For Skyrim! A Nord's Return Home & His Destiny -- A Skyrim AAR

**Slaytaninc** · November 27, 2013, 07:47 PM

Hello, this is my second attempt at a Skyrim AAR. I plan to be more careful this time and not play ahead of my AAR. A real challenge indeed. I have a rough idea where I'm headed but this is still a ride. This is just the introduction, the prelude. I'll get some game footage up in the next few days. I'm still working on finalizing the skills I will use.

My name is Boldir and I am a Nord, one of the native people of Skyrim. My family has lived in Skyrim probably back to the time of Ysgramor himself. My father served in the Imperial Legion as a scout. He was a proud young soldier who put his life on the line to defend the Empire. At the Imperial City he was captured and left to rot in a Thalmor prison camp. He was one of the hostages returned after the signing of the White Gold Concordat. He fought and nearly died just to see the Empire turn its back on its very founder himself. The day the Empire surrendered is the day my father turned his back on it.

After the end of the war my father returned to Skyrim and made his home in the forest. There, outside of Falkreath, is where I was born. My father taught me everything a man needed to know to survive. We made our livelihood poaching from the Jarl’s forests, selling the hides to make money so we could maintain our way of life. I was 10 when my father was caught. The huntsman that caught him was lenient, sparing my father execution or imprisonment. Instead my family was forced to move to Whiterun and live there as beggars behind the Market district. My father was too proud to live off the generosity of others and personally pleaded with the Jarl of Whiterun to be let on as a guard. My father served as a guard for a short time before growing bored with the life. He then packed up the family and led us to Windhelm. My father joined Ulfric’s Stormcloaks. Honing his skills in combat, he taught me the basics. He also taught me about the Thalmor and their evil.

When my father got ill and died, I took a ship to the Imperial City and tried to join the Legion. I thought war would break out any day and that my skills would be needed. I was turned aside. I decided that the Empire didn’t need me. I set out to Skyrim with intentions of becoming a hunter like my father and withdraw from civilization. I felt that if the war broke out again I would be needed so I left.

**Slaytaninc** · November 27, 2013, 10:00 PM

Okay, so here's where I would like some opinions.

I'm basing my build around 2 Handed Weapons. I am limiting myself to 6 Major (Perked) Skills. Should I take archery so I can hunt and fight dragons better, and should I take Block? Currently I'm going with Light Armor, 2 Handed Weapons and Smithing. If I do any sneaking (primarily for hunting) it will be unperked, same with lock-picking. This leaves me with 3 free skills or 1 if I take Archery and Block. Thus is my dilemna. I'd like NOT to take Block, but if people think it's tactically necessary I'll pick it up. I could also use it as a minor (unperked) skill, although I doubt anyone endorses that.

Final question: Should I download a combat rebalancing mod and if so, which one?

**Sharpe** · November 27, 2013, 10:02 PM

Does he have a beard?

**Slaytaninc** · November 27, 2013, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by Sharpe

Does he have a beard?

Would he be a true Nord if he didn't?

**Sharpe** · November 27, 2013, 10:09 PM

There is a name for men without beards:

Women.

**Ishan** · November 27, 2013, 10:42 PM

Nord Character should be concentrated more on melee skills & heavy armour. Archery & light armour if we're playing as an elf perhaps. And will you share pictures as you describe certain events? I think recording your game and then taking screenshots after re-watching the video would result in a better and interesting AAR from a story point of view. How do you go about writing AARs? I actually have no idea how users generally go about it.

**Slaytaninc** · November 28, 2013, 11:03 AM

Delete.

**Slaytaninc** · November 28, 2013, 11:27 AM

Okay, tentative skill tree. I've decided to add block back in.

6/6

Two-Handed (Battle Axe!)
Light Armor (Barbarian)
Smithing (Turning the bounty of nature into protection)
Block (Sometimes the best offense is a good defense)
Speech (Intimidating Presence)
Choice between Archery(Hunting, Killing Dragons)/ or One-Handed(Beserker Rage, but adds in even more switching between menus)

Also, I will use any non-magic, non-crafting skill as a minor (unperked of course--not because I can't with the mod I use, but because I want to spend them on my combat skills.)

I picked up Dragonborn since it was 50% off. Dawnguard is 33% off and I'm waiting to see if maybe it will pass in on the rotating deals.

Originally Posted by Ishan

I think recording your game and then taking screenshots after re-watching the video would result in a better and interesting AAR from a story point of view.

My last AAR didn't turn out too good since I lost focus, so I don't have much experience. I guess I'll just have to take notes while I play and make sure I limit my session length (which is getting easier to do actually.) Of course there will be pictures, hopefully 3 a post on average if not a few more every so often. Also I'll probably "rough-sketch" out the following session,.

**Slaytaninc** · November 30, 2013, 05:00 PM

Played my session for today, started writing. I'll have Chapter One up tomorrow and maybe I'll get another one done. Hopefully. EDIT: This entry is over one thousand words long.

Chapter One -- Off With Their Heads

From the Imperial City I borrowed a horse to ride to Bruma. From there I began my walk to Skyrim. My intention was to find my way to the Rift and become a subsistence hunter. It was going to be a hard life but it was going to be my life to live the way I wanted.

My walk was tiring but soon I made it to the border. When I got there I was surprised to see a force of Imperial Legionaries. When I left Skyrim there wasn’t even a Falkreath guard anywhere nearby. Now there’s an army? I couldn’t believe my eyes. I walked forward to get through and two soldiers grabbed me. I pushed both of them to the ground and ran ahead. A soldier that was hiding up ahead hit me with a club and everything turned black.

When I woke up I was seated across from a tall Nord. He introduced himself as Ralof. I noticed he was dressed in a blue guard’s uniform. I remembered that Windhelm had blue uniforms. I wondered “Why is a guard from the city of Windhelm in this cart with me? Looking over I noticed a man dressed in rags like me. He looked scared. Ralof introduced him to me. He was a horse thief.

Then I looked over and saw another tall Nord, this time with a gag in his mouth. Ralof told me who he was. Ulfric Stormcloak. Veteran of the Great War and the “Bear of Markarth” himself. Once finding that out the horse thief started shaking, knowing that he wasn’t going to jail, he was going to be executed.

After riding for a few moments we reached the gates of Helgen. To the right of our cart as we entered the gates was an older man talking to some Elven woman. Ralof told me that the Elves were the Thalmor. I asked him, “What do the Thalmor have to do with this?” He replied “I don’t know the answer to that.”

The cart was driven through the town, and we parked next to the wall. We were let out of the cart and were lined up. To my left was another group of Stormcloaks. Our names were called by an Imperial soldier. Ulfric was the first in our group to me called up. He walked forward and then was guided in front of a tower. Next called was “Ralof of Riverwood.” I recognized that town and knew that it was nearby. Finally the horse thief was called forwards. He panicked and ran. Imperial soldiers shot and killed him with a bow.

Finally I was called forward. The Imperial soldier calling off the names was a Nord. He saw that I wasn’t on the list and asked his commander what he was supposed to do. His commander said that I was to go to the block anyways. I wasn’t even supposed to be with them, but I saw what happened when the thief ran and I knew there was no escaping my fate.

I was guided over to the group and there I saw the older Imperial again. I overheard one of the Stormcloaks say his name. His name was General Tullius and he was the supreme commander of the Imperial forces in Skyrim. He was in front of Ulfric and lectured him, saying “Some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a hero doesn't use a power like the Voice to murder his King and usurp his throne.” Tullius was obviously not in the mood for mercy.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

A random Stormcloak was the first one called forwards. He stood in front of the block and an Imperial priest started to say a prayer, but the Stormcloak told her to shut up and get it done with. The Imperial commander pushed the Stormcloak to his knees, then pressed his body down on the block. The Axeman lifted his axe up, and came down on the Stormcloak’s neck, severing his head from his body. Next it was my turn. I had no choice but to walk forward. The Imperial commander repeated the routine with me. When I came to the ground my I looked to my left.

An Imperial shouted something about a creature or something. I didn’t see it. Then a few moments later I did. As the dragon came into view the executioner lifted his axe, but when the dragon landed on the tower behind him the earth shook and the executioner stumbled but soon recovered. He started to raise his axe again, and the dragon shouted and knocked him down. Then the dragon shouted again and the sky got dark.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Everyone scrambled and I came to my feet. Maybe someone picked me up, I don’t know. I ran for the tower where Ralof and the other Stormcloaks gathered. I ran in and Ulfric slammed the door behind me. Ralof told me to run up the tower. When I climbed up about halfway, the dragon slammed its head into the wall and shot flames into the opening. I jumped the gap into the top of an inn.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

I ran down the stairs of the inn and ran out into a courtyard. There I saw the Nord Legionary from before. He guided a child away from the dragon. I followed him around a house and through it. As I was running through the house something hit me and I fell over. I recovered and came out of the house. When I exited the house I came in front of one of the gates and Imperial soldiers were shooting into the air trying to hit the dragon. I followed the Nord to the wall.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Following him I came into an open courtyard near the city’s keep. Ralof ran out and the Nord I was following yelled at him. I followed Ralof and I never saw that Nord again. I followed Ralof into the keep. Inside the keep was a deceased Stormcloak. I didn’t take his armor but I took his weapon, a one-handed iron axe.

We found a door but it was locked. So we went to the other door and saw that the chain was on the other side. The Imperial commander and a lightly armored soldier open the door and we ambushed him. I killed the woman who wanted me dead myself. It felt good. I took the key, grabbed two Imperial swords and opened the door. I ran down the stairs and saw a roof collapse. So we couldn’t take the direct route out. Taking a side door we came across a torture chamber.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

I slaughtered the torturer and his assistant, and found a pair of robes in a cell. I could feel the power contained in them and figured they would sell for a hefty price. I ran past some more cells and down into a large chamber. There I saw Stormcloaks fighting with Imperials. I joined in.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

On one of the Stormcloak bodies I found an iron great sword. I picked it up and equipped it. I killed an Imperial soldier with it. Once the battle was over I continued on into the cavern. I ran into some spiders and struggled with them. Once they were killed I came into a chamber with a bear. Ralof suggested that we sneak past it, but he gave me a bow just in case. I killed the bear figuring its pelt would provide good hide for armor. We then walked out of the cave into the sunlight.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Slaytaninc** · December 01, 2013, 10:42 PM

The (definitely) un-official theme song of this AAR:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Templar Knight** · December 02, 2013, 09:45 AM

It's great to see another skyrim aar start up again! I wish you luck with it, and I will be following it's progress.

**Slaytaninc** · December 03, 2013, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by Templar Knight

It's great to see another skyrim aar start up again! I wish you luck with it, and I will be following it's progress.

Yeah, I want to breath some life back into this subforum.

I'll probably throw up a short update tomorrow if I have time. I think I'm going to drop the chapter names, as some posts may be a whole chapter and others might not be. Thoughts?

Another idea I thought of: Giving each update a theme song to get people in the mood while reading.

**Templar Knight** · December 05, 2013, 11:08 PM

Yeah, this subforum is pretty damn quiet these days, and at some point I would like to continue with my ff. I've never been particularly attached to the idea that chapters need names, so I wouldn't mind in the least if you stopped naming them. The theme song idea is a good one, I once read an rtw:bi aar that had theme songs for the updates and I thought the addition of the music really did add to the experience of reading the update.

**Slaytaninc** · December 06, 2013, 08:13 PM

I was watching SVU while playing, and the shocking introduction to season 14 no less. This is almost 900 words, didn't expect to write that much.

After waiting to see that the dragon disappeared me and Ralof split up. Ralof told me he would be waiting in Riverwood and that I should join him when I was ready. I wanted to avoid the city, I didn’t know it as well as he did and I figured it would be the first place that the Imperials would look for me in. On my way to the road, I noticed a large structure off in the distance. It looks ancient and I decided I would avoid it.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

I reached the outskirts of Riverwood and knew I was going in the wrong direction. So I crossed the river and reached the top of the riverbank. I turned away from the setting sun and saw a cabin in the distance. I reached the cabin where a nice old lady was sitting outside of on a chair. Leaving her alone I went off on my way. Continuing away from the sun, I walked past a ruined fort. I planned to explore it but went for a cabin I saw on the shore of the lake. Once I reached the shack I decided to make it my home. I cleaned my pelts and spent the night. In the morning I opened a cabinet and found some gold and a waterskin.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

As it turned out I couldn’t stay, I realized I wouldn’t find any game near by. I needed to move to better hunting grounds. When I reached the plains of Whiterun I realized that I was correct. The plains around Whiterun were teaming with game. I quickly saw an Elk and took it down with a few arrows. After cleaning it and cutting away the meat, I noticed 3 legionaries and a prisoner in rags walking towards the rising sun along a road.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

As I started going in the direction of the sea, I noticed an altar up ahead. I wondered if it had anything on it that I could take. I moved closer to it and was jumped by 3 skeletons. 2 of them were taken down with ease, while another one of them wearing a hood proved difficult to take down. At the altar I found the bodies of two mages, they must have brought the skeletons to life and couldn’t handle their creations.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Another good shot at a deer and I took another one down.

At the end of the day, I walked into an old tomb to try and stay warm. Instead I walked outside of it and started a fire. I got some sleep and woke up when my fire went out.

When I woke up I realized I was near another burial area. I took out three skeletons. One had a bow, another carried a great sword, and the final one carried an axe. I took the great sword, gave it a few swings and decided it was better balanced so I decided to use it instead. I saw a chest and went towards it and a mummy dropped open his tomb. I realized it was a Draugr, a creature my mother used to tell me about in stories. It looked tired, like it was restless. From its hand came frost. When the frost hit me I felt really cold. Like I was turning into frost down to my bones. Fighting through the pain and drawing on my Nord blood, I mustered the courage to swing my sword at him 3 times. The final swing connected and brought the creature down.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

After moving on and getting another deer, I came across a cave being guarded by a bandit. I dispatched the bandit with my sword and walked into the cave. I slayed a few of them, but I ran away when I saw that one of them was a highly skilled mage being guarded by four more bandits. I found ten arrows in my journey through the cave though so I was happy.

In the wilderness I found a chest with a few potions. I picked the lock and found some great potions. The ones that I couldn’t use I would sell for some Imperial coins. I also found a cool monument and then realized that I was near the small village of Rorikstead.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

I went to the inn and used their tanning rack to clean up all my pelts. Then I went in and decided to sell the venison I harvested and use the money I got from it to buy myself a good meal. I ate my meal and rested in the inn for a few hours. I bought a potion for curing sickness and sold off some alchemy ingredients I found along my travels. Finally I bought a handful of arrows for hunting with.

After I left the town I was attacked by a few bandits. One of the bandits had a walking stick, I felt it would help me travel more easily.
Two days after I was almost killed I now looked like a lowly barbarian hunter and knew that no one would be looking for me any more. For the first time since I was captured I felt truly free. The world was now my oyster, I could live the life I wanted to lead.

Pictures added.

**Slaytaninc** · December 08, 2013, 09:02 PM

Was going to call this Chapter 3, but I cut it short. So I present an Interlude.

The next few days would be uneventful. A few skirmishes here and there, but nothing major. Except for one event I wish to describe here.
While hunting near Dragon Bridge I found an area of a few standing stones. Between the stones were three soldiers, but they were dressed very irregularly. Around them were some bodies. The soldiers wanted to fine me hundred gold for “interfering with Imperial business.” I refused to bow down to any Imperial legionary, whether imposter or not. Besides I’ve never seen any of them fine citizens, at most they push them out of the way. So I dueled with them, using my sword to parry and counter-attack their blows. After that I continued on my way.

After a few days I decided to sell my pelts and leather and the other items I gathered along the way and spend some time relaxing in Rorikstead.

**sbroadbent** · February 02, 2014, 08:16 AM

You had a good start here, though the only thing that bothered me was the somewhat jarring overuse of "I", though I'm aware you're trying to write in the first person. One alternative, especially if you're travelling with a follower is to use "we". I'm presuming during the Helgen section that Ralof did participate in the battles and therefore it wasn't a solo effort. The last update was a bit more balanced and easier to read.

Any plans to continue, or did you move on to something different?

**Slaytaninc** · February 03, 2014, 03:19 PM

It's far from dead but it's not moving anywhere. Think of it as someone who is only kept alive due to life support. Sure their heart is beating but they aren't doing anything, they aren't thinking.

As far as narration goes it's supposed to be the character telling someone else the story, maybe dictating it to a writer.