The Crystal Beth Mage's Strategy Guide, A Guide for Skyrim College Mages Options

[Lady Saga]

The Crystal Beth Strategy Guide

PROLOGUE


Hello fellow guildmates. I am Crystal Beth, and today I'd like to talk about some ideas you might find useful. Ideas for strategy, that is. This book shall be written by me as inspiration strikes, but you are being allowed an unoffcial, unpublished peek into my works, for advancement purposes.

As pure mages, we are at a disadvantage when it comes to combat at close-quarters. Every magic-user knows this. So what I am doing today is to introduce ideas which you fellow College mages might find useful, if you are to actually find yourself dungeoneering some day.

You can cast spells all day and all night in the Hall of the Elements, fellow mages, but when it comes to a giant two-handed axe or a blade being swung in your face, you can possibly forget any chance of an immediate advantage. Just one blow from such a weapon can throw us off-balance, unable to properly aim and cast our spells. And further blows come quickly.

Let me share with you how we do it, in the High Elf way. I recently found myself betwixt in such a situation as printed above. Here is how I turned the tables.
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Chapter 1:

Turning the Tables

Place: Fort Neugrad

Hold: Falkreath

Date: Loredas, 4:27 PM, 17th of Morning Star, 4E. Year 201

In this situation, fellow mages, there were two sections to this fort known as "Neugrad". I managed to clear the first section easily, but found myself betwixt during the second, which featues two stories, both of them open towards the entrance of the place, as well as a narrow hallway. Walking into the place, a lone mage with no big weapons to speak of is at an immediate disadvantage.

I am now going to feature an easy-to-follow step-by-step. Study with purpose, and perhaps some-day, you too can find your-selves, "Turning the Tables".

1). Entered door. Up ahead is a man, a bandit. He readies his axe and before I know it, he's upon me. He only has maybe 20 to 30 feet to travel to get to me.

2). Run! Knowing my skills are at a disadvantage, that any spell I could possibly cast at that moment would be aimed wrongly, I simply leave the fort.

Now,, a lesser mage who has not advanced his or her spells can possibly keep running. There is no harm in this. It is self-preservation. Enemies in Skyrim typically do not follow us outside of dwellings as they do in Cyrodiilic-fashioned melees, for the Skyrim enemy knows he could lose his proper comfort zone.

If all you have got in your roster are a Candlelight and a Summon Wolf, it is best to run in thus situation. But for you more-advanced sorts who are skilled in multiple disciplines, read on...

I ran outside initially, then formulated a strategy. Since I now had a moment to strategize.

3). Protect yourself. In my case, I cast a Stoneflesh. If you have more-advanced flesh spells from the Alteration school, you can use what you haev. But beware, for as you know, stronger spells require greater magicka!

Now, I re-entered Fort Neugrad.

4). Turn the Tables. "If they tread thou with hatred, show them affection" once said an anoymous elven poet from the 3rd Era. For this step, I aimed, and then cast a Calm spell. Thus, the bandit came to me with hatred, and I showed him the errors of his ways. Taking care of this first bandit, causing him to be basically ineffective as a guard, proved to be the very key to opening the door to the place, and further taking down the rest of the enemies therein.

Calm is an under-rated spell, College mages. If you happen to be studying its effects, let it be known that amongst non-undead, Calm spells can immediately turn the tables.

With the first bandit calmed..

5). Time for a summons! A Flame Atronach can easily be cast, while the calmed bandit now walks around. Flame Atronach magic can be upped to Frost and Storm, have you the knowlege to cast them. But again, more advanced magics usually equal a greater magikca cost.

But the fight was still young, as there are other enemies about in Neugrad.

6). Lay a trap!. Rune Spells work great magic, and can be placed passively in a strategic area. Lay your rune upon an area in which it is guaranteed an enemy will need to tred. A narrow hall or causeway is an example and two. Putting a Rune on the side of a large room is risky. Chances are the enemy will never cross a wrongly-placed rune.

7).Use your position to cast furher spells from a distance. With one bandit calmed, several more fighting a summoned being, and a Fire Rune trap layed should anybody dare to get too close, the mage now has an advantage, so long as nobody gets near him or her. Firebolts, Calms, Fears, Furies, Ice Storms, and dozens of other ranged spells now come into play.

Let us complete a summary for our first lesson, mages.

>Protect your flesh before battle
>Calm or otherwise illusize your enemy
>Summon a creature
>Lay a trap
>Keep your spells in effect.
>Use your position to keep enemies at bay.

From this moment on, you have Turned the Tables upon your enemy. All of the spell effects mentioned above can easily be cast and re-cast, as our enemies struggle about.

I realize this first lesson is a slap to the face for those who have never been dungeon-eering. So let us break further chapters into morsels we can more-easily bite and digest.

.

This post has been edited by Lady Saga: May 1 2012, 08:34 PM

[Lady Saga]

4:20 pm, Loredas, 17th of Morning star. Year 201 4th Era

On this date, Crystal Beth arrives at the College of Winterhold, and promptly presents the very first draft of the first chapter of what may become the very first "strategy guide for College mages" that she knows of. Sure, there are other books out there in publication (or out of it) written specifically for magic-users, but Beth's plan is to scribe up the very BEST of these. A guide any aspiring mage can open, read, and possibly use "in the field", to successfully survive amongst those multitudes of enemies.

She presents her writings directly to Arch Mage Aren himself, a bold move that Beth performs with outward confidence, but inward insecurity.

Pic: Savos Aren studying Crystal Beth's Journal

Being a High Elf helps at moments like these; there is an opinion amongst some of the Humans of Tamriel that the Altmer simply make the best mages. Beth uses this opinion to her advantage at times, without really trying very hard. Savos Aren is not a Human, of course, which is why Beth is a little nervous. She already has a reputation as an aspiring adventurer amongst the other College mages, Skyrim's guards, Skyrim's townspeople, and Skyrim's helpless. Even the Dark Brotherhood (and now the Thalmor) have taken keen notice about Beth's actions out in the lands. She knows this because every so often, she is attacked by a DB agent, or a group of Thalmor. These enemies always carry little notes about how to find and recognize their target.

Most of the early text Beth scribed up for her strategy guide was written in Falkreath, Beth concentrating over the usual singing bard, townie conversation, and other typical tavern noises. She managed her text without a door upon her room as well. Despite these problems, Beth wrote it up anyways. Inspiration does that sometimes.

As she approaches him, he looks up from his seat and says

"What you learn here will last you a life-time. Several if you're talented".

"Arch-Mage Aren. I apologize for barging in like this, but I've got something you might want to see"....

Arch Mage Savos Aren reads it over, raising his brows at points as Beth stands before him in his private chambers.

Savos Aren: "Nice! Very nice! EXCELLENT in fact! You my dear have provided an excellent first chapter!"

Crystal Beth: "Do you really think so, sir?"

"Abso-lutely! You have shown yourself to be an excellent talent! Why, this could be just the very thing we need to promote farewell of The College towards the average Skyrim citizen!"

"Of what do'st thou speak, Arch Mage?"

"As you may know, after the unfortunate circumstances which happened within recent years, most of Winterhold has been destroyed. It is because of this, and because The College itself somehow survived the unfortunate circumstances, that the majority of the Nordic population mistrusts us mages. We need everything we can possibly attain to perhaps perform a more positive image for us, here at the College."

"I do not understand".

"This book, when it is done, shall possibly display to the average Skyrim citizen that we here at The College are firmly commited to banishing any sorts of evils scourging the lands of Skyrim itself. As mages, we therefore have a responsibility. This is proof, wolf-sarah, that College mages, can, in fact, help keep Skyrim free! Free of bandits! Free of necromancers! Free of enemies! A free Skyrim, indeed!"

"Why...I..I do not know what to say", Beth says truthfully.

"You now have an assignment, my dear. Finish this book! Finish it at your leisure! And as you provide chapter after chapter, I myself shall be scribing copies right here in my chambers, for all the College mages to study and read!"

"I. Well, I did not expect this! But I shall take your heed. I shall take it with seriousity, sir".

"That's my girl! Now...go...go with haste, and provide not waste, my dear!"


Crystal Beth now walks from the Arch Mage's chambers, a small, confused smile upon her high elf face.
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This post has been edited by Lady Saga: Apr 25 2012, 04:50 PM