Day Eleven: Frostbite Kong and the Dreadful Draugr

Basically, this is a play-through of the PC game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but in a non-linear fashion. I am playing the game as if I was an average Nord, kind of like an NPC (Non Player Character) being thrown into the position of the Dragonborn, and I’m acting and reacting like a normal Nord would.

Yesterday I began the trek to Bleak Falls Barrow and started exploring the inside. I found a bed not far from the entrance so I trekked back to the bed at the end of the day to sleep. Today I begin the next part of the quest in Bleak Falls. I’m looking for that dragon map thing and some golden claw gadget.

I rise early on day eleven and decide to have some breakfast before heading on to explore the rest of Bleak Falls Barrow. I realise the only cooked food I have left is a venison chop and a bottle of wine. I could perhaps eat some of the uncooked meat later on, my Nordic stomach could handle it, but I’m not down for the taste of raw meat. I decide I’ll have a meal later on, I’m not that hungry right now, anyway. I head on my way and in about an hour I reach the location I was at yesterday evening.

Day Ten Cont’d: Boziik in Bleak Falls

I continue on from the bandit-ridden tower after my fantastic display of bandit-ownage in the previous entry and arrive at Bleak Falls Barrow. As I’m climbing some stairs to reach the entrance I spot some more bandits hanging out at the top. I drop into crouch mode! They know that I’m here, but thankfully they don’t know where I am, even though I’m climbing right up the center of a wide, open staircase. My sneak skill increases by a point and soon enough they notice me and it’s into battle!

I’m getting better at this bandit thing. These guys seem pathetic compared to me. I don’t even have to try that hard! The first one drops like a fly. Then the second. Then the third. I’m barely even damaged. Someone needs to invest some time and some gold into training these bandits on how to be proper bandits. It was like fighting blind mudcrabs with their hands tied behind their back. Quite simple. I carry on up to the entrance of the Barrow, and I realise how grand this place is! I look up and I have to strain my neck to see the top. Boziik looks like an ant compared to the entrance. I open the giant door and enter Bleak Falls Barrow.

Day Ten: The Tale of The Hardy Nord and The Evil, Crazed, Armoured, Manic Khajiit Bandit

Basically, this is a play-through of the PC game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but in a non-linear fashion. I am playing the game as if I was an average Nord, kind of like an NPC (Non Player Character) being thrown into the position of the Dragonborn, and I’m acting and reacting like a normal Nord would.

Yesterday I delivered a sword forged by the blacksmith, Adrianne Avenicci to the steward up at Dragonsreach as a gift for Jarl Balguuf. This somehow led to a conversation about some dragons returning and I seem to have agreed to trek to Bleak Falls Barrow. I don’t remember how this happened, but it did, and today I begin the journey there, not far from Riverwood.

Rising early on day ten, I think to myself that I really have been back to Riverwood way too many times. The divines must have some stupid, crazy plan for that sorry little town without a smelter. It seems that today’s quest is the biggest and most important one yet. Hopefully, if I succeed in this quest, it will lead to a long, prosperous relationship between me and the Jarl of Whiterun. He’s quite a beast of a nord, too, so it’d be a good idea to do this quest right. I head downstairs into the common room of The Bannered Mare and sit next to the fire. I munch on some bread for breakfast, catch the latest goss from Hulda and head off on my way to Bleak Falls Barrow.

Consulting my map, I realise that I can cut off a large chunk of the journey if I take a shortcut through the woods! It could potentially be dangerous, as no one really knows what kinds of evil beasts lurk in the woods of Skyrim. Actually, I do know what kind of evil beasts lurk in the woods of Skyrim because I’ve played the game a lot. Boziik doesn’t have a clue, though. Regardless of this, as I begin, the journey is peaceful, and thankfully I haven’t run into anything scary like an evil, crazed, armoured, manic Khajiit bandit yet.

Day Nine: A Sword for the Steward

Basically, this is a play-through of the PC game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but in a non-linear fashion. I am playing the game as if I was an average Nord, kind of like an NPC (Non Player Character) being thrown into the position of the Dragonborn, and I’m acting and reacting like a normal Nord would.

Yesterday I embarked on a rather eventful journey to Whiterun. I intended on it taking maybe half the day and me spending the rest at the blacksmith’s, but that didn’t happen. It took me all day to get there and I barely had enough time to beat up the local bard and eat dinner. I’ve decided that in the future, if needed, I will not hesitate to take Bjorlam’s carriage from Whiterun to any of the major holds. It’s not fast travel, as one guy put it, “It’s just like taking the taxi somewhere!”. Totally legit, right?

I rise early on day nine, prepared to take on this blacksmith business. I make small talk with Hulda, the barmaid and she tells me that the Gildergreen had seen better days and that I can talk to Danica about helping restoring its former beauty. I take note and sit down next to the fire and munch on some bread for my breakfast. After my tasty morning feed I head over to the local blacksmith’s. It appears to be run by an imperial woman named Adrianne Avenicci. I make small talk with her and she believes I’m the perfect man to deliver a sword for the Jarl for her. She’s made a greatsword for Jarl Balgruuf and would like me to take it to her father who is the Jarl’s steward. I happily oblige. But first I decide to finally get these ores smelted! I take my time smelting my iron ore, breathing in the divine fumes from the smelter and gazing at the red-hot, smouldering coals. I smelt a total of 20 iron ores into ingots, then head up to Dragonsreach (which is the Jarl’s ‘palace’ of sorts) to deliver the sword.

Day Eight: From Grotto to City

Basically, this is a play-through of the PC game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but in a non-linear fashion. I am playing the game as if I was an average Nord, kind of like an NPC (Non Player Character) being thrown into the position of the Dragonborn, and I’m acting and reacting like a normal Nord would.

Yesterday I travelled to Bloated Man’s Grotto and took on a werewolf as a favour for the Daedric Lord Hircine. It was a brutal, bloody fight, but I came out the victor upon slaying the werewolf, Sinding (I realised I have been spelling this as ‘Sindig’ up until now. Oops!). Today I’m going to head over to Whiterun and see what’s going on there.

Although Falkreath wasn’t a complete failure, I still haven’t achieved what I originally set out to achieve by travelling there. I haven’t smelted my piles of ore! I’m 90% certain that I will find a smelter and a proper blacksmith in Whiterun and so I decide that today I’ll head there! I sleep in for a bit after the craziness of last night and I try on the armour I received for killing Sinding, ‘Saviour’s Hide’. I look kinda weird, but in a scary, badass kind of way. It is, unfortunately light armour. Although it gives me 15% magic resistance and 50% poison resistance, it’s armour rating is lower than my iron armour. I value it at 2679, which is a ton of money for me, so I’ll probably sell it for a hefty sum in Whiterun. I take my leave of this dreadful grotto and press on towards Whiterun.

Day Seven: We’re Going on a Werewolf Hunt

Basically, this is a play-through of the PC game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but in a non-linear fashion. I am playing the game as if I was an average Nord, kind of like an NPC (Non Player Character) being thrown into the position of the Dragonborn, and I’m acting and reacting like a normal Nord would.

Yesterday I was nearly savagely mauled by a Spriggan, killed even more bandits (I’m really turning into a regular bandit hunter in these parts) and began a quest for the Daedric lord Hircine in which I have to kill a werewolf. That’s going to be fun. I also stopped in at Riverwood and said hello to my good buddy, Sven. It wasn’t until after I went to sleep that I realised I’m probably not ready to kill a werewolf. But I’m gonna go for it anyway! If worse comes to worse I’ll just run away like the little girl I really am.

I rise at 5 and head out to the common room to munch on a potato for breakfast while I glare at Sven. Today is a big day for me! I’m on a werewolf hunt! I buy some bread and two apples from Orgnar for my travels, and consult my map to plot my route. I decide to head north around the mountain and go past Whiterun on my way to Bloated Man’s Grotto. I probably won’t stop in the city, but just walk past it, I have no time to waste! On my travels I come across a deer that decides it wants to be too fast for me to catch and a wolf that was surprisingly easy to kill. Maybe I’m just becoming a professional wolf-slaughterer. I continue on the road and as I pass past Whiterun, I spot a group of people fighting with a giant! I race up to help (considering I’m such a massive unit), but by the time I get there they’ve already killed the giant. One of them named Aela the Huntress gives me a spiel about how a real warrior should have jumped at the opportunity to take on a giant or something. I wasn’t really listening because I was too busy staring at her shapely features. They tell me about a group called the Companions, but I’m on a quest, and so I don’t take heed of much of what they say. I continue on the path to Bloated Man’s Grotto.

Day Six: Chasing Stags

Basically, this is a play-through of the PC game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but in a non-linear fashion. I am playing the game as if I was an average Nord, kind of like an NPC (Non Player Character) being thrown into the position of the Dragonborn, and I’m acting and reacting like a normal Nord would.

Yesterday marked the day of my first robbery, as I broke into Lod’s house in my underwear and stole a note for Dengeir and some gold for myself. I also aided in worsening the Jarl’s drinking problem, delivered some ashes to a priest and crafted a bucket load of potions. Successful? I think so!

I wake at 6:30 this morning. I head out of my room and sit at a table with Runil, the priest I delivered the ashes to yesterday. I make small talk with him, munch on a potato, then head over to Dengeir’s house to give him the letter. When I arrive, it appears that his door is locked, and so I sit on the bench outside and wait for an hour until he unlocks it. I head inside and hand him the note. He goes on about Lod making weapons for the imperials, then gives me 250 gold! Wow! That’s a lot of money! I could buy myself a house with this! Or maybe just a sword.

Day Five: The Ultimate Heist

Basically, this is a play-through of the PC game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but in a non-linear fashion. I am playing the game as if I was an average Nord, kind of like an NPC (Non Player Character) being thrown into the position of the Dragonborn, and I’m acting and reacting like a normal Nord would.

Yesterday, I obliterated the very first skeletons I’d ever encountered, met a girl whom I will potentially marry one day named Narri, and met another lutist, this one just as mundane and irritating as the last one.

I spoil myself with a bit of a sleep in this morning for all my hard work yesterday. I wake up at 6am and buy some bread from Valga for my breakfast. I also make small talk with Narri, who doesn’t have too much to say. I also meet a guy in the Inn named Solaf who tells me he’s a Stormcloak. Apparently there’s a civil war between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials going on or something. But I don’t pay too much attention to current events. I death stare Delacourt (the new bard) as I munch on my yummy bread, then head out the door to explore this new town.

Day Four: Battling the Undead, Finding True Love, and More Skinny Dipping

Basically, this is a play-through of the PC game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but in a non-linear fashion. I am playing the game as if I was an average Nord, kind of like an NPC (Non Player Character) being thrown into the position of the Dragonborn, and I’m acting and reacting like a normal Nord would.

Yesterday I helped Faendal spoil Sven’s attempts at making Camilla fall in love with him, I helped Alvor at his forge, Skinny dipped in a lake and decided to leave Riverwood and head to Falkreath in search of a Smelter.

I rise early on day four, ready for the long walk to Falkreath. I estimate it will take me longer than a day, so I sell some leftover ingredients and buy a couple of bottles of ale, some baked potatoes and a green apple from my good friend Orgnar. I bid farewell to him, and bid good riddance to Sven as I walk out the door, munching on my pheasant breast for breakfast. I head over to the Riverwood Trader (which is open, despite it being 4:45am. It must be one of those 24-hour shops, I guess) and buy myself a potion of minor healing (in case of any dangerous encounters) for 51 gold.

Suddenly, I realise I forgot to put the woodcutter’s axe back yesterday! Oh no! I spent a whole night with someone else’s axe! I sure hope they didn’t miss it! And I most certainly hope they don’t know that it was me who took it! I hurry over to put it back, and head south-west on the road to Falkreath.

Day Three Cont’d: Skinny Dipping

I reach Alvor’s forge to see if he wants a hand, and it turns he does; he asks me to make him an iron dagger! I do just that, but apparently it’s too blunt for the old sod. So he gives me some iron and tells me to go sharpen it up. I continue helping the guy, and I come out with a fine iron dagger and an improved hide helmet. I decide that, considering I have a decent amount of gold saved up, I might as well just buy some iron ingots from Alvor and smith myself some decent armour since I can’t smelt my ore. I buy a total of 15 iron ingots, 1 steel ingot 10 leather and 10 leather strips. I forge myself a full set of iron (minus a shield, I already have one of those) and proceed to improve the full set (including the shield and my steel sword) as much as my sorry little skill allows me too. It’s not much, and it cost me an absolute fortune (I’m down to around 300 gold, now), but on the plus side I now look a little like the guy from the trailer, and the guy from the trailer killed dragons. Does this mean I’m destined to kill dragons?