard by enlarging the screenshot and looking for the ghost. I think.

This post has been edited by Acadian: Jan 3 2013, 05:25 PM

Slof retextured the skeevers if you are interested. They look much healthier.

Blackreach is quiet neat looking in daylight.

Both have little wooden swords! Aja has a little militia!

Love the ghostly adventurer. What a neat ruin that must be! I hope Aravi runs into that dungeon and decides to take a peek inside.

The ghost made the redguard easy to find.

We can only dream can't we?

The ghost is probably thinking the redguard is going to end up like her, sitting at the edge of that log.

This post has been edited by King Coin: Jan 4 2013, 01:56 AM

How funny to see Blackreach all lit up. It looks light blue and quite reachable.

It looks like Aja’s girls are receiving their orders. Very cute with the swords!

I thought the same thing about that ruin. I also love the ghost story. Great pictures!

I see the ghost, but I still can’t spot the Redguard. I have to assume she’s not splashing around naked in the waterfalls. Because then the Nord would have found her for me.

Yay, Zephyr! That is Mikke’s very favorite bow. (She’s a combat archer and fletches her own arrows, so it’s perfect for her.) I just love that picture! Wow, really neat.

Acadian: The Hearthfire dlc adds those dumplings, and a lot of other new recipes that give you little bonuses to your skills and attributes. There are also some new drinks too, like Argonian Bloodwine, that gives you poison resistance and waterbreathing.

The ghost is a previous adventurer/archaeologist you find in the ruin. Her assistant stole the credit for her work, and now she is on a mission to reclaim her name, even beyond death. She is pretty helpful!


King Coin: Yep, the Redguard is just to the left of the ghost.

That ruin is added by Dawnguard. You will get pointed to it if you pick up the book about the Aetherium Wars, which appears in lots of places now. It is part of a larger quest that has broken runes scattered through a bunch of Dwemer ruins. Aja found one in Raldbathar, along with the book, and that is what kicked it off for her.

It was the ghost's idea to go out on that log to get her bow! Maybe she wants an undead companion?


Grits: I guess now we know why they made it all dark and gloomy in Blackreach. It looks too nice all lit up!

No naked splashing Redguard. She is not about to take her armor off in a Falmer ruin. Not to mention around a strange ghost... KC found her.

Is Zephyr enchantable? Aja uses a crossbow, so she will never use it. The faster firing speed does not seem like much to me. Not compared to bows that might do an extra 15 - 25 points of elemental damage.


I rolled a new toon a few days ago to beat the game with

Meet Le Chevalier D'Eon

Hanging out with Ralof. He really needs a bath!

Party at the Sleeping Giant

Putting down a draugr

Watching the water go by

Anyone for barbecue troll burgers?

Moon over Ivarstead

Magic duel with a draugr

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jan 4 2013, 06:24 PM

A companion mod perhaps?

Nice armor! And beautiful character. As always, you did a wonderful job with the character gen. She looks very young in that picture next to Ralof. That armor fits her perfectly though. What is her race? Breton?

I think a nice ebony sword would go nice with her armor, either the one hand or two hand version would work. The two handed sword is pretty enough that even Aravi was tempted by it.