Today In Skyrim (Spoilerific), Like the other one, but with added spoilers!!! Options

[Acadian]

Buffy felt quite humbled and worthless during the big castle battles leading up to the final fight. Her bow is her power, but she was frozen almost into inaction by fear of shooting allies in the large-scale, confusing fighting that took place in limited lighting. Part of that was poignant memories of mass melee confusion from the similar castle battle so long ago at Kvatch. Once she and Serana got turned loose (just the two of them) inside the final area to take on the Big Bad, she did fine and was able to fully focus her firepower.

[Grits]

Yep, that mod is the ambitiously titled Enhanced Skyrim Factions - The Companions Guild. I’m using the requirements only version. I haven’t gotten far enough to advance through the questline yet (Jerric is several radiant quests and a couple of game weeks away from his Proving due to my own settings), but so far it is doing what it should. I love having him stroll in and not worry about how soon certain of my favorite NPCs have to die. I think for us the sweet spot will be after Proving Honor. I have the requirements pushed all the way up to prevent The Silver Hand from starting.

Skjor was funny when Jerric asked him for work. He said something like, “Good, I was afraid I was going to have to do this myself.” Then he sent Jerric into a filthy vampire lair.

Congrats to Buffy on finding a new home for Serana! I can imagine how the assault on Castle Volkihar must have felt for her. But then at the end she had a chance to shine. That bow!

SubRosa, you picked some great names! Jerric’s Kvatch-made sword that he picked up on his first trip to the Deadlands is called Redeemer. It’s supposed to absorb magicka, but I dislike the Skyrim visual effect so much that the Skyrim version is just unenchanted but named with the Renamer mod. In Jerric’s world his new ghost katana really is a ghost of the katana once carried by the mighty Blade Alain. They haven’t met yet in his story, but in his Skyrim game all of that is a memory. It was pretty neat to find a mod that would work as a conjured Northwind, especially since it didn’t come packaged with a bunch of other stuff. The vanilla daedric-looking sword was a no-go for Jerric.

When Lildereth gets her shot at a dragon game I’m going to explore the AFT stealth settings on Jerric. That might reduce the number of times she’d like to wring his heavily armored neck. He’s not backup when he starts the fights!

[ghastley]

So is Buffy enamored of that Auriel's bow, or is she sticking to her bound one?

I've always wanted to bring Valerica back from the Soul Cairn and leave Serana with her at Volkihar Castle, but the game doesn't give you that option. You get the first part, but not the second, and it's never made sense.

I'm playing Diablita again, to get a few screenshots, and she's picked up Clark (Marcurio renamed) as backup. She may join Lil in neck-wringing practice, for much the same reasons.

[Acadian]

Buffy will stick with her mystic bow. The main reason, as always, is that she switches from spell to bow a lot and regular bows disappear into your. . . inventory when you equip a spell instead of going onto your back - after Oblivion, I simply hate that. A summoned bow however solves all that because it is supposed to disappear when when you ready or cast another spell. Plus, I like how the mystic bow emphasizes the mystic part of mystic archer. It also nicely solves why she can walk around town without a bow on her back, yet instantly produce one when needed.

That said, she did practice some with Auriel's bow so she was comfortable with it. Then she switched very briefly to it several times fighting the Big Bad because it has the ability to dispel the globe of invulnerability he would cast on himself when badly injured. She'd switch to Auriel's, dispel that globe, then recast her mystic bow.

Funny that Grits mentioned that line Skjor said about not having to do that quest himself. Buffy likes to do radiants for the Companions, College and, now, DG. She just checked in with Vilkas for one last night. She got a quest to go find a stolen axe - and the same comment from Vilkas. What a bunch of milkdrinking snowberries!

Speaking of Companions, Buffy was north of Windhelm en route to the College and encountered a mammoth - quite unusual. Even more so because the mammoth was being attacked by what appeared to be a bandit or hunter. Buffy's in the mammoth faction and is quite protective of her big friends btw. Anyway, Superian quickly closed most of the distance and Buffy loosed an arrow from the saddle. Surprisingly, it only dropped the assailant to her knees. At that point, Buffy recognized the 'mammoth hunter' as Njada Stonearm of the Companions!

Buffy was fuming as she calmed the mammoth, then healed both Njada and the mammoth. Then, despite being more than a head shorter than Njada, Buffy sternly told her the mammoths were her friends long before the Companions were and the Companions would not like the result if she were ever forced to choose between those loyalties. Njada was never really a fan of Buffy, and I don't think that's going to change. . . .

[ghastley]

I didn't think Njada was essential, only protected, and Buffy should have been able to finish her. UESP doesn't clear that up, either, but it says she's weak and poorly equipped, so I'm surprised the Mammoth needed help.

[Acadian]

I was thinking the same thing. I thought since she was protected, she could actually be killed by the player (but not others). The only thing I can think of is that Buffy's shot did not include extra damage from any stealth multiplier of course. Without that stealth bonus, her arrows normally don't one-shot bandits and such. I did give several of the companions some extra hitpoints back when Buffy was doing their quests, but can't remember if I did so for Njada.

[SubRosa]

It’s supposed to absorb magicka, but I dislike the Skyrim visual effect so much that the Skyrim version is just unenchanted but named with the Renamer mod.

You can change the visual effect easily enough. Just find the Magic Effect - it is probably EnchAbsorbMagickaFFContact - and right in the middle of the window are the visual effects that it uses. Experiment and find what you like.

[Grits]

Yay for Diablita screenshots! *waits hopefully*

Acadian, what an odd meeting with Njada. I wonder if she was out with Aela and got separated from her. I’m imagining Buffy hands on hips and chin up giving Stonearm a talking-to!

SubRosa that is an excellent idea. I didn’t make him a custom sword since the base is from Immersive Weapons (the Riders Blade), but I could just change the effect for the whole enchantment! Woo! Thank you!

Jerric and Lil had a very Jerric couple of days in Whiterun Hold. First they headed toward their job on the other side of Rorikstead, stopping on the way to say hey to Erik. While they were taking a mead break in the tavern Lemkil told Jerric never to have children, so Jerric punched him. This resulted in a 40 Septim ride back to Whiterun with the Guard. On the road back to Rorikstead they stopped to let a giant and his cow pass by them, and Jerric saw the flags by Brittleshin Pass. That reminded him of a treasure note, so they checked it out. Inside they found the treasure, a bow of draining that did magicka damage. That reminded Jerric that the Damage Magicka enchantment looks cool, so he used the nearby enchanter to put a blue sheen on Redeemer. (Which I will soon replace with its actual and useful enchantment, thank you Rosa!)

When they came out on the other side of the ridge Jerric remembered that he hadn’t seen Anise in a while, so he walked over to check on her. She’s still lonely and otherwise fine, but seeing her hut reminded him that he hadn’t gone over there to fix her roof yet. (He’s going to make me do this with a mod.) At some point they played Now Where Did The Elf Go, delivered a message that Jerric found in his pocket to a guy in Helgen, and gave a Nordic enema to a Thalmor wizard. Aravi Manor was empty when they got there for the night (since this is a fairly new game), so they left more wine and ale than they drank. In the morning they rode to Whiterun to make some trades, brew some potions, and check in at Jorrvaskr. Where Vilkas sent Jerric on an urgent rescue mission… to the other side of Rorikstead.

[SubRosa]

...and for his next magic trick, Jerric produces a ghostly sword from... ewwww?!?

[Acadian]

Grits, I was rolling reading about Jerric the Distracted! No worries, Buffy's kind of the same - oh wait. . . is that a butterfly over there?

I loved the shot of Lil hiding right behind Jerric.

Aww, nice to see that Jerric has not . . . liberated Anise's cabin from her.

And it's right back to that mission on the other side of Rorikstead again! Perhaps Jerric will visit Mjoll the Lioness on the way?

Edit: Oh, and that sword and its back story are both beautiful!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Dec 18 2014, 01:22 AM

[ghastley]

Screenshots of Diablita will be delayed. I have had issues with a kink in her tail when standing idle, which is an error in the bone positions affecting the Khajiit and Argonian tails as well. It just shows more with a slender tail than with a thick one. So I've been attempting to remove the influence of the errant bone by re-weighting the mesh in Blender. Now the game crashes whenever she equips the tail. To make things worse, I've overwritten the last kinked copy that didn't make the game crash, so I have to try and re-create that.

Vicuña needs a new outfit that she can wear outside the brothel without being arrested. She'll probably just add a bikini to her usual one. Then we can take her back to Karthwasten and Broken Tower for a photo-shoot. I'm sure the Forsworn will have respawned enough to catch a few action shots. She may also do a bit of reading, if I can get the hang of Puppeteer. I'm having difficulty freezing the action without freezing the camera.

I've taken a few more of Gilda, several of which won't be shown here. But here's what Clark came back from Markath to find in Breezehome. I still have to take her back to Valtheim Towers in a version of that to take some shots with the bandits.

[Acadian]

Gilda in Breezhome. . . oh my. . . I mean. . . her nose certainly came out well, did it not?

[Lopov]

Part of that was poignant memories of mass melee confusion from the similar castle battle so long ago at Kvatch. Once she and Serana got turned loose (just the two of them) inside the final area to take on the Big Bad, she did fine and was able to fully focus her firepower.

Congrats to Buffy for successfully dealing with Serana's relative. I like the reference to Kvatch here, IIRC, in Buffy's Skyrim it's the same year as in her world in Cyrodiil?

Yep, that mod is the ambitiously titled Enhanced Skyrim Factions - The Companions Guild.

Great mod, wish there was one for every faction.

Funny that Grits mentioned that line Skjor said about not having to do that quest himself. Buffy likes to do radiants for the Companions, College and, now, DG. She just checked in with Vilkas for one last night. She got a quest to go find a stolen axe - and the same comment from Vilkas. What a bunch of milkdrinking snowberries!

And I thought that Companions are rude only to those who aren't their members. Nice to read that she's a friend of mammoths and is even in their faction.

guy in Helgen, and gave a Nordic enema to a Thalmor wizard.

Enema! Aravi Manor is from a mod, right? Or is one of houses added by HF?
Glad that Jerric punched that idiot.

I've taken a few more of Gilda, several of which won't be shown here. But here's what Clark came back from Markath to find in Breezehome. I still have to take her back to Valtheim Towers in a version of that to take some shots with the bandits.

Whoever notices raw rabbit legs first in this pic, isn't interested in women.

[Acadian]

Congrats to Buffy for successfully dealing with Serana's relative. I like the reference to Kvatch here, IIRC, in Buffy's Skyrim it's the same year as in her world in Cyrodiil?

Thank you! It's. . . complicated. Buffy has friends in both Skyrim and Cyrodiil and some of them take differing approaches to the 200 year thing. In Buffy's case, we leave it vague and have her magically pass through whatever anomalies separate the two provinces. She'd hate to lose touch with some of her friends simply because of a couple of silly centuries.

Now that Buffy is solo again (well, with Superian, Acadian and a forest spirit critter), she is really enjoying taking radiant quests from the College, Dawnguard and the Companions. The variety keeps her constantly crisscrossing Skyrim, but on her own agenda and schedule.

[Lopov]

"Time to pay for your sins, Movarth Piquine!"

The old vampire rose up from his throne. There were intruders in his lair! He has become suspicious as of late when Alva and Laelette, his two mistresses, haven't returned, but he didn't expect to be attacked in his own home.

Lucius and Lydia rushed in the main hall, Lucius jumped on the long dining table in front of Movarth's throne and ran over it straight to the legendary vampire, kicking plates, bottles, body parts and anything else on the table aside, his katana ready to spill vampiric blood and avenge Hroggar's family. Lucius' swings were precise and deadly and while fighting Movarth and watching his fiery red eyes, he couldn't believe that he's battling the very same vampire about whom he read when he was a kid.

The fight was short but intense and within a minute Movarth and his closest vampires were dead.

"What a day, my Thane! First a dragon attack on Morthal and now we met Movarth Piquine himself."

"A bloody day indeed, Lydia. But now peace shall finally return to Morthal."

"I see that you have found Immortal Blood. Isn't it ironic that he kept it in his own lair?"

"Perhaps it served him to easily remember his past. I'm not versed in vampiric lore but I read that some ancient vampires only dimly remember their young days."

"A sad end for someone who used to hunt vampires."

"Funny, when I was a boy, this book used to be one of my favorites. And now I have killed its protagonist."

[Acadian]

I love the imagery here of Lucius charging down the long dining table to take on Movarth. Sounds like a busy day indeed up in Morthal!

[Renee]

Thanks, I like the sound of Amazing Follower Tweaks, that sounds like a must-have for me.

And congrats on getting Serana out of Buffy's hair. Serana eventually returned to Dawnguard's castle, Lord Haaf-Mersey saw her, last time he was there.

so Jerric punched him. This resulted in a 40 Septim ride back to Whiterun with the Guard.

Lucius and Lydia rushed in the main hall, Lucius jumped on the long dining table in front of Movarth's throne and ran over it straight to the legendary vampire, kicking plates, bottles, body parts and anything else on the table aside, his katana ready to spill vampiric blood and avenge Hroggar's family. Lucius' swings were precise and deadly and while fighting Movarth and watching his fiery red eyes, he couldn't believe that he's battling the very same vampire about whom he read when he was a kid.

I love that too, it sounds so Hollywood. It's also sweet he killed a vampire he read about in some book

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Dec 21 2014, 05:21 AM

[Lopov]

Visiting their, or to be more precise - his acquaintances at the Darkwater Crossing, Lucius and Lydia are sitting by a campfire, together with Annekke, her husband Verner, ranger Tormir and her daughter Hrefna, silent Dunmer Sondas and Argonian Derkeethus whom Lucius saved from Falmer clutches a while ago.

It's lightly raining but not enough to put out the fire and not enough to force the party to go inside. Instead, they put on their hoods or helmets and are amusing themselves by telling any funny tales they know. Skyrim is plagued by the civil war and dragons, that's why it is important to stay positive and optimistic and that is where funny tales come in handy.

"So now it's my turn," says Lucius and makes a sip of ale. "I know one which my mother told me. And my grand-mother as well and so on and on all the way to the past, two centuries ago. Lydia already knows this but the rest of you don't - I'm a descendant of the Caro bloodline. Not that it means anything special these days. Marius and Alessia Caro were Count and Countess of Leyawiin around two hundred years ago. Counts in Cyrodiil function similarly as Jarls in Skyrim, to clarify.

Well, so it happened that two hundred years a Redguard came to Leyawiin. Accounts vary and some say that he was pretending to be a spice merchant, others say that he was a blacksmith and some claim that he was a beggar. Maybe he's been all three, he was said to be the man of many faces. This Redguard belonged to the Thieves Guild that was spread all over Cyrodiil. And he came searching for a special ring that belonged to my distant relative Alessia.

To clarify some things, Alessia once owned the ring who was stolen from her by some unknown thief. Somehow this ring got into hands of a local Argonian who wanted to sell the ring back to Alessia but the Countess saw through his scheme and arrested him, thus finally getting the ring back.

And now back to that Redguard whose real name was never found out, though it is said that he was introducing himself as Vincent. He came to Leyawiin to retrieve that ring. Why and for who, I don't know, it doesn't really matter, but what's funny is that he caused a real ruckus at Castle Leyawiin.

Apparently he knew the castle better than Alessia and her staff and he made his way to the castle by some secret chambers. However, he was a bit unlucky and was not once, not twice, but three times in a row caught either by castle's guards or Alessia's staff. And neither of them didn't allow the Redguard to be inside the castle. A real fight ensued and it is said that the Countess herself, together with her steward Hildara, were chasing the thief through the castle's halls, punching him with their fists. But the Redguard was a shrewd one and as I said, he probably knew the castle better than those who lived there. He managed to lure his pursuers in one of the castle's secret chambers and closed them in!

However, because he was spotted by guards as well, he fled the Castle and returned the second time. It is not well-known anymore what went wrong this time but once again he was found by the Countess who reported him to the guards yet the Redguard refused to surrender. Once again he lured them back to the secret chambers and while opening it, he released Hildara, the Countess' steward. Looks like that nobody let her out until then, imagine that? Once again he was beaten but once again he managed to avoid the arrest by closing his pursuers inside the chamber and fleeing the castle.

It is then said that he disguised himself once more, as a blacksmith perhaps, and entered the castle through the main door, not hiding anymore. Apparently he was a charming fellow and had way with words, so when he met Hildara, she didn't remember him and after some sweet-talking actually told him where to find the Countess' ring. You might wonder how I know this? Because thanks to Hildara's mistake, the Redguard finally found what he was looking for and thus stole the Alessia's ring. Later Hildara shamefully admitted to her Countess that she was the one who told the Redguard about the ring, not knowing that it's the same Redguard whom she punched in his face and who closed her in the secret chamber two times.

Alessia never got her ring back and the Redguard was never caught. But after all is said and done, I can't help myself but to just like that Redguard. For two reasons. Firstly, it is believed that Alessia and Marius were racists and they didn't take good care of people of Leyawiin. Marius was even rumored to have a torture chamber in his castle which could be the same secret chamber in the story. And secondly, because the Redguard just didn't give up! He came to steal the ring and he actually stole it, even if it meant sneaking around the castle and being beaten by stewards. He didn't give up until he finished his job.

Unfortunately I don't know what happened with him later on. But there's still hope that one day I find someone who'll tell me more of his adventures."

[Renee]

Hmm I wonder who that crafty Redguard is... Good thing he doesn't sing Bananarama songs, eh?

I totally forgot Lucius has Caro for a last name too! Makes sense though.

[Lopov]

After adventuring in Hjaalmarchen and Eastmarch we've been staying at Whiterun for a few days, training at Dragonsreach in the mornings and relaxing at Breezehome in the evenings. We needed a few days to relax before our future journeys.

Because today we're not in Whiterun anymore but at Falkreath's Watchtower. I met Keiko, a Khajiit warrior whom my Thane said to be the first friendly citizen of Skyrim that he met. We were at the Knifepoint ridge earlier today and thanks to us bandits inhabit it no longer. We also passed the Half-Moon mill, where my Thane used to chop wood in his first days in Skyrim and was almost seduced by a vampire.

Keiko doesn't know the way to the Ancient's Ascent and advised us to ask in Falkreath. We're heading there, not only because of rumors that a dragon lives there, but also because ice wraiths are said to be found there, and my Thane promised some merchant from Riften to bring her some ice wraith teeth.

Adventuring with my Thane never gets boring.

Lydia, Falkreath's Watchtower,

6th of Sun's Dusk, 4€201

This post has been edited by Lopov: Dec 24 2014, 01:25 PM