A Long Way From Home - A Skyrim AAR [updated 20th May 2018]

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

Any updates Caillagh de Bodemloze ?

Cheers

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Almost...

(And thank you for asking - it always helps to be reminded. )

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

Almost...

(And thank you for asking - it always helps to be reminded. )

My pleasure. I'm sure many others are also waiting for this.

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Wow. That last post was in March. It doesn't seem more than five minutes ago. I'm sorry about the delay.

I hope a new chapter will be sufficient apology. (If not, I'll have to grovel.)

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Chapter Forty-Two: The Prisoner

We listened at the door and heard nothing. We had no other way to discern whether a detachment of guards was waiting for us on the other side, so Shulgak drew her sword and threw the door open, hoping that we might at least surprise any guards by the suddenness of our entry. Weapons at the ready, Lydia, and then this one, followed Shulgak in, and discovered that we were the ones to be surprised by our arrival.

The door we had passed through had seemed to be the main entrance to the fort, yet there was not one guard in the room we stood in. Indeed, the room looked as if it had been abandoned, left unused for several weeks, at least. To one side stood a table with chairs upturned on top of it. To the other was an assortment of barrels in what looked like a storage area. Perhaps it was intended as a place to keep newly-delivered barrels of supplies until they could be transported to the rooms where they were needed. If so, it seemed that no one was collecting or using the supplies, for there were cobwebs across many of the barrels.

We might have been deceived by this apparent emptiness had it not been for a small sound, perhaps of a chair being shifted, from the passage ahead. We followed the passage downwards as quietly as we could, and discovered another dust-covered room, this one almost round in shape. This one, however, contained two guards. Of course, Shulgak and Lydia had no difficulty in dealing with their belated attempt at an attack on us, and we swiftly put this second room behind us.

Next we came to a place where the passageway turned abruptly right, and the only way onward lay even further underground than we had already come, with a broad, open set of stone stairs taking us downward. Our surroundings were still covered with dust and cobwebs, leading us to think we might already have met the only guards inside the fort. Our previous experience, together with Shulgak politely restraining Lydia and this one, combined to prevent us from reaching this conclusion too rapidly, however.

Although cobwebs hung from the walls and lay thickly on the top two-thirds of the stairs, a clear patch was evident towards the bottom of the staircase. It was impossible for that to be so unless someone had been there very recently. As this one stood, still and apprehensive, in full view of anyone who entered, we heard a noise. The quiet slap of footsteps on stone, gradually growing nearer. Somehow, this broke the paralysis that seemed to have seized us. We moved swiftly to the walls, hoping the shadows gathered at the top of the stairs would hide both us and the footprints we had printed in the carpet of dust.

Imprudently, the sentry walked directly to the bottom of the steps. As he paused, both Shulgak and this one shot at him, while Lydia leapt towards him, sword drawn and teeth bared; a most impressive sight. It was over quickly, but the small noise we had made alerted two other guards. One of them offered little resistance to our attack, but the second was a mage skilled in the art of firing crackling streaks of lightning from his fingertips. His shots never seemed to miss their target, and this one was beginning to fear that we would be outmatched by one man. Lydia, however, had seen where his weakness lay, and she worked her way round behind him while this one and Shulgak kept his attention upon us. He could not manage to defend himself against attacks from three different directions, and at last he fell.

After these fights, we were more cautious, treating the dirt and apparent neglect as a disguise rather than an indication that rooms were not used. Still, it was a relief when we came upon a truly empty room which resembled a tavern, with chairs and tables and a bar. Perhaps it is still used as some kind of dining room; we certainly found some small supplies there, and were able to rest and eat before pressing on to find and release Yannick.

We passed through many further rooms, and through such a quantity of twisting passageways that this one began to fear we would never complete our search of the fortress. Every so often, in the seemingly dead and dusty chambers, we found ourselves defending against attacks from guards wielding swords like lightning, or lightning like an armful of knives. In one deserted hallway, we came upon a recently-dead body cast negligently into a cart. There was no sign of a struggle, and no way to tell why anyone would deliberately deposit a body there, or why the cart had been brought indoors. We could do nothing but wonder, and go on, through the cobwebs and discarded clutter.

At last, when we were beginning to believe that we had all been ensorcelled, and that none of what we saw was real, we came to a junction between two corridors. Ahead of us and to our right was a guard sitting at a table, with the corridor continuing beyond. It seemed to us that this might be a sign we had finally reached the prison area of the fortress. This one has a cousin who was often in some small amount of trouble when she was only just more than a kitten. When retrieving her from her frequent, though thankfully brief, confinements, this one observed that prisons always seem to possess this arrangement with a guard and a table just before the cells. We had cause for optimism; we had almost reached out goal.

To our left, however, was a short corridor leading to a door. We could not merely overpower the guard and take his keys; we would also need to watch for reinforcements arriving from the room behind that door. This seemed straightforward, and so, in principle, it was, and yet it was not, for the closed room to our left contained a more powerful mage than any we had previously met. He, like the other mages of the fortress, seemed to have a preference for lightning spells, but they seemed to range further and in more directions at once than his less-skilled, and therefore deceased, colleagues. He was clearly also proficient with fire, occasionally scything the room with flame and lightning at the same time, which we had not seen any previous mage attempt. It was a difficult and protracted fight, and this one believes that the prison guard was in fact killed by the mage, for his body was marked with charred and blistered burns. As will be apparent from the fact that this one continues to write this account, we were at length victorious, although not without injury. Shulgak has sustained a burn to the leg that will pain her for some time, and will no doubt reduce the speed at which she can travel. Lydia received a knock to the head which has resulted in a lump the size of a goose-egg. This one was most fortunate to escape with only a slash to the ribs and a minor burn to the tail and left arm.

From the tools we found on the body of the mage, it was clear that he was a torturer. We did not want to look into the room he had been working in, but we had come to find Yannick; we needed to know whether we had arrived too late.

To this one’s great shame, this one found himself relieved to discover the torturer had been questioning someone else. Truly, it should not ever be a relief to find that someone has been tortured. And yet this one could not feel otherwise. This one prays to S’rendarr for mercy despite his lack of compassion.

Happily, the man we found was not only alive but still able to walk. We must have interrupted the torturer-mage at an early stage of his interrogation. We agreed that he could travel with us and attempt to escape, for what else could we say? To leave him for the next torturer to find would have been unthinkable. Indeed, we had cause within minutes to be glad we had helped him. We took the keys and released the prisoners from their cells, although some seemed terrified of trying to leave. Yannick was not among them. And this is where our new friend saved us from a dreadful error. There seemed to be nowhere else to go, and we had almost decided, in our despair, that we had been hunting for Yannick in the wrong place, when Thorald – for so his name is – remarked that we should free the prisoner in the hidden cell. It appears that Thorald himself was the previous occupant of this cell, and as the Thalmor were removing him from it to take him to the torture-chamber, he saw the man who was to replace him. A dark man, not tall, perhaps a Breton.

My heart leapt within me, and I saw Shulgak and Lydia raise their eyes to Thorald, and then each other, as hope sprang to life in them. With more energy than any of us could have summoned a moment before, we began to ready ourselves for the next battle, but Thorald assured us no fighting would be necessary. The hidden cell is protected from assault by being hidden, no more. As we had already taken the keys to the whole building from the guard and the torturer, it was a simple matter of finding the trap-door, buried beneath piles of crates set on top of rotting hay. Simple, but pungent.

And there he was. Almost certainly starved, possibly tortured. But alive.

[theSilentKiller]

Ah, the search has come to an end! I wonder, are we now going to see everything from Yannick's perspective again? Anyway, great chapter. I like how the dead body in the cart makes no sense to our heros (granted, it does make little sense)... Skyrims dungeons are full of mysteries. Now that he is back, I am anxious to see what's going to happen next.

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Thank you!

Will we see everything from Yannick's perspective from now on? Maybe...

The body in the cart is in there because it bewilders me. Why is there a cart there? All the doors into Northwatch Keep are too small for a cart to go through. And, given that somebody built a cart indoors for no apparent reason, why would you leave a dead body in it? Isn't that going to be a bit smelly? (And then messy.) It's very, very odd...

As you say, though, that's perfectly normal for Skyrim, where 'odd' is just how things are.

[Alwyn]

Great chapter, I enjoyed your descriptions - the shadows on the stairs, the footprints printed in the carpet of dust and Lydia charging the sentry, as well as the way that the guards wielded swords or lightning.

[Swaeft]

By the Nine, this is a long read! Forty two chapters! I haven't begun reading yet but I intend to do so in the near future. How did I not notice this earlier? I'd comment on your slow upload rates but since it gives me time to catch up, I've got no gripes there...for now

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

By the Nine, this is a long read! Forty two chapters! I haven't begun reading yet but I intend to do so in the near future. How did I not notice this earlier? I'd comment on your slow upload rates but since it gives me time to catch up, I've got no gripes there...for now

Oh, feel free to comment. I wish I had more time to give to this. I am still writing, though (although there has been a delay due to minor finger injury - it's hard to get screenshots when you can't use a mouse... )

In the meantime, I hope you're having fun catching up. I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I find the time for it, I promise.

[Swaeft]

[Merged my own posts, original post on September 25th, 2018]
Oh dear, I do hope you're recovering at a good pace. Fingers are important, can't imagine what life would be with em impaired at the moment. Get better sooner! (Get well soon gets old fast).

No hurry on that latest chapter, I've been a bit behind on reading a few AARs atm. Yours, KnightofDay's and Merchant's over in the Shogun 2 section. Tigellinus' AAR has my attention for the moment, (I blame his good writing) but I should be done reading his AAR by this week or the next. There's always a special place in my heart for Skyrim AARs, so never fear, I shall return.

Who knows, I might even do one in the near future...wink.

Chapter 1 to 5 comments

Edit 27/09/18: Well so I finally got around to reading this. Can't say I'm disappointed, it's pretty funny actually. Here's the breakdown. 1: Really short but that's fine. Pretty hilarious. Kinda reminds me of Narnia, except this time it's not a closet and not-a-lion. See what I did there? Ha..ha...I'll see myself out. 2: Well that was a kind Khajit. What is the difference between a tavern and an inn anyway? I always thought a tavern was just a bar but you could stay in an inn cos it had rooms. Oh well. Looks like it's not just Skyrim that's in a perpetual winter. 3: Screenshots are looking pretty good, and the writing is decent too! This guy is really lost, and it's a really light hearted AAR - a good change of pace for me from reading all those serious ones over at the M2TW section. 4: I think I might regret skipping buying Morrowind after all. You are probably making inside jokes with reference to the AI's behavior that I'm missing because I didn't actually play the game. Good luck if he thinks that knowing Argonians are called Argonians will keep him out of a brawl. 5: Well, that didn't take him long to find Ma'Jhan, though I too would have made that encounter sooner rather than later if I was writing the AAR. I sense a crossover into Skyrim soon!

And that's it for now, will comment more when I have the time! Have a rep on me for now Well of course I gotta spread it around...


Well Caillagh I'm back for more Skyrim! (04/1/19)

Chapter 6 to 11 comments

Chapter 6: I was expecting Ma'Jhan to think our protagonist was crazy, but I'm also a little glad he didn't. Our protagonist really does need a friend in these trying times (what would I do without my cell phone?). Also I'm expecting you to fill us in on those memory gaps later on! Chapter 7: Skyrim! Also I must name the next Breton I find in game a Yannick or Annick. I like the way you described the cart intro, in a disoriented, lackadaisical sort of way. So...a dragon attacks. Well, I'm sure Yannick has read about that in books in the present, (or future?) but it's definitely a pee in your pants moment, and most certainly followed by a damn I'm on fire moment. Chapter 8: Reliving the cart intro has painful memories for me. I remember going to take a shower or making myself some food whenever I wanted to create a new character. Then I read somewhere that you could save right before Hadvar called you and you'd get to skip that the next time you made a character, but even that wasn't enough for me! So now I thank Alternate Start Live Another Life for preserving my sanity when I start my 476th playthrough, and now I'm digressing. Great screenshot of Alduin, by the way. So you went with Ralof huh...Stormcloak Scum! Chapter 9: You're taking me down memory lane now. I remember the first time I - yeah I'm not going to digress again. Great screencap, love the water, and a great summary of the civil war. I particularly like "Oh god, I'm in a world with dragons", very nice touch. Chapter 10: Haha! Great and funny chapter! I like how you add normal dialogue next to the character's own preset dialogue. Also, that is a beautiful screenshot! (Did I mention I love screenshots? I think I might...hmm...can't be too sure) So, you picked mage. Great. Now you're going to drive Gared Macer out of a job. Chapter 11: Yannick's confusion continues to lead the narrative, and it is pretty hilarious for someone who has played Skyrim. Then again, I assume most people who read this have played Skyrim, so it's all good! That screenshot of the guards is a perfect encapsulation of them in the game - try to act tough, sometimes funny, and very useless. Look at the dude on the right! He's like: Eh? What have we here? Also, an intimidating intro for Irilef, which is more than the game did for me!

I'll pause here then, it's time for lunch!

Is it a bird, is it a plane? It's Swaeft! Back for some more Skyrim goodness.

Chapter 12 to 21 comments

Chapter 12: Ahh, I think I can start with the theory that Yannick is a master mage, but every time he teleports himself he loses a bit of his memory. A shrewd way to explain the fast travel and also the memory gaps Oho! So that Jarl already knows of dragons. Interesting...interesting...and he should...considering he's in Dragonsreach. Also...mutton chop sideburns...you keep this up and I'll be too busy laughing to read! And magic = sleight of hand and flashy tricks! How dare you! I'll have you know Gared Macer's ancestors are turning in their graves right now! Chapter 13: Chopping wood with broken ribs...oh dear I think I'm going to have a case of those if you keep this humor up. SO the man other than Danica Pure Spring has a use after all, lucky he's from Riverwood, eh? And so Yannick starts on his path to become a master archer. Cool! Chapter 14: Lovely screenshot of Bleak Falls Barrow. Yannick's adapting to killing is rather...fast. But that just accentuates the comedy in this AAR, which is great! Also never thought someone would make use of the sleeping bags in a ruin, good stuff! I'm loving this! Chapter 15: I swear Yannick figured that out faster than I did, at least on my first play-through. Please don't make him fall for Arvel's tricks though, I cut that sucker down on my first play-through, he reeked of bandit. Chapter 16: Well, I forgot that Arvel ends up dead if he runs away, so that was a pleasant surprise for me. Don't give up now, Yannick! Don't you want to slay a Draugr Deathlord? Chapter 17: Heavy breathing is what I'm doing now as I try my best to clamber back into my seat and type this whilst sniggering like a four year old. Draugr don't talk, Yannick! And he still has his watch? Damn, that's...good to know. Lovely screenshot of the wall in bleak fall's barrow. Oh come on, that was the boss fight? What a letdown, I'm leaving this AAR. Chapter 18: Only kidding, do you happen to have a cure for stuck eyes? Mine are stuck...on my screen. I can't look away from your AAR! And Yannick thinks magic doesn't exist. Hmph. Of course Yannick notices Irileth's pointy ears. He has his priorities right. Also Farengar casually expecting Yannick to return is a great line. Chapter 19: So Yannick is the Dragonborn? This tale just keeps getting better and better. Very vivid descriptions of the dragon battle as well, I liked the line: we had to dodge the flames and choking smoke, the jaws, the flailing wings and the swinging tail, And what does Irileth mean by transporting the remains properly? Do they normally not? Chapter 20: Oh Yannick, what an introduction to my favourite Housecarl! "You have a cot?" Caillagh you are a very good writer indeed. And duuude the second pic in the Drunken Huntsman! Yannick looks exactly like Lydia! You evil man, how could you do this? Chapter 21: I could afford a room at the Bannered Mare without needing to chop wood for it. Also, magic lessons, yay! And a very hilarious description of how spell tomes work, I love it! If you keep this up I'm going to be here all night, going blind staring at the screen.

Okay, at this point I need to take a break, I really do need to use the loo. And a lot of other stuff. Catch you later!

(8/1/1) Have I said that you can't stay away from this AAR for long?

Chapter 22 to 38

Chapter 22: And off Yannick goes! His reaction to fires just appearing is both hilarious and ridiculous. Still praying for a scientific explanation, I see (yes, that's a blatant contrast). Yeah those damn spiders are tough! I remember burning all my magicka on them and they still had like 3/4 of their health. Good thing that guard stopped by, though it is odd he tells Yannick not to travel alone and yet walks away on his own... Chapter 23: Yannick has his first magical duel! I'm pretty surprised he's still not admitting that magic is real, at least in the world of Skyrim, but it is really funny. She-hulk was a pretty good description too. Also, nice dialogue! Chapter 24: Shulgak was a breath of fresh air, I enjoyed the way she slapped Yannick around (verbally of course). She should serve as a sort of wake up call to Yannick, at the very least. A nice one-off character (or at least I think it's one-off for now). Like the rest have said, I'm enjoying the way you write about Yannick's travels, rather than leaving them out entirely as many people are tempted to do. Chapter 25: Of course...Yannick the #1 wood chopper And Shulgak is really showing her blunt side...though I guess with orcs there are no sides that aren't blunt And that is a great screenshot! (Not the wood chopping or the people talking one, silly.) And I'm glad Yannick didn't try to burn the wolves while Shulgak was fighting them, even though I expected him to try (I forgot Yannick had a bow). Chapter 26: "Long icicles spear downwards from the eaves of buildings, and snowdrifts pile themselves in shaded corners." - I love this description very much. Also, "I have nightmares about killing those bandits most nights; blood gushing from the wounds in their corpses and pooling around me, the level rising slowly past my ankles, up to my knees, towards my waist, rising, constantly rising, and no way out of the lake of blood, whichever way I go…" is a very interesting nightmare to have, and forgive me for saying this, but it feels rather out of place and sudden, as if Yannick wasn't afflicted by killing until now. Chapter 27: Yannick the wood chopper, Yannick the wheat harvester, at this rate I'm going to come up with a Game of Thrones style title for him... Chapter 28: "Down the road, Belyn, in tears, knelt over the body of Bolfrida Brandy-Mug, who had taken her sword and attacked the dragon as fiercely as any guard, and whose bravery had been repaid only with pain." NOOOOOOOOO Also, what? What happened to going to Winterhold from Windhelm? Whiterun is in the wrong direction!! Stop, Yannick STOP!! Chapter 29: Another great screenshot, this time or Yorvaskur (I refuse to spell it properly). Also, "all-night Skyrim-style-karaoke-and-bar-brawl entertainment" sounds really entertaining So, it's the companions now, eh? Eager to see where this leads to: Will Yannick rely on sword and bow or the arcane arts? Chapter 30: Wow, Yannick doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get to Winterhold after all. Hmm...time to leave this story... Loved the descriptions of the companions and how they went out in ones and twos to hunt a dragon. Interesting note on the trial by combat style brawls as well. Where can I donate to his 'getting to winterhold' fund? Chapter 31: That was a very hilarious description of Aela and her armor. Yaela anyone? No? Okay... So a lucky kill, and a bear at that (damn you Vilkas, why you always lyin'?). Also, I swear I've never seen two moons in the sky before in all my hours of playing Skyrim...damn that would have been a sight to behold. Chapter 32: Yannick the distracted, First of his name, the Deluded, the Amnesiac, the Chopper of all Woods, the Harvester of all Wheat, Spender of all Coin. Hail to his Grace! Great interaction with the priests of whiterun, and you better not be using the wearable lanterns mod... Chapter 33: Damn, you are using it! (And in the same position as I do...) Now I'll have to find another source of light for Gared Macer. I swear, from the side, I can't tell who's Lydia and who's Yannick, if not for the arrows on Yannick's back and the lantern at his rear. Also, damn Lydia! I knew she had fire in her but you portrayed her as a true warrior, and from a perspective I never would have thought of, leaving her behind with no duties. (Though the practical jokes seem rather overboard.) It was amazing to read that and realize how I've never thought about that before. Great stuff! Chapter 34: I swear, this is heading in a Yaela direction...and our mighty Yannick needs his Queen! Also Farkas (a funny name on its own, I try not to say it aloud when my parents are in the room) and his slapstick responses are hilarious. Oh my, Lydia is going to be so pissed! I can't wait! Chapter 35: I swear, everyone wears the damn steel armor, even farkas! “No.” Farkas's voice stopped me. He sounded exasperated, obviously thinking (again) that I was stupid. “Wear them. They're better than yours.” This was funny as heck! Imagine the NPCs turning the tables on you and asking YOU to carry their stuff! I think I've said hilarious way too many times, but this is hilarious!! Once again I can't stop reading. Chapter 36: Yes! Yannick's back at it again with the magic (even if it's 'just' shouts). At the risk of sounding like your non favorite broken records though, I sincerely hope Yannick gets some new armor soon... Chapter 37: Man, that aurora is amazing. A brilliant screencap, bravo! Also, great that Yannick is getting inducted into the Companions, imagine if he turns out to be Harbinger instead of going home. No Yaela in this chapter, slightly disappointed. Chapter 38: This Lydia thingy is really funny, please keep it going! I love the awkward silence part, it's really good. Also I need to brush up on my vocabulary so I can say words other than 'funny' or 'hilarious'.

I'll stop here for now, my eyes need a break.

[Leonardo]

In the meantime, I hope you're having fun catching up. I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I find the time for it, I promise.

I agree with Swaeft and I do have a lot of reading to do, don't I.

Anyway, I read the OP and remember a map someone on AFK Mods posted in the Skyrim Map Markers thread, so I thought to share it with you.

https://www.primagames.com/pages/eld...tion-game-guid

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Thank you for your link, Leonardo! It's great to see you here, my friend.

(And yes, I'm very embarrassed by the fact that I still haven't posted any more of this AAR. I'm still planning to come back to it, though...)

[Cookiegod]

Please do. You are missed.

[Leonardo]

Thank you for your link, Leonardo! It's great to see you here, my friend.

You're welcome.

(And yes, I'm very embarrassed by the fact that I still haven't posted any more of this AAR. I'm still planning to come back to it, though...)

There is only one thing you can do and that's to either resign from hex or become a AAR hex.

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

You're both very kind, thank you.