Aravi in Skyrim, her video story Options

[Darkness Eternal]

I love this quest, mainly because I love to use the Oghma Infinium glitch to get to level 60 in 5 minutes!

The fight with the soldiers was intense! Truly a fight for survival, and did I just see the Orc trip over at the 2:16 mark? Haha, I think someone bashed him and he fell over face into the snow. This made me laugh for some reason. I think after the battle, the stray pooch felt intimidated by Aravi's healing powers. You could see it in the poor dog's eyes, but I'm sure he was grateful

Anyways, J'Darr is just one of those crazy Khajiit's that makes me laugh. Especially the "You always try to keep it for yourself. There's got to be more Skooma! No! Shat up! Shat up!"


In the end, he was no much for the Khajiit duo and the spirit canine! I loved the team up!

Screenies:Kharjo didn't look too happy at Aravi's departure. He looks at her with sad kittie eyes . Good picture, sometimes Aravi needs a breather and some of her tasks are too dangerous!

So, that troll got arrows all over his body except in that vital spot where arrows always seem to strike! Aravi is one for change! Good shot!

Eh, Stormcloaks! Meh! For the Empire! For a safe and secure . . .society! I hope she taught those rebel scum a lesson in manners!

Beautiful battle stance in the last picture, duel wielding at the finest! Great update!

[Grits]

The beginning of this video really captures the feeling of Skyrim foot travel. WTHeck moments abound, and anything can happen. Those “soldiers” were very tough! The part where Kharjo and the lightning mage were charging each other and Aravi gave her a fire breath was awesome! Then their orc leader took a digger. Was that from stamina loss, I wonder? I love how Kharjo’s ears flipped up when Aravi healed him.

Aravi’s interactions with the dog cracked me up. Dog barks for no reason. Aravi turns and stares at dog. Dog lies down and looks away with “It wasn’t me” in universal dog language. Aravi slowly goes back to what she was doing.

She told him to stay! That didn’t take long.

Alftand is one of my favorites. I love the story that unfolds, and it takes a good long time to get through. Aravi is far more clever than Mikke and Erik. It took those Nords ages just to find the door.

The destroyed campsite and dropped torches are not good signs. Well, and there’s all of that blood. A sad end for the Khajiit brothers.


Yay, pictures!! Glad you got some time to play.

Aww, Karj has sad eyes in the first one. He looks so sweet and completely deadly in that armor. War face is my favorite!! Aravi looks awesome, and I love the ebony sword and pouch of crossbow bolts. What an expression! Love it!!

[SubRosa]

Kitty found a stray dog! I usually try to avoid adopting them, since they just tend to get killed.

Oh my, that was quite a furball with those pretend Imperials! Even Kharjo's familiar joined in! That was neat how Aravi Yooled that mage in the head! That dog certainly earned his keep in the fight. But its constant barking gets annoying. There are mods to make them quiet, if you want to keep him around.

Wreckage, skeletons, and bloodstains everywhere, Alftand does not look like a very welcoming place.

Whoa, that first spider worker came out of nowhere!

That is creepy how the dead Khajiit's tails wave around like that!

I am with Grits on the pics. War Face was by far the best!

[mALX]

Nobody sees. Nobody knows.

HA! I saw, I know !!!! ROFL !!!

[mALX]

*

I am so glad you got some time to play! (LUCKY!!!!) I couldn't pick a favorite screen till I saw "War Face" - that is my fave, but it was a close race!

This vid was Awesome! I've been there, there are about five Dwemer ruins there - one of them has that crash glitch I was telling you about months back. I didn't run into the soldiers, probably because I didn't have the quest running, lol. I LOVE this Dwemer cave, this was great !!! Awesome update !!


*

[Acadian]

Brrr! This vid was freezing! I was reaching for my furs and had to break in the middle for a cup of hot coffee! That spider was a surprise – probably a good thing as it didn’t give Aravi time to think about how she feels about them. . . .

A beautifully sad shot of Aravi saying ‘bye to Kharjo for now. The war face one was so cool! You can almost hear Aravi hissing and her eyes are all narrowed in anger. I love her earrings too.

[King Coin]

@DE: I can’t glitch my character like that, it takes the fun out of the game for me. Little things like the permanent bound armor in Oblivion is perfectly acceptable though!

The impostures were strangely difficult. Kharjo’s got a special shield bash in my game, each time he hits; he has a chance to completely knock someone over!

You’ll see where Aravi was going in the screens here and why she couldn’t take Kharjo with. Aravi’s steered clear of the Cloaks so far, but if any of them are foolish enough to attack her, they will die. Thanks DE!

@Grits: Kharjo slammed that orc with his shield! Aravi loves being able to use the Thuum, it’s a weapon nobody expects. Aravi’s no dog person you can see. Alftand is very large and I tried to show what I could and keep things going at the same time. No way around it though, it’s a monster.

Poor Kharjo, and he might not be happy when he hears where she went! Thanks Grits!

@SubRosa: I’m pretending the dog just started following Aravi.

The fake imperials were a lot stronger than I thought they would be, I was really worried about that mage killing Aravi for a second there. The spider workers can appear out of little holes in the wall and it was dark enough that Aravi couldn’t see it.

War face is everyone’s favorite then. I couldn’t help but hear R. Lee yelling as I titled it. Thanks SubRosa!

@mALX: Another vote for war face! There are a lot of ruins that connect down there, Aravi might have been through it already. Thanks mALX!

@Acadian: I’m surprised you have any of that in your desert dwelling. This was a mechanical spider, so it’s ok. Only the gross ones freak her out. I can count on you and Buffy to point out Aravi’s earrings. Thanks Acadian!

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Going deeper into Alftand, Aravi and Kharjo find more machines, and another enemy that so often lives in the dark.

6:54

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Screens

A portal to the Soul Cairn

It hurts!

The other side

One of the many damned

Wastelands

[mALX]

Ooh, her archery is at 71!

This is one tough dungeon! Does Aravi's shouts hurt Kharjo? Is he essential? I thought that centurian had him for sure! Urk! One great vid, I don't know if Maxical could make it through this one without a whole lot of sneak and some whopping chain shock spell! Awesome Vid!

Ooh, the Soul Cairn is like being outside when you are inside? That is awesome! And scary/eerie looking! Do the damned approach? Talk? Fight you? Urk !!!! Awesome update!

[Grits]

Yay, Quick Shot is such a great perk! Aravi’s trees look nicely filled up. It was fun to see which perks she’s chosen.

Ugh, Falmer. Aravi is a surgeon with that fire Shout! That was a fun, focused fight against the Centurion. Great shooting by Aravi with her new fast draw!

My favorite screenshot is “Hurts,” with poor Aravi’s surprised expression. The Soul Cairn is so neat. Not a Kharjo-approved experience.

[SubRosa]

Another enemy who lives in the dark. I can guess what that might be...

That was very neat picking up that scrap metal and dropping it on the trap trigger. I was not sure if it would work or not!

Level 38! I have never played a character that long. It just gets too easy once I hit the thirties.

That was a long jump down. And Kharjo jumped too! After so many years of playing Oblivion, I am still not used to seeing followers do that.

Eww, a spider. I modded them out of the game. I cannot say I miss them.

I did not realize you could dual cast muffle. Does that give you a 100% sound reduction then?

Yikes, a Centurion! Oh she Yolled him!

The Soul Cairn looks very purple. I have to agree that "hurts!" is the best pic. I love that expression on Aravi's face. Is that Serana with her?

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Sep 26 2012, 12:11 AM

[Acadian]

Star Wars Dwemer Robo-balls rolling out the attack!

When the spider appeared, I was glad to see Kharjo’s spirit wolf go after it in front of Aravi; good thing too since it did a job on the wolf!

Those Soul Cairn screens look pretty foreboding!

[King Coin]

@mALX: Aravi’s shouts do hurt Kharjo, so it is important that she doesn’t hit him. Kharjo is a step down from essential. He is what Skyrim calls protected. Any character that is protected (all followers except a few that are invincible) ‘goes down’ or is forced to their knees when they run out of health. Then they start regenerating health. Enemies tend to ignore followers when they go down, but they can still be killed when they are down. Area of effect spells, traps, poisons, and errant attacks can kill them.

The Soul Cairn is a realm of Oblivion. The souls that are damned there do a whole lot of nothing. Well, some of them offer quests, but otherwise going there is very bleak. Thanks mALX!

@Grits: I know I haven’t shown every perk she’s taken, but hopefully that little peek gives everyone an idea of where she’s been working. She’s getting very good at aiming that fire around Kharjo! That moment, going into the Soul Cairn was huge! I loved that part. Thanks Grits!

@SubRosa: You can set off triggers like that in Oblivion and Fallout too.

Part of what keeps Aravi interesting is that she has some significant weaknesses built into her character. Her armor rating by Skyrim standards is always very low. I’ve spread her level ups between magic, stamina, and health even though she doesn’t benefit from more magic very much. She doesn’t use health potions either, magic only. That’s purely a gameplay choice on my part, not a roleplay thing.

I believe dual casting muffle just extends the duration of the spell. Yep, Aravi had to take Serana with her into the Cairn. Thanks SubRosa!

@Acadian: Ugh, you can always expect spiders, or some other gross bug with the falmer. The Soul Cairn is an awful place. Being stuck there for eternity would be awful. So don’t let Buffy use black soul gems, that’s where the souls go. Thanks Acadian!

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At the bottom of Alftand, Aravi finds an interesting device and a couple of quarreling adventurers.

7:28


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Screens!

Fight darkness with light

A new friend

On a whim, Aravi bought a horse

Fighting from horseback

Visiting Kharjo’s caravan

[Darkness Eternal]

Aravi with the Dawnguard? Nooo! She's a baddie! "From my point of view, the Dawnguard are evil!"

Yes, the Soul Cairn is a horrible place to be for the living . . .if only Aravi were [un]dead! Haha, kidding. mALX, as King Coin said, the Soul Cairn is the Underworld for some of the dead. Ever wonder what happens to the soul of a person who is captured by a Black Soul Gem and then no longer used? They end up there . . .stretching on eternity forever.

The realm was visited in Battlespire, and the only hostiles there are the Ideal Master's lackeys.

Anyways! The updates!

Update 1:

We had some dungeon crawling action against the Dwemer! Nasty spiders, indeed! SubRosa, are you arachnophobic? If you don't mind me asking . . .

One of the Damned.
I haven't played Dawnguard at all, but I've watched countless videos. The souls are the creepy aspect of the Soul Cairn, adding to the Barney-colored morbid atmosphere. Great shot!

Update II:[b]

Ah, Sulla and Umana . . .those two arguing dorks, huh. Haha. Always fun to see them around. Aravi was smart to just sit by and watch them duke it out against each other until they were weak . . .then she opened up a can of fire breath and torched their bums to Oblivion!

Targe of the Blooded . . oh my, now that's a damn shield right there! Bashing will come in handy, but Aravi isn't much of a shield girl!

Blackreach is a fine place to be. Glowing with all sorts of . . .stuff? Very beautiful, but equally treacherous. I enjoyed her exploring of it here.

Fight Darkness with Light.
This one was great! It has a "get back, ye foul demon!" vibe to it. Nice seeing Aravi in some Dawnguard armor.

A new friend.

Ah, our undead dragon gets a nice breath of Tamrielic air in the land of the living. Welcome back to Nirn, Durneviir!

[mALX]

This has to be in the top favorite of updates so far! I couldn't choose among these screens for a favorite, each one I saw I thought would be a favorite till I saw the next - and you didn't include the horse jumping which would have def vied for favorite place!

This vid was tremendous! Aravi aims thinking she is about to be attacked by two, then suddenly they are fighting each other - hysterical! Great loot, too! Then that magic mushroom world with crimson nirnroot - I've never been in there, that place is Awesome!

LOVED this whole update!


EDIT: I meant to mention - not just the crossbow but the fighting on horseback - LOVED seeing that, I love that screen! In "Kharjo's Caravan" - is Aravi idling with her hand on her hip? GAAAAH!

This post has been edited by mALX: Sep 28 2012, 07:11 PM

[Grits]

Visiting Kharjo’s Caravan: “B*tch, he is MINE!” OK, I know Aravi would never say that, but…

I love these screenshots! There is no way I can pick a favorite. Darkness with Light sums up time spent in the Soul Cairn perfectly. I love the sky on New Friend, Durnehviir looks happy, and Aravi looks fierce and beautiful. The horse! Love the horse. These are great!!

The video: It’s a shame that Umana is hostile, since all she wants to do is leave. But that makes her gear available for the taking! Targe of the Blooded is one awesome shield. Mikke is my only character who carries it. Did Aravi give it to Kharjo?

I love Aravi’s reaction to Blackreach. Then of COURSE she has to pull the lever!! Curious kit. I was giggling when she went into sneak and got out her bow. Yeah, someone might have heard that!

Nice to get a breath of fresh air during a Blackreach adventure, even if it means a moment of panic thinking that you’re trapped in a nefarious Dwemer device. Whoops, dragon. Wait, are they going back to the other Alftand entrance along the surface? Or is this just a comfort break and then back to Blackreach? I guess I’ll find out soon!

I really enjoyed this video!

[Acadian]

It was funny how Kharjo snuck around the fighting pair to join up with Aravi.

I really like those glowy mushroom/jellyfish trees in the Blackreach and all the little floaty lights. Crimson nirnroot!

Those Dwemer were some clever and mechanically inclined folks!

And back out into Skyrim. Love the craggy mountains and blowing snow. Uh oh, a dragon. . . .

Fabulous action screenshots! So nice to see Aravi with a horse!

[SubRosa]

They should have named those two Marius and Sulla...

It was funny watching Kharjo sneaking through the two of them while they were fighting.

Wow, Sulla did not live long to savor the victory!

I wish there was some way to get down into Blackreach, without having to do that quest with the elder scroll. It is one of the most interesting areas in the game, and so far only one of my characters has ever gone down there because of that.

I see Aravi found one of the lifts out. That will make it a lot easier to sell off loot, and get back in without going through all of Alftand.

Fight Darkness with Light looked neat. Was that a black skeleton?

Aravi is now a Mongol Cat Archer! Woot! If I ever get back to Skyrim, I will have to make a mounted archer character.

I bet the other caravaneers are not too happy to see Aravi. After all, she stole Kharjo away from them!



This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 1 2012, 02:09 AM

[King Coin]

@DE: Of course Aravi’s with the Dawnguard! Just seeing what those vamps have stashed below their castle, it looks like the right choice too.

I don’t even think the dead like it in the Soul Cairn. Serana was not a fan. There are many trapped souls whiling away eternity there. What a bleak existence.

The two fighting took a loooong time. Blackreach is a very interesting place. So much down there.

Glad you liked those two screen shots at the end. I can’t wait for Aravi to drop Durneviir on some camp of baddies. Thanks DE!

@mALX: Magic mushroom world! Sounds like some drug induced dream world! Glad you liked the screens. I’m using a pose mod to access those idles, but yes, Aravi’s got her hand on her hip. There are a few others in there too. Thanks mALX!

@Grits: Aravi didn’t say that! I love it when you can’t pick a favorite of the screens I post. Durnehviir was killing trolls.

I wish that they had gotten down there sooner; Targe of the Blooded was significantly weaker than Kharjo’s shield, even after smithing.

You picked up on that panic. She couldn’t find the lever to open the gate! Thanks Grits!

@Acadian: I don’t get why the game had Kharjo go around that way. I actually reloaded that part a couple of times, and he did it every time.

Blackreach is one of the coolest areas in Skyrim. It’s actually a city! Yep, after all that time below ground, Aravi felt the need for some rest and fresh air. Not a dragon though! Thanks Acadian!

@SubRosa: Aravi wasn’t going to give Sulla the opportunity to heal up.

I’m pretty sure there are a couple of different ways into the Blackreach. Oh I see, you need that thing from the campaign to get in.

You are definitely right about the lift; Aravi’s pack was getting heavy.

In the screen shot, that was a black skeleton. It’s quite a bit sturdier than the standard variety, and is added by Dawnguard.

If you make a mounted archer, I request a Khajiit!

Lol! Aravi’s back to recruit more guards away from the caravan! Thanks SubRosa!

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Aravi and Kharjo returned to Whiterun to drop off some treasures they intend to keep, sell things that they don’t need, resupply, and so Aravi could change into some new armor. Before returning to Whiterun however, they went looking for the dog that started following them. They found no sign of the loud but cheery mutt. Hopefully it found someone that could provide a good home.

6:30

Sinderion's Field Journal

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Screen shots

Home!

Chilly kitty! (‘Get Snowy’ mod)

Bloody blades in the night

Elven armor. This is a retexture, and while I love the detail (zoom in on the chest piece), I’m not sure if I like the color. The originals have a very pretty gold color with a subtle shine. What do you all think?

[mALX]

I'm just looking at the screens now, since it is 2:30 am - can't hear the vid if I watch it now, lol. "Chilly Kitty" is my absolute fave of all! I love all these, though - Aravi happy to be home - and I can see that armor better in the close-up! All great shots! Will be back when I see the vid, can't wait since I see Sinderon is in it! (or at least his journal, lol).

[mALX]

GAAAAH! I thought Kharjo bought the farm there, URK !!!! I heard a man's voice when Aravi first came in, but can't read the enemies names - the print is too small and pale. Sinderon is dead! Urk! LOVED his lab! Nice little hideaway with plenty of loot! Loved this vid, what a place! Great update!