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The Retired Character Thread |
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Renee |
Jan 7 2014, 04:04 PM
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Councilor
Joined: 19-March 13
From: Ellicott City, Maryland
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Thanks for adding your characters Grits and ghastley. And I just realized that people have been asking about the A-bomb and I gave my Oblivion answer (350-360 hrs). I've never had the A-bomb strike in Skyrim though, I'm not even sure it ever does. Fingers crossed. QUOTE(Grits @ Jan 6 2014, 10:09 AM) This is a great idea, Renee. My characters who died are memorialized in Senor Cinco’s threads on the Beth forums, but the retirees never got their parties. Exactly. Why should the dead be memorialized but not the living?
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Grits |
May 8 2014, 12:49 PM
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Councilor
Joined: 6-November 10
From: The Gold Coast
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That time has come for my Dunmer Conjuror Nephiah Sarys. Neph still carries out her duties as Listener in her world but she’s retired from the Grits ensemble of characters. Neph began as a refugee in Raven Rock with no armor and an iron sword. She scavenged ingredients from inside the walls for potions to sell until there was nothing left but rocks and ash. Then she ventured outside the Bulwark where she was constantly in mortal danger. It wasn’t long before she picked up an Elven bow from a dead Redoran guard. Without it her story would have been very short, as the events on Solstheim had her waking up somewhere strange every morning and running for her life. When she finally got enough gold to hire Teldryn Sero things got easier. Teldryn’s game comments steered her course for a while. He was tired of Raven Rock so they went to Skyrim. They stayed in Windhelm’s Grey Quarter until he complained about it. Eventually they moved to a modded home in Riverwood. As Teldryn remarked, “Riverwood looks peaceful. If I had to settle in Skyrim, this might be the place I’d choose.” And so that’s what she chose. While they were in Windhelm Neph made a few important finds. One was the Necromancer Amulet which she wore for the rest of her game unless she was in disguise. The other was the Dark Brotherhood. Nephiah’s approach to conflict was bound weapons and a zombie. She liked to strip down bandits and have them totter along behind moaning until they had to fight some critter with their fists. She did not like being attacked in broad daylight out in the open. It just seemed rude. Most of her murders were accomplished with a bound bow and poison. She liked to keep it neat and orderly. About mid-way through her game (though we didn’t know it at the time) her religion put her on a different path. She had always venerated Azura, Mephala, and Boethiah. She felt compelled to complete their quests as soon as she heard about them. Azura and Mephala didn’t ask anything that Neph wasn’t prepared to do. But things went wrong with Boethiah. Neph knew that she should bring Teldryn to the Pillar since he was the center of her life. That’s why it’s called a sacrifice. But she chose someone else. Boethiah didn’t seem to mind, but Neph knew better. She turned away from the Night Mother and her duties with the Brotherhood. Teldryn liked Markarth so they went there. It wasn’t long before she found her way into Molag Bal’s clutches. In becoming his Champion she punished herself for her loss of faith. And her dark side really liked it. I’m usually not a fan of mwa-ha-ha Evil characters, so Neph was a lot of fun. When she turned ‘bad’ she actually stopped murdering people. For a while. Instead she did a lot of dungeoneering with summoned daedra from Coldharbor at her back. Eventually Neph came back into the fold and returned to the Night Mother. She never finished the game’s Dark Brotherhood content, but she did return the organization to its true path. There was also a Morag Tong element to her game that was an interesting side-note but not the main event. She and Teldryn moved to Breezehome which they shared with roommates Jenassa and Aranea Ienith. I used a mod so there were plenty of bedrooms. Funnily enough though just like in the Riverwood place Teldryn always slept in Nephiah’s bed. They had no use for a Temple of Mara wedding but because of whatever game quirk made him do that they were always a couple. Once Nephiah returned to the stable life of an assassin I felt she could continue on her own. Her way is shadow and silence so even though she could rampage around with two zombie thralls she’s good enough at her job not to need them. I think she can take it from here.
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Renee |
May 8 2014, 05:30 PM
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Councilor
Joined: 19-March 13
From: Ellicott City, Maryland
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Wow, that's interesting. I'm actually not familiar with Nephiah. QUOTE Nephiah’s approach to conflict was bound weapons and a zombie. She liked to strip down bandits and have them totter along behind moaning until they had to fight some critter with their fists It's interesting Meph never finished DB; for a moment there I thought Mycharonna might also not finish DB, and that she's show up in this thread, eternally haunting Anise's Cabin and the Riverwood area. I like the fact that Neph eschewed the idea of a Chapel wedding. Very nice. This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: May 8 2014, 05:31 PM
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Renee |
Feb 21 2016, 06:46 PM
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Councilor
Joined: 19-March 13
From: Ellicott City, Maryland
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The White Wizard, aka Isaac the WhiteFinal Playthrough Date: 2/21/2016, 12:56 PM Actually he is semi-retired, I'll probably still game with Isaac occasionally. But as he just became Arch Mage, I feel like his story is pretty much concluded Total Gametime: 82 hours, 3 minutes, 50 seconds Class: Mage Factions: College of Winterhold Days Passed: 69 Hours Slept: 709 Hours Waited: 351 Final Gold: 239 (he just bought the expensive white robes seen in that pic) Gold Found: 14,563 Chests Looted: 163 Skill Increases: 231 Spells Learned: 20 Favorite School: Destruction Mage Guild Quests Completed: 10 Quests Completed: 15 Misc Objts Completed: 14 Main Quests Completed: 3 Side Quests Completed: 2 Locations Discovered: 59 Dungeons Cleared: 20 Homes: Arch Mage's Tower, Winterhold Children: None Spouse: None Main Followers: Crystal Beth (mage), Hugh Mann (warrior) Story: Isaac the White came to Skyrim from Cyrodiil with a band of others, all of whom were beggars. They took a ship somehow to Windhelm, and came to Cyrodiil because they all possessed some meager magical talents, and decided to see if they could further their magical education at the Mage's College of Winterhold. But, a problem. After they left Windhelm to journey to Winterhold, Isaac somehow lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found himself on a snowy plains area, and could see the College in the distance. His beggar friends were nowhere to be seen, and I suspect they either got killed, or decided to head back to Cyrodiil. Isaac walked to the College, did some begging to earn some quick gold, but eventually gave up this aspect of his life as his magical career began. Over time, he excelled mostly in Destruction and Conjuration, somewhat in Alteration and Restoration, but not at all in Illusion. Long story short, he began training at the College, but soon found circumstances which put him in the ultimate position of Arch Mage. The end. *his white robes come from a mod called Playable Greybeard Robes. This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 21 2016, 06:51 PM
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RaderOfTheLostArk |
Oct 6 2017, 02:05 AM
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Mouth
Joined: 4-May 17
From: Lilmoth, Black Marsh
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At long last, I have retired my first ever legitimate Elder Scrolls character I ever created. It is also the first time I have actually retired one. I plan for my other Heroes in TES (who in my headcanon are all related) to soon follow.
Since this character has existed for at least 3.5 real-life years at this point, I have forgotten some things that happened along the way. I hadn't really come up with a detailed backstory either, so I will try to give what I can here. I am also "retconning" a few things here and there, such as what I had actually named my character, as I didn't place as much emphasis on role-playing earlier on in my playthrough.
Anyways
[url=https://www.dropbox.com/s/pyzkjjbm230g57f/20171005202542_1.jpg?dl=0]Cincinnatus [/url]
Race: Argonian Final playthrough date: 10/4/17, 11:15 PM EST Total playthrough time: not sure End time: 8:25 PM, 3rd of Evening Star, 4E 202
Class: whatever Cincinnatus damn well pleases, as he is not beholden to class Favored skills: One-handed, Heavy Armor, Destruction, Restoration Factions: College of Winterhold, Companions, Dawnguard, Imperials (begrudgingly)
Days passed: 473 Hours slept: 1198 (didn't make a concerted effort to sleep earlier on in my playthrough) Hours waited: 175
Final gold: 90880 Gold found: 670832
Chests looted: 1577 Skill increases: 1123
Quests completed: 148 All factions I listed I finished the whole questlines for Side quests completed: 40 Misc. objectives completed: 338
Locations discovered: 400 Dungeons cleared: 242
Companions: Lydia, Serana
Homes: Cincinnatus is planning to use a bunch of the houses he has for helping down-on-their-luck people to get back on their feet, but the ones he actually made significant use of personally are Lakeview Manor, Honeyside, and predominantly Breezehome (where his family lives). Children: Sissel and Sofie Spouse: Lydia
Story: Cincinnatus was born and lived his early life in the Lilmoth area of Black Marsh. Long after Umbriel ravaged the areas, tribes of Argonians started to rebuild around the area. For the most part, his ancestors lived in Lilmoth, which had significant Imperial influences on it prior to its destruction. Because of that, some of his family and ancestors--though not all--took on Imperial-naming conventions. (It is also a bit of an homage to the fact that Argonians in Arena were the ones that had Roman naming conventions, and the real-life historical figure Cincinnatus is interesting and has a cool name).
A confluence of factors led to a dark past for Cincinnatus, one that he desperately wanted to atone for. But even during the events of Skyrim he had some issues here and there, which further added to his immense guilt complex. But he would strive to lead a good life, trying to make amends for his wrongdoings and be at peace with himself.
Early on in his life, Cincinnatus realized he had a thrill for exploration and adventure. He wanted to see what the world outside the marsh had to offer. So he struck out for Cyrodiil, where he lived for a number of years. After some undisclosed occurrences (which I actually haven't thought of yet), he set out for Skyrim, where he was eventually captured by the Imperials. He didn't have much love for them in the first place, and the fact that they readily were about to cut his head off only set him further against them. But he wasn't ready to jump in with the Stormcloaks yet, and later on he would find he was dissatisfied with them too.
When Cincinnatus found out he was the Dragonborn, he felt he had finally found his calling: to be the Hero. At last, he found some true meaning in life and was going to go to whatever lengths he could to make up for all the wrongs he committed. Along the way, he would find himself getting pulled in multiple other directions through both a yearning for adventure and a sense of duty. He would come to help the College of Winterhold, the Companions, and the Dawnguard with their respective antagonists. And of course, he defeated Alduin and Miraak.
In the case of the Companions, Cincinnatus desperately searched for the way to cure himself of lycanthropy, a life he wanted no part of. It would take him a long time before he finally rid himself of it.
So how did he come to the Imperials' aid? He joined them begrudgingly, upon finding the Thalmor dossier on Ulfric. Whatever grievances he had with both the Imperials and Stormcloaks, the Thalmor were a far, far worse threat. He realized a war of attrition was exactly what the Thalmor wanted, and he knew that he needed to join the fray for the best chance at tearing those [censored] down. Reluctantly, he joined the Imperials. But Cincinnatus knew that there were good people fighting on both sides, which made the choice even harder on him.
Anyways--since I have probably gone on long enough--eventually Cincinnatus grew weary of the adventuring life. A lot of this had to do with the fact that he came to marry his primary companion, Lydia, and they adopted two daughters, Sissel and Sofie. Even after that Cincinnatus had gone of on adventuring, partly to wrap up his duties that needed to be attended to but also because he couldn't quite let go of his hunger for adventure.
But now that he was finally ready to call it quits in regards to his adventuring life, Cincinnatus decided to go on a farewell tour. He got to see all the great work he had done in the province. At long last, Cincinnatus finally found the inner peace he had been looking for.
When he returned to his family, Cincinnatus and Lydia offered a place to stay for Serana, since cured of her vampirism, should she want to stay with them.
And thus ends the story of Cincinnatus.
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"[Insert awesome/inspiring/cool/smart/pseudo-intellectual quote here.]" - Me
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RaderOfTheLostArk |
Oct 6 2017, 09:05 PM
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Mouth
Joined: 4-May 17
From: Lilmoth, Black Marsh
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QUOTE(Renee @ Oct 6 2017, 03:21 PM) Wow! Well I'm sorry to have missed Cinncinatus's tales up to now! That's going to be tough eh? Are you making a new character or is this it for you in Skyrim for awhile, Raider?
Why does he have a guilt complex though? And wow, a lizard with lycanthropy. Dang.... did I spell that right? Lycanthropy. Red squiggly line under that word. Oh well.
Oh, this week has been the only time I detailed his story, lol. I hadn't played Skyrim since before I joined these forums. Same for Oblivion and Morrowind, for that matter. Like I said before, I never completely worked out the backstory. But the guilt complex is because he had done some horrible things earlier on in life. (I was thinking of maybe even making him a Shadowscale previously, until he "saw the light.") But basically, he had done some pretty nasty things in the past and even during Skyrim where he felt pangs of guilt. Sometimes those wrongdoings have been lesser crimes like stealing. But there has even been times where he has killed people for...not necessarily justified reasons. Sometimes they have been terrible people, but not necessarily worthy of being killed. For example, he has slain people that were abusive, but had never killed anyone themselves. I like to play more vigilante-type characters, who take the law into their own hands. Cincinnatus has never straight-up murdered anyone for sport or money, but it has been in some cases extrajudicial. He gets angered pretty easily. If that makes sense. Like I said, when I first made the character and for a long time afterward I never made a well-rounded backstory. Just a somewhat detailed but never fully fleshed-out concept. And yes, that is how you spell lycanthropy. The spellchecker here (and at bethesda.net, for that matter) is just weird or dumb sometimes. This post has been edited by RaderOfTheLostArk: Oct 6 2017, 09:05 PM
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"[Insert awesome/inspiring/cool/smart/pseudo-intellectual quote here.]" - Me
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Renee |
Oct 6 2017, 11:24 PM
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Councilor
Joined: 19-March 13
From: Ellicott City, Maryland
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Oddly, the spellchecker on my laptop (which is Windows 10) accepts 'pwned' as a valid word. Lycanthropy? It does not like this word. I am at home now, on my office computer (which is Windows 8 so it's older) and it's doing the opposite. Pwned is NOT a word, yet lycanthropy is. *shrugs* I know it's really the spellchecker programs, which change as time goes on. All my computers are HPs though, so it's weird how they go back and forth with what is right, and what is wrong. QUOTE I like to play more vigilante-type characters, who take the law into their own hands. Cincinnatus has never straight-up murdered anyone for sport or money, but it has been in some cases extrajudicial. He gets angered pretty easily. If that makes sense.
Yes it does make sense. A lot of things our characters do aren't things we'd necessarily agree with. Anyway, thanks for explaining more about your lycanthropic lizard. This post has been edited by Renee: Oct 6 2017, 11:26 PM
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RaderOfTheLostArk |
Oct 8 2017, 03:06 AM
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Mouth
Joined: 4-May 17
From: Lilmoth, Black Marsh
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QUOTE(Lopov @ Oct 7 2017, 12:47 PM) That was interesting to read and I like a little backstory behind his name, at first I had no idea why would an Argonian be named like an Imperial.
I retired only a few characters that lasted really long but at the end the feeling is always somehow special, even nostalgic as we recall what had this particular character been through. It was a nice touch that Cincinnatus went on a farewell tour to see his contribution to Tamriel.
Thanks! Glad you liked it. It was something I established way after the fact because the name I actually have for him is...not exactly roleplaying. I didn't know anything about the lore then and just came up with a name I thought was funny and clever at the time (which it's not...at all). I played around with some other reasons for having the name "Cincinnatus" but I couldn't really get any to reasonably stick. I wanted to take a trip around Skyrim personally since I hadn't played the game in so long and wanted to see how things were, and I was able to come up with a roleplaying reason for it. Any other characters I have for Skyrim from here on out won't even come close to the amount of playtime I had for Cincinnatus.
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"[Insert awesome/inspiring/cool/smart/pseudo-intellectual quote here.]" - Me
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monkeyemoness |
Dec 10 2017, 06:08 AM
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Mouth
Joined: 21-December 16
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So during the 3 weeks my PC was out of commission I ended up playing a bit of Skyrim on the 360 because I had lost my Oblivion GOTY disc (still had the game disc, though, but I couldn't play without it even if i probably wasn't going to touch either DLC). Vanilla Skyrim honestly makes me itch, but at the same time I ended up appreciating it after years of playing completely modded. Less distractions. Less clutter. Less impressive, of course, but still. Anyways, during that time I decided to take my old Dragonborn for a spin (almost) the way he was meant to be played, after a few failed attempts with Requiem and other mods on the PC. It was great getting him back to his less aggressive playstyle, and for the first time I gladly played through past Diplomatic Immunity. When I got my PC back I saw his adventures through to the end the real way he was meant to, with only the bare minimum mods needed for his ideal playthrough. I ended up making a Mod Organizer profile titled "Old World Memories" in case I ever wanted to play any of my original "pre-cosmic retcon" characters with as little mod interference possible. So finally getting to the point, today I ended up hovering over his original, finished save file from before PC times as I imported more save files to this profile. The preview image felt...lonely? Poignant? Then I somehow ended up here and thought, why not make a little memorial? To FINALLY put him to rest. Aza-jo final picFinal Playthrough Date (game): 11:53 AM, 17th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201 (in-universe time, it's at least 4E 203) Final Playthrough Date (irl): 5/21/2014 (this is the date transferred to PC, might be earlier) Total Gametime: 70 Hours Class: Warlock (?) Primary Skills: Illusion, Conjuration (focus on Necromancy), Speechcraft (focus on Bartering) Secondary Skills: Destruction (focus on Shock), Enchanting (bare minimum), Sneak Factions: Winterhold Mage (no outstanding rank), Bard Days Passed: 92 Hours Slept: 597 Hours Waited: 62 Final Gold: 65700 (possibly more in storage) Gold Found: 1070633 Chests Looted: 806 Skill Increases: 609 Quests Completed: 60 Misc Objts Completed: 60 Main Quests Completed: 18 Side Quests Completed: 21 Locations Discovered: 150 Dungeons Cleared: 67 Homes: Breezehome [sold], Proudspire Manor [sold] Children: nope Spouse: no thank you Main Followers: what Assaults: 127 Murders: 115 Favorite Shout: Become Ethereal Favorite Spell: Thunderbolt Favorite Weapon: Pickaxe (?) Background: His time in Skyrim:To say that Aza-jo was unfit for the role of Dragonborn is an understatement. Of course, some might say the complete opposite: that he fit the role a little too well. His past experiences, the clash between his goals in relation to his world view and the implications of being a prophesied Hero, and a rather unfortunate combination of traits led to him becoming an awful, self-loathing monster that simultaneously saw himself as being above all other mortals. At first it seemed like things could have turned out okay, in spite of the encroaching despair. In his travels he befriended a group of people--other adventurers--"beautiful" like he was. He found a loyal companion, a peer, a valuable asset, and a potential mentor. Then, not long after he decided to embrace his nature as Dragonborn, Miraak appeared to challenge him. In his rush to eliminate him, he gained knowledge of the world that he was better off without--further increasing his doubts on whether he'd ever be able to change the way his life turned out. Then he began to doubt the loyalty of those close to him. Deep down he knew most of them didn't like him and barely trusted him, but having the faith he had in his closest ally shaken didn't do him any favors. So he did the reasonable thing and threw himself at the whole Dragonborn business, all the while abusing his developing magic. Partly motivated by what little hope he had left, and partly out of malice and spite and just a bit of morbid curiosity, he began to toy with the worlds and lives of alternate versions of himself to see just how far he could go before facing divine retribution. When it was clear he could get away with it, he started picking fights with Daedra and Divines, all so he could become stronger, and succeed where Miraak had failed. To end this already long post, he succeeded against all odds, but not without a heavy price, and not without changing the goalposts a little. He ended up as a disembodied demi-lich, while his companions received the absolute best outcome possible without absolutely borking reality. His happiness relying entirely on their success, and in his mind being set on the path to atonement for all the atrocities he committed against the people of Skyrim in his world and his hapless counterparts and their worlds, he felt he could finally be at peace. Not in death, seeing as it's virtually impossible for him now, but comfortably watching the rest of Nirn's story and never forgetting those that made it possible. == And with that, I lay this asshole to rest. He was honestly a very fun playstyle, one more geared toward careful and creative gameplay over brute force (again, without Requiem). My favorite part was hiding in the back of the room and casting Frenzy on a group of enemies, then watching as they tore each other apart. I also thought the theme of manipulation and domination that Illusion and Conjuration bring was perfect for a Dragonborn, but I also didn't want to do a "typical" Dragonborn character akin to what we see in the trailers/promotion. I wanted someone who was weak and a coward. Someone who would only act if they were guaranteed success, or if their pride was at stake. I also love how he seemed to fit the role of a "Cat Sith" of Scottish folklore, being a soul-stealing ghoul-cat, both dragon and mortal souls. Dunno how well I did as far as building a believable character goes, but i gotta say, even though it sort of hurt to play-- and still does--this is 100% what I want my "canon" to be. I enjoyed it. Good night, Lich Kitty. He might get a "redemption arc" in TES VI, but for now, I'm happy with where he is. They say a nice couple bought his house in Solitude for a very generous price the day he disappeared.
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