Yesterday in Skyrim Molly Hatchet found herself plucked from her home in Megaton and deposited into the back of an Imperial prison wagon. She escaped with the help of Ralof and a giant radscorpion that could also fly and breathe fire (if she had not already killed Dr. Lesko, she would be certain he was responsible for that thing). She made it to Riverwood, and is amazed by the land of milk-drinkers and honey she has found herself in. There are these big green things, trees the locals call them. And more green stuff all over the ground, apparently something called grass. Even more amazing, the food does not slowly kill you with radiation, and all the water in the world has been purified!

Molly is thankful that in spite of such a paradise the land is, there is still a lot of killing that needs to be done. Now that Molly has a new hatchet she is ready to get started. First up will be Embershard Mine. She and Ralof passed it on the way into Riverwood. People in town said that it is a den of Raiders. Well, Molly knows just what to do with those...

Molly spent the day knocking around Riverton, Rivetwood, Riverwood. She encountered several strange mutants. One in Riverwood looked pretty normal, except for the pointed ears and sort of elongated face. She later found another blue grey one, that was ugly enough to be a feral ghoul. That one she killed right off. From the skull on his robe, and all the skeletons around him, she doesn't think he'll be missed. But the weirdest one looked like a giant cat that walked on two legs and talked. He called himself Maiq, and Molly is pretty sure he's a liar. She is also wondering if someone had slipped some pyscho or med-x into her lunch at the Sleeping Giant earlier that day.

She's gone to town on some of the local Raiders too, and piled up quite a bit of loot to sell. They call their caps gold, and Molly is not sure how they would fit on top of a nuka cola bottle. But money is money, no matter how strange it looks. The local trader seems a lot more normal than Moira at Craterside Supply. Then again, he's not nearly as fun to be around either. Well, at least he didn't ask Molly to irradiate herself, or suffer a crippling injury. At least not until he asked her to go to Bleak Falls Barrow and get back a golden claw that had been stolen from him. Molly has the feeling that this is going to work out a lot like those wild missions of Moira's. Just without a book following it all. But Molly is always ready to put her hatchet to work. She was born for it.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Apr 18 2015, 02:20 AM

What a neat twist to see Skyrim through Molly’s eyes. While so many characters think they have landed in a harsh environment, Molly is relaxing in the luxury of not having her food, drink, and air try to kill her! And she knows very well what to do with her axe.


I started a new character to try out the Immersive Speechcraft mod. Chases the Fish is an Argonian pyromancer, more specifically a heavy armor shield mage. His occupation is itinerant alchemist and occasional thug. This mod is supposed to let you mug people so we’ll see. He’s a loner so no followers. I’m using SubRosa’s awesome elemental summoning mod for fire-themed summonings. He’s going to perk Destruction, Block, and HA. No weapon skills. He sells most of the potions and all of the poisons that he makes.

He’s presently wearing armor that he got off a dead bandit chief. He has no problem wearing clothes that someone died in, stains and all. There was a group of four bandits cutting across the plains by Whiterun’s Western Watchtower. Chases the Fish kept his head down and followed them to the city outskirts where there was a fight. He sold their stuff to the Khajiit caravan. Score! He has some jobs to do for Lucan and the Whiterun Jarl, but he’s considering finding another buyer once he retrieves their stuff. In the meantime he’s looking for some folks to rob.

Chases the Fish’s first day as a Skyrim highwayman did not go well. He cornered Alfhild Battle-Born outside the Honningbrew Meadery while the guards weren’t looking, but she completely ignored his threatening stance and just complained about her family. (Turns out the mod’s conversation options only appear when the NPC has a follower voice set.)

Then he spied a Khajiiti drug dealer and thought he had hit the jackpot. He spent the whole walk up the hill planning how he was going to steal the cat’s supply, hide some of it to sell later, then get baked on the rest and sleep at the bottom of Lake Ilinalta. Except the Khajiit had CLAWS even bigger than Argonian claws, so Chases got his ass handed to him. He managed to run away back toward the guards at the crossroads and was spared the humiliation of begging them for help (another mod-added option) because after a short distance the Khajiit let him go.

By then it was dusk. Chases slunk back past the Khajiit on his way to the Sleeping Giant and spent the night there. Tomorrow he heads up to the barrow.

Hopefully there will not be any Khajiiti draugr in there.

SubRosa - It is a great idea to 'transplant' a character from a completely different environment. I remember years ago, talking with you about transplanting a modern US Marine into Oblivion and the fun that could be had viewing things through his eyes. Molly's situation reminds me of that.

Grits - What a neat idea that Chases the Fish would consider sleeping at the bottom of Lake Illinalta as a comfortable and safe place. He sounds fun. Perhaps he can meet a nice Argonian lass named Lifts her Tail?

I was thinking about the differences between the lands of Skyrim and the Capital/Mojave Wastelands, and wow, what a difference. Skyrim is paradise. Food just laying around, waiting to be eaten, and not two hundred year old salisbury steak that will make your insides glow. You can drink any water you find. The land is green and full of life, etc... Though downside is that every settlement is like Rivet City, with annoying things like laws and security guards. Everyone is so organized. They even have wars. They don't have radio stations either. Though Molly did meet Talsgar The Wanderer, so at least they still have rock stars.

Poor Chases... Whoever would have thought being a mugger would be so difficult!

Molly Hatchet Skyrim Edition! It's interesting how she compares Skyrim to the Capital Wasteland, and refers to bandits as raiders etc...she won't run out of her hatchet business, I'm sure.

Chases the Fish the pyromancer! I like his class description. Very appropriate that he slept in Lake Ilinalta.

--

Such a fine sunny Loredas it was, unusually warm for Frostfall. But warmth wasn't just in the air but also in hearts of Vittoria Vici and Asgeir Snow-Shod, the young couple that were just about to get married in Solitude. On this special Loredas unnecessary family feuds and the ongoing civil war didn't matter, on this day it was time for love and bright future.

But among wedding guests a man dressed in noble clothes was slowly walking, and he didn't come to enjoy a sip of Surilie Brothers Wine or a bite of boiled creme treat. This man felt very uncomfortable in quilted clothes, which he found too tight compared to his black vampire armor, and the stupid hat make him feel like a jester. Like Cicero, for this was the only jester which he knew.

This man didn't come to congratulate neither Vittoria nor Asgeir, this man came to kill the bride. Strictly business, nothing personal. After getting familiar with the place of the wedding and routines of the young couple, the assassin in disguise left the wedding and ascended to walls above the wedding place. He decided to follow a hint of his dark sister Babette, who advised him to push a loose gargoyle statue on the bride.

This assassin, called Aard, had no qualms at all when he pushed the statue on young Vittoria. In his early days in the Dark Brotherhood he might occasionally doubt his actions but now he saw his deeds as business - some chopped wood to survive, others were selling smelly fish to make a living, and he killed to earn his pay.

After the statue "fell" and Asgeir suddenly widowed, chaos erupted at the wedding place. Aard knew that he won't be able to remain unnoticed but he planned his escape route beforehand. He got an unexpected help from his fellow dark brother Veezara, successfully avoided arrows and hits from Solitude guards, and escaped from Solitude by the southern tower, where his loyal horse was waiting for him by the Sea of Ghosts.

As Aard was leaving Solitude behind, he realized that he didn't even take a look at the bride. Was her face pretty? Was she slim or fat? What exactly was she wearing? Was she even worth a look? He didn't know but he found it funny that he didn't take a look at the key person of the wedding. Not that it mattered, of course. He had a new dirty deed on his conscience, but there were so many from the past that he stopped counting sometime ago. He hoped that in the future his contracts would take him to Markarth, for it's been a while since he saw his lover Muiri. The only woman that could make his cold heart melt. Especially when she undressed.

A time for love and bright future? Uh oh, sounds like Aard is going to kill someone!

How fun to use a 'loose' gargoyle statue. That sounds like the DB contract back in Bruma involving a loose minotaur head trophy on the wall. Quite the high profile assassination - both the time/place as well as the victim herself!

Buffy's quietly celebrating her birthday today by clearing a fort of rogue mages. Under hostile control, the fort has been blocking and accosting those seeking to travel one of the main roads. She's pretty sure that either red or blue coats will move in and take credit after she does the hard work.

Ain't that just the way it goes, Buffy? Anything to make themselves look better than the other color!

Oh, and happy birthday, Buffy!

This post has been edited by haute ecole rider: Apr 19 2015, 07:06 PM

As Londo once said in Babylon 5. It is the quiet ones who change the world. The loudmouths just take the credit...

Happy -day Buffy!

Acadian: Cool, Buffy's an Aries if her birthday is today. A girl of action then, though I suspect she's got some Pisces in some of her personal planets (Merc, Venus, Mars), as well.

Grits: oh neat, a Highwayman! They can be fun to play. My skooma dealer in Oblivion has a Highwayman mod, but the truth is he makes way too much money from skooma sales, so he rarely tries to rob people.

Anyways, sounds like Chases some Fish is having a hard time, eh?

SubRosa: "Skyrim is paradise. Food just laying around, waiting to be eaten, and not two hundred year old salisbury steak that" . -- ha ha yeah, aint that the truth?

Lopov: Cool, I'm glad you wrote that up. I still think it's interesting that Mycharonna completely missed that detail about the gargoyle, and instead went for a much messier situation which attracted all kinds of attention.

This post has been edited by Renee: Apr 20 2015, 12:02 AM

I learned another detail about the mod I’m trying with Chases. It seems that Alfhild really did just ignore him, as that can happen with low Speechcraft skill. How embarrassing!

Lopov, nice work with that statue. It was funny to think of Aard hoping he’d get to kill someone in Markarth so that he could get some time with Muiri. He is a dedicated and accomplished assassin!



Added (I had an incident while posting, lol): Acadian, I’m glad Buffy got to spend her birthday relaxing, which for her means giving her bow a workout. Tankards and goblets were raised in her honor!

This post has been edited by Grits: Apr 21 2015, 01:13 PM

Aww, thanks all for the kind wishes for Buffy's birthday. Six years and +5600 hours of play time in Tamriel (+4K in OB and +1.6K in Sky).

Grits, thanks for the magnificent waterwalking spells your gang gifted to Buffy! She loves them! I'm also pleased that part of problem with Chases' mod turned out to be an intentional accounting for speechcraft. That means things will just get better for him!

I'm late to the party but hopefully not too late.

Happy birthday, Buffy, have a good one! May you charm us for many more years, and take good care of Acadian.

P.S.
Thanks for kind comments regarding Aard's evil deed, there's more to come.

Young Gaius Maro, son of Commander Maro, knew that he was being followed. His duty was to visit every major city and ensure that security protocols for the Emperor's visit were at maximum. Right now he was in Whiterun, eating some bread and butter at the Bannered Mare when he saw the same man whom he saw in Dragon's Bridge a few days ago. The middle-aged man with a shaved head and a goatee, wearing black armor.

He noticed him for the first time as soon as he left Dragon's Bridge, slowly following him on his horse. But Gaius Maro wasn't one to be stalked easily, so he managed to trick the man in black. But how was it possible that he was behind his back again, right here in Whiterun? A coincidence? Not very likely.

After he finished his supper, Gaius Maro decided to went for a walk, with an intention to trick his stalker once more. He wasn't even slightly surprised when the man joined him on the streets of Whiterun as soon as he left the Bannered Mare. Maro lit a torch and slowly walked towards the main gate, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure that the man in black is still behind him.

However, at some point, when he slightly turned his head around, there was nobody behind. That was odd because he could hear the man's footsteps only a second ago. But suddenly Maro felt something forcefully squeezing his neck. He didn't see anything but he could barely breathe. Invisible! The man must have become invisible!

The truth came too late for Gaius Maro for the last thing which he felt was a powerful strike through his heart and in that moment the man in black became visible again, blood still dripping from his Daedric razor. The deed didn't go unnoticed but Aard didn't care. The assassination was intended to be public and he followed his instructions to the core. Nearby guards attacked him but he got an unexpected help in a bearded mercenary named Coda who either got an arrow intended for Aard or decided to help Aard because he was on his side. Nevertheless, as Coda was busy fighting Whiterun guards, the man in black escaped from Whiterun. Killing the bride was the first step and killing Maro was the second one in a master plan to execute the Emperor of Tamriel.

EDIT: Aard managed to kill Maro from a sneak attack and though guards opened fire, he didn't get a bounty.

This post has been edited by Lopov: Apr 22 2015, 06:46 PM

Well, after figuring out our mod loadout, Alise and I started playing a new playthrough.

And I think it's time for formal introductions.



Name: Alise Sudmeri

Race: Dunmer

Gender: Female

Age: She won't say.

Sign: Serpent.

Home Country: Cyrodiil - specifically Cheydinhal

Faction and Rank or Guilds(if none, tell us what they do for a living): Formerly a scout, then a miner, now working on her smithing skillz.

Faction Description: No faction right now.

Class: Scout (based on Character Creation Overhaul)

Skills and talents: Smithing, Archery, One-handed, with minors in Block and Destruction.

Physical Appearance

Closeup

Weapons of preference: Currently steel mace, Imperial Bow (recovered off of a dead Imperial), both improved to Fine.

Clothing: Miner's outfit, just crafted Nordic Ranger Armor. I keep putting her into mage's robes, and she keeps selling it.

Magic abilities or powers: Destruction. She is fire resistant, of course, and uses fire a lot here. Susceptible to frost.

Mental Profile/Personality: Taciturn, slow to trust. Willing to work hard for her keep. Hates bandits - after all, they attacked her and left her for dead up in the Jeralls.


Biography/Life History: Still unfolding. Has lived long enough that all of the friends and comrades of her youth are dead. This has made her very wary of forming new friendships, though she isn't necessarily unfriendly.

Lopov, nice work on the Gaius Maro job! I like that Gaius was not a clueless idiot and had an eye out for his stalker, but Aard was just better than him.

haute, it’s great to meet Alise! The Serpent Sign is interesting, and one I’ve never tried. Destruction is a great picture, I love how the fire lights up her face.

Jensa finished the Main Quest for the third and most likely final time. I highly recommend the mod The Paarthurnax Dilemma. Jensa is on good terms with the Blades now after tearing Delphine a new one through the mod’s added dialog. It was pretty much what we imagined that she said on the PS3 and on the Xbox. And when she left Paarthurnax on the Throat of the World, he had some other dragons for company.

Next Jensa has to come up with some new recruits for Delphine to train. She has some candidates in mind, but it’s a big decision for them so she will probably spend some time adventuring with each one before she pops the question. She also has a nagging feeling that she should return to Solstheim.

Jensa ran into some familiar faces in Sovngarde (some whom she sent there), made some new friends, and met some of her ancestors. She wanted to go back into the Hall of Valor and spend some more time with them after the battle, but as Tsun told her first she has to complete her count of days. Not all of the honored dead will be still be there to greet her the next time she walks through the doors, though. One Knight Brother said that he had been waiting to meet her and now he would seek the Dreamsleeve. There are some other souls he wants to find. He also said, and this made me happy and sad and wonder how he managed to finally level up his Speechcraft, “No gloom can hold my heart for long in Shor’s blessed hall, where no shadows lie.”

She was surprised and thrilled when Stenvar ran up to her at the Throat of the World. When they parted on the Dragonsreach porch she told him that she would find him when she returned to Skyrim, but apparently he couldn’t wait. On the way back down the 7,000 steps they camped in the troll hollow for old time’s sake.

There’s only one thing that’s really bothering her now, and it’s not the silly cultists. When Odahviing let her see the world as only a dovah can, he warned her that once she had flown the skies of Keizaal her envy of the dov would only increase. Jensa isn’t going to admit to envy, but she sure would like to fly again.

Alise thanks you for the warm welcome! The first time we did the MQ, she was pissed by Delphine's request. She shut Delphine down. It didn't matter that they were no longer comrades, she wasn't going to betray someone who had been helping her (and who didn't try to kill her on sight). Alise told me that Delphine can do her own recruiting, never mind how fond I once was of the Blades. She pointed out the truth that the Blades in Skyrim aren't the Blades of honor that Julian and I knew in TESIV. A lot has changed in 200 years . . .

Nevertheless, Alise was happy when I added that mod you mentioned to our first mod loadout. She likes keeping her options open, and that means staying on the good side of as many people as possible.

I love that picture you mentioned for the same reason - it really adds to the character that is Alise.

So Jensa probably won't pursue the MQ anymore. Alise is reluctant to start it this time around - she wants to explore Skyrim without worrying about random dragon encounters. Yet we just found the ruins of Helgen when she was on her way to Riften. She has duly warned the nearby settlement of Riverwood, but told Alvor that she couldn't go to Whiterun. Someone else will have to warn the Jarl there. Right now she's a little busy financing the building of her new homestead (Lakeview).

Lopov – Some high profile contracts! First the Emperor’s cousin, now a member of the Pinocchio Octopus. How fortuitous that Coda happened along to help with the successful getaway from that intentionally public assassination!

Rider – Although we’ve heard you talk of her, it is so nice to learn more about Alise! So far, her nature and skill selections seem quite natural to her race. I can just imagine her painting the floor of a bandit lair with flames, then going to work with her blade. I hope she enjoys Lakeview. And thanks for sharing those great screenshots!

Grits – Congrats to Jensa! I’ve never progressed beyond the embassy quest in the MQ, but that mod sounds ever so needed to ‘salvage’ the Blades and put them on the right track! How wonderful that Stenvar found her – that is so neat! Hmm, sounds like you need a dragonflying mod.

*

Buffy’s on quite a new playthrough. Pretty much the only questing she’s done is is the Sarthaal quest with the College – Buffy style of course. That means she helped the Psijics find their missing giant chaurus egg. The Psijics were going to simply remove it right from Sarthaal, but Tolfdir talked them into simply sucking the mysterious magic out of the egg - you know, mystic egg sucking. That way, Tolfdir can flex his mighty alteration muscle and eventually figure out how to get the empty egg back to the College so he can spend his days trying to decipher the cryptic chaurus glyphs on the outside. When Buffy reported this all to the Arch Mage, he swore Buffy to secrecy about the egg being empty. That way, the Arch Mage figures, it will keep that pesky Thalmor Ancano busy trying to figure out what mysteries the egg holds. So the truth will be held closely among only Buffy, Tolfdir and the Arch Mage. Buffy looks forward to returning to the College after Tolfdir gets the egg there to see Ancano driving himself crazy trying to figure out what mighty magicks the (empty) egg holds.

In her game, this means that Buffy will need to sometime complete the 'Find the Books' quest, but we'll reimagineer that completely away from the chaurus egg. That quest does cue the egg to move to the College though and that is where the College questline will remain frozen.

Seriously, if the Psijics can teleport the egg away like they do at the end of the vanilla questline, why would they not do so when you first find it and save all the drama and trauma to the College?