That was the perfect spot for a Fire Storm. Neat fight with the draugr on the walkways above.

Even though Aravi doesn’t need to worry about diseases it’s best to keep those skeevers at a distance. Flames might have warmed her up a little, too. I love to see how versatile she is.

I couldn’t pick a favorite between your first two screens. New ally is the thing I started to ask a little while ago if Aravi had found yet. She found it!! And that picture is gorgeous!

Volley is such a perfect pose. What a partnership between Aravi and Kharjo. I love that one!

Corrupted spriggan is neat with Aravi’s Ward and sparks flying everywhere. Poor burnt spriggan. Maybe she’ll get to go somewhere green now.

It’s always fun to see Kharjo in battlemage mode. It looks like he has a spell in his left hand. Is that for J’Renrij? Regardless I’m sure he’s saying he feels like he just woke from a nap!

What a great group of screens, KC!

@Rohirrim: Those wyrms (or whatever they call them) are pretty fun even if they aren’t very useful. Thanks!

@mALX: There are fewer flooded mines in Skyrim but there are a few! Most of the time if it is flooded, it means there’s something special on the other side.

Healing, that is definitely Kharjo being healed. The spriggan is actually using fire on Aravi! The shimmering is Aravi’s ward spell. Thanks mALX!!

@Acadian: Oh I see what you mean about area weapons. That was actually a magic scroll Aravi used at the very beginning.

Aravi can do a lot of things when it comes to a fight! It looked like she hit Kharjo, but I don’t think she actually did, but that’s why she stopped to heal him. She hits really hard, so if she accidentally hits Kharjo it’s usually a big deal. Glad you enjoyed seeing Aravi in Buffy’s position, even for just a moment.

The fire dragon is so cool to see appear. Thanks Acadian!

@SubRosa; Lots of horned helmets means it’s a good time to use an area of effect spell doesn’t it?

Kharjo is a total badass.

I hate those traps that prevent you from bringing your followers. Aravi isn’t going to get Kharjo sliced up if she can help it. I do have a bat file that moves Kharjo for some of those situations. It’s similar to your alternate start method.

Lol. Kharjo was busy shooting arrows at the spriggan, but maybe after she died he may have popped out a snack. Thanks SubRosa!

@DE: the sneaking seems to help sometimes but not all the time. There’s a deathlord coming up that gives Aravi a pause.

Heh, the first screen, Aravi is confronted with a spider. I think the dragon and Kharjo took care of it.

I can’t believe you made that joke, with the burnt spriggan. It gave me a small chuckle though, Thanks DE!

@Grits: She only used flames at that point because she only had the skeevers to worry about. And you are correct, getting a little rat bite is no fun even without the risk of disease.

Volley is my personal favorite. The flame wyrm is so cool, thanks for not spoiling the surprise!

Kharjo’s spell in the last picture is J’Renrij. Thanks Grits!

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After the swim, Aravi finds more draugr to deal with.

9:38

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I only have a couple of screens because of some major computer issues. Things are mostly fixed now.

Thanks to SubRosa, the ghost blade Aravi received a long time ago is actually a viable high level weapon.

It has a neat trailing effect

Another dungeon full of DrugLords! When Aravi got knocked down and back, at first I thought it was blast from her own shout; then I figured out that it was a spell from her foe. She continues to be very good at doing the ‘archer dance’ vs another archer and, of course, really rocks when those twin blades come out. Speaking of blades, the pretty blue translucent one in the screens looks neat as can be!

That was a really neat fight with the last Deathlord riding the trap up and down. Then the blizzard scroll one had some neat effects. I’m glad Aravi found a Fire Storm scroll. She might need it.

Lol, did that draugr alchemist really have an arrow in her..? I can’t even say it.

Oh crap, that Deathlord fled in the direction Aravi was going. What a cool dungeon with all of those cracks where light comes in.

Wow, those archers are dangerous. Aravi does a great job of dodging and using cover. Her fighting by herself was very fun to watch, but I guess she was really missing Kharjo!

Hmm, that’s a big room behind the puzzle door. This is a new one for me. Very exciting!


The ghost blade looks awesome! Aravi looks so graceful in that armor. It shows off her arms and shoulders very well.

GAAAAH! I see the Red Mountain in the background! What do you mean by "Thanks to SubRosa the Ghost Blade is a viable weapon? DETAILS! Is it a mod, is it a trick to gaining some enchantment (and what enchantment?) DETAILS PLEASE !!!!! Lol.


OMG, Aravi blew herself into the other room! How did that happen? GAAAAAH!

OMG, now the Deathlord blew her around! Holy Crap what a fight! AWESOME !!!!

This has to be the greatest dungeon crawl I've seen yet, this was Awesome!

So cool there was a blizzard inside the dungeon! Oh hell, and it ended on a cliffhanger! Awesome Vid!

That round design on the floor of that first room looks like a trap. I see you noticed it too. Yep, there it goes, lifting up into air, probably into some spikes.

Wow, they both shouted each other! Now that was timing! But nothing lasts against those twin swords.

That was neat pushing the jug onto the trap to see if it would set it off.

Looks like that Draugr on the throne used to be a warrior like Aravi, until she took an arrow in the knee...

Dawnbreaker is certainly proving its worth here. Blue explosions everywhere!

The Ghostblade's wispy blue effect is really neat. I used it for Persephone's sword Malediction as well, to give it an otherworldly look.

The Ghost Blade does have a neat effect. Like a spiritual sword that actually slays fleshy beings.

Aravi might never get her fill of undead Draugers. Everywhere she goes she's taking them out. That means there's a lot of dudes with curses on them

The battle was pretty badass. With Aravi getting knocked down and then her spells unleashing on them. Yeah, she's terrifying despite her cute face. With a lethal mix of Dawnbreaker, a sword, a couple of spells, there's no stopping her. I am enjoying her journey in the crypts. Looking forward for her fight with Harkon, though.

@Acadian: The druglords don’t stop coming either! I actually thought Aravi died when she was blasted over. Very glad that wasn’t the case. That was a shout from one of the druglords. Thanks Acadian!

@Grits: You must be remembering the conclusion of this dungeon with the comment about the fire scroll.

Archers have always been the most dangerous for Aravi to go up against. She can even more reliably take a hit from a two handed weapon over an archer.

Glad you like her armor! It looks better than I expected. Thanks Grits!

@mALX: That ghost blade isn’t very good when you get it, especially when you are high level. It originally deals 3 damage that ignores armor on top of standard steel sword quality damage. SubRosa bumped it up to 15 damage that ignores armor, and might have buffed the base damage too. I actually looked at improving it myself, but I wanted to do something much more complicated. SubRosa’s solution was better than what I had in mind.

Aravi didn’t blow herself, she was blown by the draugr. (That sounds hilarious)

The blizzard came from the scroll Aravi used. Thanks mALX!

@SubRosa: I wish the traps in Skyrim were a little more devious. Most of them are blatantly obvious and if you do trigger them, they are usually not a big deal.

It’s hard to not respond to a shout with a shout in kind. Kind of like taking their special power and throwing it in their faces.

Oh you will see more explosions before the end here.

I actually thought the wispy effect on the sword was given by you! Thanks SubRosa!

@DE: I actually wanted to make all of the ghost blade’s damage ignore armor, but that proved to be impossible to do. I don’t know why I didn’t just boost its original effect and be done with it.

There definitely are a lot of dungeons full of draugr in this game. Soon Aravi will be facing down some fanatical vampires, just you wait.

The next (and last) fight of this dungeon is even more exciting than the last one was. Thanks DE!

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Aravi meets the dragon priest…

8:11

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Warming up. I don’t remember how, but Aravi fell into a body of water near here. It was very cold.

Telvanni tower

Another encounter with a burnt spriggan

Finally, Aravi found it necessary to leave Solstheim and return to Skyrim. She will be back though. There is unfinished business here.

*

HOLY CRAP! I only saw the two Draugr on the other end of the room, then she was pacing back and forth ... I was really surprised she stayed invisible till the spell was cast, but then there were like 10 DRAUGR DEATHLORDS suddenly, they were everywhere !!!


That was one tough dungeon, I didn't remember it being so huge! AWESOME VID!

Screenshots:

I was kind of stunned by the gray sandy look of everything - is that ash from the Red Mountain? It looks like snow, but brown instead of white!

Anyway, I am in love with Solstheim aside from the lack of color (it took me a while to get used to the Wasteland too, but I ended up loving it so much).

The buildings/docks - And the color of Aravi's armor! Love that last picture a lot!

What is that creature she killed?

Okay, I could not pick a favorite here. I absolutely LOVE the first picture where that man is sharing his fire with a nearly naked Aravi - everyone bundled up - that had me rolling, but I loved it !!!

The other favorite is Aravi DANCING! Is she drunk and partying? You need to give some details for a great shot like that, or our imaginations will run wild! (Mine did, obviously, lol).

AWESOME UPDATE !!!!


*

That room sure is snowy. It sounds bees in the background, but that is probably supposed to be the chill mountain wind.

Wonder if that Dragon Priest will get suspicious about those two transparent glowing feet tip-toeing around his barrow!

That scroll certainly got someone's attention!

Wow, that's a lot of Deathlords! "Fus-Fus-Fus..." Maybe Aravi ought to go invisible again!

Wow, Dawnbreaker is earning its keep here. It looks like a nuclear war in that hallway!

Neat, Aravi Yoled both that Deathlord and Ragbut in the same shout!

That was some fight, but Ragbut finally went down. It was starting to look like Aravi was going to get barbecued.

And it looks like Valmir was not who he pretended to be, either time! Never trust those elves...

That looks like the Silt Strider guy at the campfire. There is a river nearby, and I recall a pond that it flows out of.

Neat picture of Aravi being floaty in the Telvanni Tower.

I imagine those burnt sprigs are a real nuisance if you cannot Kyne's Peace them (I had to make a mod that puts them in the animal faction)

Perhaps Aravi is not the hero Red Rock wants, but she is the one it needs right now. She is a Cat Knight...

Oh my gosh, there were so many deathlords! What a fantastic fight! I love that it was snowing in there even before the blizzard scroll. And then there was so much fire! Wow, that was amazing to watch. And scary with Aravi on her own, but she was awesome!

That first clear glimpse of the dragon priest down the corridor as Aravi drew her blades was really neat. She was healing herself and out of breath, and there he was.

I enjoyed the fight so much, but my favorite part was Aravi’s little Khajiit hops onto the table and down the rocks at the end.

Screens: Warming up is lovely with the warm colors and Aravi’s sweet expression. Not to mention the nice fur on display and Kharjo looking so fine in that armor.

Telvanni tower looks like I could reach out and touch her! The light and detail are amazing. Plus, floating!

Aww, poor burnt spriggan. I love the tiny patches of green in the ash zone. They make me hope for Solstheim’s future.

She’ll be back is my favorite. Beautiful Aravi in Raven Rock, one of my favorite places.

This post has been edited by Grits: Oct 26 2013, 02:06 PM

Vid: Wow! That Rahgot was a tough one – and using very good magey tactics forcing Aravi into a lot of healing. Fortunately, once Aravi finally got steel on target, victory was quickly hers. That was a scary dungeon crawl! Beautiful sky at the very end as Aravi looked up – and no dragons!

Screens:

Aravi looks toasty warm in warming up! That place looks like Elsweyr with mushrooms!

Telvanni tower looks wonderful! What a great shot of Aravi – not often we get to see her dancing – and in that fun colorful armor as well!

Poor burnt spriggan. So abandoned by Kyne. So remote from her dryad roots.

First thing I noticed here was the snow. It sort of looked like her tail was frozen, too, hehe. Either way, fighting a draugr in those caves might be tough but a good invisibility spell would help tremendously. And was it just me or did it appear that they were spamming shouts at Aravi the entire time?

The battle was great and leave it to Aravi to turn up the heat. In the end I knew Rhagot would get his rotting behind handed to him.

I knew it. The Valmir fellow was a liar and a fiend. Where is Wuthraad? Pesky golden-rod should've been killed in the beginning

Pics:

Unfinished business, eh? I wonder . . .

Warming up- Of course. Aravi likes the heat. All khajiits do. As arid as Elsweyr is, there is still a bit of snow and cold waters. I like kharjo's outfit in the background. Appropriate to location.

Telvanni tower- Oh, those towers. Kraven's been through a lot of those in his time there. Quite the tingly feeling, I'm sure.

Another encounter with a burnt spriggan- Kill it! Kill it with . . . frost! That explosion sure did mutate the inhabitants of Solstheim. I recall in Bloodmoon they were all green forest creatures protecting nature. Not they're flaming feminine twigs of death.

I'm sure we'll see Aravi back in the island. There's so much there, too. But Skyrim is a larger place, and she has things that are unresolved.

Remember back in April and May, Aravi encountered a certain mage on the road in Skyrim. I am finally going to finish this up. I have many excuses why it has taken me so long, but they are just that: excuses.


Aravi and Kharjo encountered Darnand on the road. He was alone and looking for alchemy ingredients. After a joyful greeting, the Breton mage revealed that Jerric was imprisoned by the Jarl of Markarth for brawling, long after his sentence should have been up. In order to free Jerric, the Jarl demanded he retrieve a shield from some forsworn. The shield was being kept somewhere called Lost Valley Redoubt, a fortress by all accounts. This was clearly designed to kill the mage so the Jarl can keep a productive worker in his prison mines. Darnand wasn’t going to leave Jerric there…

Starting with my next update, Aravi, Kharjo, and Darnand are getting that shield and springing a Nord out of a prison.

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@mALX: Yeah, I didn’t see the other draugr either. Having 5 or so on her tail when she ran was a big surprise. Yikes.

I want to do that dungeon again, it was a lot of fun with all those enemies.

Gray sandy look – you nailed it, ash from the mountain.

The creature is a burnt spriggan, right in the title.

The first picture, Aravi had to take off her soaking wet clothes to dry off.

I knew you were going to think she was dancing! That’s just the magical lift in one of the wizard’s towers. Thanks mALX!

@SubRosa: I think the snow came from the ‘blizzard’ scroll Aravi used.

Nobody seems to be upset by little blue feet. I’m glad they aren’t because I like it.

Yep, Dawnbreaker’s earned its place in Aravi’s inventory! Looks kind of like someone brought a Fatman launcher to Skyrim.

In the first screen, that is the siltstrider guy.

Kyne’s peace didn’t work on them. I do think that was before you kindly lent me your mods. Thanks SubRosa!

@Grits: I think the snow in the room is from the previous blizzard scroll. She used 2 of them in this dungeon.

It’s fun to see what she does on her own, but we really appreciate Kharjo when we see him again!

Telvanni tower was a lot of fun to take.

It’s usually too cold up in Solstheim to get a picture of Aravi with her fur on display. Thanks Grits!


@Acadian: Rahgot was much more difficult to get with Aravi’s swords, floating out of her reach all the time like that.

Aravi’s never seen Elsweyr, but I hope she does sometime in the furture! Maybe Kharjo will take her there.

Nope, not dancing. That’s a magical lift. There are no stair cases in that tower! Thanks Acadian!

@DE: There were a lot of draugr, so they probably were spamming shouts at her. It’s not nearly as bad as another dungeon though…

Aravi was ready for trouble from Valmir, but at least he was somewhat believable as an Imperial officer. If she had seen him in a Stormcloak uniform, she would have definitely called his bluff.

Yep, what feline doesn’t like the heat? She was very glad for the fire.

I’m sure he has. Probably more than Aravi has been. It’s an odd feeling, being taken into the air via magic.

She ended up leaving Solstheim because she needed more dragon souls. She knows the words to the shout she needs to defeat Miirak, but doesn’t have the capability to use them. Thanks DE!

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Home again

Starting a collection

Taking a break

Edge of space

Somewhere along Lake Ilinalta

Looking forward to the adventures of Aravi, Kharjo, and Darnand. How are you going to manage to get two followers in the game though?

Home again is nice and homey. Kharjo looks good in his bear helmet.

Aravi has bugs in jars! Durga stole one from the cellar in Dushnikh Yal.

Edge of Space is breathtaking! I love the shades of purple.

It looks like Aravi is getting her exercise in that last pic.

Looking forward to seeing Darnand again! You and Grits, on both your threads, have done a fabulous job of blending the adventures of Jerric & Co with the A&K Kats

Home again – Aravi looks lovely, and Kharjo looks so comfortingly imposing – like the steel wall and shield for his Aravi that he is.

Collection – Woot! Butterflies!

Break – Must be cold. Cold enough for Aravi to flatten her ears and consent to a hood.

Edge of space – What a beautiful night sky!

Along the lake – Aravi out for a morning jog. Oooh, look at that little six-pack she has!

What a great contrast between Kharjo and Aravi in Home again.

Nice collection! I am amazed by the jars’ upright positions. The bugs make a lively little corner.

Oh wow, I love Taking a break. Neat outfit and I like to see that greatsword hilt over Aravi’s shoulder. Something new to learn. Plus her little dangling feets are just adorable.

Edge of space is gorgeous. What a sky!

I love the running picture the best. Aravi looks glad to be enjoying the lake and sun with her spots out after the ice and ash of Solstheim!

Now I've got Fleur running around Skyrim, I'm starting to recognise some of the locations, but not that edge of space one. Beth used that lookout mesh a lot of times!

And curse you for giving Fleur the idea of collecting jars. At least they'll be less effort than the dragon priest masks were. Positioning items in Skyrim seems to be a console job, as I've never had any luck with the way grab works. Get/SetPos and Get/SetAngle commands are the only way I ever get it to work. Fleur wanted Dibella Statues on shelves in her houses, so I've used them a lot recently.

First of all, thank you all for being patient with me. I know most of you have things out I need to read yet! I WILL get to you all before I post again. School’s been hell!

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@SubRosa: Not in game, I’m finally continuing the written part from waaaaay back. And if you really want two followers in the game, there are several mods that achieve that.

Aravi always grabs the bug jars when she sees them.

Glad you like Edge. That was a really cool shot to get. Thanks SubRosa!

@Acadian: I’m very glad you think so. Grits did a fabulous job with Aravi and I hope to do some of her’s justice.

In home again, you picked up on the reason for the picture! I like showing their size difference when I can. Thanks Acadian!

@Grits: I’ve found it’s easier to place things when you move fast rather than slow.

There’s that outfit I showed you! I liked that pose too.

The running picture is my favorite too. The lighting in the background plus the slight blur makes her really stand out. Thanks Grits!

@ghastly: That location is very close to Falkreath. You have to go through a dungeon to get there.

I may be using those console commands now. I haven’t really thought about using commands to place things. Thanks ghastly!

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Now we continue in the Reach with Aravi, Kharjo, and Darnand.

***


Aravi crouched on an outcropping of rock, holding onto the solid stone with a hand and her bow with the other. Kyne seemed intent on testing her balance; the wind swirled around her, blowing from different directions and gusting unexpectedly. Her hair was going to be painful to comb out later.

Just below her was a Nordic ruin known as Lost Valley Redoubt. She saw small figures walking the rough stone walls, watching the road. Tents were loosely grouped together facing any which way. The grotesque totems of the Forsworn littered the area. Nobody’s eyes checked above where Aravi was. Good. She smiled. She looked back at the heavily armored Khajiit and Breton mage behind her.

They watched her expectantly from where they stood. Neither of them climbed up with her, preferring to save their strength. Sweat dotted Darnand’s forehead despite the cool air. Kharjo’s fur was damp. “What do you see?” Darnand asked, out of breath.

“We’re right on top of them.” They just needed to find a spot to shoot from. Kharjo would have a difficult time climbing up next to her in his armor, and Darnand… she was sure he would fall in this wind.

They had spent the better part of the day climbing up the mountainside looking for a way above Lost Valley. It was a fortress built into the side of the mountain. The Forsworn had three layers of solid stone walls, each one over three times Kharjo’s height. The only way through them was to weave back and forth through the kill zones between each wall. It would be simple for the Forsworn to trap them if they tried going through the front. It was built to repel an army. The three of them would have been slaughtered.

She knew they had to bypass the walls, and to do that, they would need to climb the mountain. Getting a Breton mage and an armored Khajiit to climb was more difficult than Aravi thought though. She had tried to be nice to Darnand, but after hours of coaxing and encouraging, she asked him bluntly if he really wanted Jerric out of prison. After that, he put more effort into his climbing and less into his grumbling. If I had worn my loincloth there would have been far fewer complaints, she thought to herself.

The sun was starting to set. Too bad we don’t have the sun at our backs. That would mean waiting until morning. She didn’t want to spend the night on the mountain without shelter. She turned and nimbly hopped down from her perch, landing in a squat. Straightening, she gave them a tight smile.

“We are right on top of the fort. We just need to find a good spot where the two of you can see. They won’t have anywhere to hide on their walls, and shooting back at us is going to be a nightmare, with this wind.”

“This gale is going to make casting difficult, but I do believe I can compensate,” Darnand offered.

“My arrows will get blown around, but I have a good supply. Your crossbow is going to be the most effective I think.” She directed the last sentence at Kharjo who nodded.

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Dressed as a resident of the Reach

Small Khajiit with a big sword

Within the silver city

Children of Azura (Follower Aravi with my Dunmer Lillith)

This post has been edited by King Coin: Nov 11 2013, 06:34 AM

Hang in there with your school work!

’If I had worn my loincloth there would have been far fewer complaints, she thought to herself.’

Aravi was the only one at home achieving such an advantageous perch. Little archers like to be up high all right.

Looks like Aravi’s putting together a sound ambush. Good for her that she’s got big ol’ Kharjo and Arcane Darnand to help. I sure hope Jerric appreciates this; if they get in there to find him drinking ale and eating beans, I bet Aravi will be one pissed little kitty!

Screens:

Dressed – what a nice view Kharjo has!

Sword – Ooh, angry Aravi looks very dangerous!

Silver City – What a simply beautiful study of Aravi’s pretty face!

Azura – Yay! Companion Aravi under one of the moons!