Skyrim Unarmed Build - Part 9: A Pirate's Life For Me

JOURNAL ENTRY 9

Inside the city of Solitude I'm greeted by a crowd of people gathered to watch the execution of Roggvir - a former guard. According to the crowd, Roggvir opened the city gate for Ulfric Stormcloak after he killed High King Torygg, allowing him to escape. Roggvir expresses no regret for his actions and the townspeople cheer as his head hits the floor. Not many seem to have a kind word for the man. His childhood friend, Sorex Vinius, claims Roggvir was a cruel man that loved pulling-pranks, such as leaving beehives in beds. Guard Captain Aldis says he was an honorable man but that the execution was justified and necessary.

A shady argonian named Jaree-Ra is quick to pull Raan aside. He is offering the "new face" in town some not-so-legal work. Lots of boats dock at Solitude - boats carrying people, war supplies, and paychecks. He wants Raan to put the light out at the lighthouse and in return Raan will receive a cut of the spoils from the shipwreck. It sounds too simple, too easy. Jaree-Ra is obviously using Raan, but we'll see where this goes.

Putting the light out is easy enough; the area is isolated and the keeper isn't around. Shortly thereafter a ship wrecks right in front of Raan's home in Morthal. Raan is instructed to meet with Deeja (from the Red Wave) who, unsurprisingly, tries to kill Raan. Luckily, Deeja has a note in her possession that details where the loot has been moved to, along with the location of their base of operations - Broken Oar Grotto.

Broken Oar Grotto is almost directly north of Solitude, along the coastline. The Blackblood Marauders used to be a fleet of pirates before a cave in trapped their ships in the grotto. Now they use it as base. Raan manages to punch his way through the bandits with ease, including Jaree-Ra. Captain Hargar, however, proves a challenge. I have to dip in and out of the water periodically to heal and died twice. Third times the charm.

Bach in Solitude the proprietor of the Winking Skeever tavern tells Do'raan about his pet skeever and how it used to wink at people, hence the name. He also mentions seeing a representative from Dragon Bridge race through the town not too long ago, headed in the direction of the Blue Palace. The representative claims there have been strange lights and noises coming from Wolf Skull Cave. Jarl Elisif promises to send the legion to investigate. Her advisor suggests sending a smaller team instead. Raan volunteers, much to the advisor's surprise. He says he hadn't actually intended to send anyone to investigate but if I really want to check the place out he'll kick a few septims my way.

Wolf Skull Cave is just a little ways from the road and has walking skeletons patrolling the entrance. Always a good sign. Further in there appears to be a ritual in progress. A cult of necromancers are trying to resurrect Potema Septim - the Wolf Queen. Potema was a former ruler infamous for her heinous deeds.

Raan claws the necromancers to pieces with ease and collects his reward but refuses to get involved with Potema any further.

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Skyrim Unarmed Build - Part 8: Moving House

JOURNAL ENTRY 8

For his services to the hold, Raan is granted the title of Thane and given the right to purchase a plot of land in Morthal. Morthal may not be the prettiest hold, but its quiet, isolated and dangerous. A good fit for D'raan. I buy the land and get to work building an entry way and main hall. There are three wings that can be added onto the home, each with three different room options.

East Wing additions are an armory, kitchen, or library.

North Wing additions are a trophy room, storage Room, or alchemy laboratory.

West Wing additions are a bedroom, greenhouse, enchanter's tower.

In keeping with D'raan's skill-set I choose to build an armory, an enchanter's tower, and a trophy room. The house is now finished but unfurnished and I'm broke. The bustling city of Solitude is within a day's walk from Morthal and sure to have work for a mercenary.

A blizzard kicks up and then dies down just as quickly as it started. Two frostbite spiders scuttle out of the snow covered fir trees and are quickly dispatched. An orc warrior traveling the same road causally insults Raan, calling him a "milk drinker". The two settle things with fists. At Dragon Bridge, a town halfway between Solitude and Morthal, a kid patrols the streets with his pet goat Lucky. He says hes too young to fight Stormcloaks but not too young to keep a lookout for enemies.

I find the boy's father standing in the middle of the road, arms crossed. He says some bad folks came through recently. They ate at the inn but didn't pay. Stole lumber and tried to have their way with his daughter. The Penitus Oculatus have a headquarters located here, so I decide to have a talk with them. Maybe they know more about these misbehaving soldiers.

The building is surprisingly empty except for one guy who assumes I got lost and gives me directions to the tavern across the street. Penitus Oculatus are suppose to be the emperor's guard, and with Solitude (the Imperial headquarters) just a short walk away, I want to wear Penitus Oculatus armor to see if anyone reacts to it. I knock the lone man out with a single punch, then drag his body over to the bed in case his friends show up. Raan struggles to put the man to bed, so the best I can do is partially stuff him under the bed. Good enough.

In full Penitus Oculatus armor, one of the solitude guards immediately recognizes Raan from - of all places, the College of Winterhold. Maybe the guard was originally stationed in Winterhold and then relocated? Winterhold is allied with the Stormcloaks though, and Solitude is under Imperial control. Did the unnamed guardsman switch sides? Or maybe Raan just made that big of a scene during his bender with Sam.

The local lumberjack says sales are up on account of the war, but like many of the residents of Dragon Bridge, he fears either side of the civil war might destroy the bridge to stop the other from crossing the Karth River. The only person that possibly reacts to a furry Penitus Oculatus is the Four Shields innkeep, who says I'm "not like other folk". Well, let's see what the folks over at Solitude have to say.

I take a slight detour to admire the palomino Gypsy Vanners at the stables and run into a young lad named Blaise sleeping there. Blaise tells me his Legion parents died fighting in the war, but that Katla allows him to sleep with the horses in exchange for help with the farm work.

Down the road from the stables is a large dock and warehouse belonging to the East Empire Company. I am told by a guard that the warehouse is off-limits because the trading company has run into some kind of trouble, but he doesn't know the details because he doesn't work for them. If I want to stick my nose in it I'll half to go all the way back to Windhelm to talk to the dock workers there.

A massive docked ship called the Red Wave catches my eye. Her crew are a cranky bunch that tell me to leave, but weirdly, never threaten to call the guards.

Another boat, the Dainty Sload, is docked further down the road near a lighthouse. It appears to be bandit owned and I overhear one of the men onboard ranting to his mates about how he refuses to pay child support. I don't find anything worthwhile on board, just some horker slabs, seared slaughterfish, bread and goat cheese.

 
The lighthouse door is unlocked, so I let myself in. The place is run by a khajiit of all things, but keeps giving me mixed messages, welcoming me in one moment and then threatening to call the guards the next. There isn't anything special here so I start the trek back to Solitude.

Previous Entry - Part 7: Sinister Places, Sinister People

Next Entry - Part 9: A Pirate's Life For Me

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Skyrim Unarmed Build - Part 7: Sinister Places, Sinister People

JOURNAL ENTRY 7

 
I am not going to rush off after this Ysolda just yet. There is a mystery in this town I want solved. I overhear Jouane (Rorik's friend) telling one of the twin girls in town: "What we do, the things I teach you. The others wouldn't understand." Suspicious. I also can't help but notice how most of the town is male - 9 people, only 3 of which are woman: Reldith and the twin girls, Sissel and Britte. I do some snooping and find a soul gem beside a book on deadra in Rorik/Jouane's home, hidden behind their home bar. I also find a common soul gem in Reldith's house but no one elses. She's a farmer, not an enchanter. What use would she have for such a thing? Could Rorik and Jouane be trading fertile woman for fertile land in some dark demonic bargain?

I try speaking with Jouane about the town's crops but he insists there is no secret to their success, just good fortune. I shadow him for a bit; he strolls around town, checking on the farms. At sundown I catch Sissel entering Rorik/Jouane's manor alone and follow her inside. She says both her father and twin sister abuse her, so Jouane has been teaching her useful magic. Oh... maybe there was nothing to this after-all and I've just been stalking these farmers like a creep. Then again, I overhear Rorik mention how he "can't help wondering if some other force is at work here."
 

I do some exploring in the surrounding tundra and find a rat infested hut a little ways up a hill. I think the owner kept them as pets but died in his sleep. That, or the poison bottle on the dinner table played some role in his demise. There isn't much left to see, so I plan to hit the holds I haven't visited yet starting with Morthal, then Solitude, Dawnstar, and finally Falkreath.

Halfway to Morthal I take out a bandit camp that was hustling travelers for "toll money" and discover the bandit chief's hidden stash of cash - a whopping 80 Septims.

A little further down the road I discover an overturned wagon with two dead caraveneers that chose to travel the dangerous roads against their better judgment. Not that I'm any better, because seconds later I'm assaulted by a Dark Brotherhood assassin. The organization is simultaneously dumb enough to carry around incriminating evidence signed by their leader and smart enough not to list the name of the person that ordered the hit.
 

I get very turned around and stumble across a stray pooch named Meeko who then runs off into the woods. Meeko's original owner, a hermit, died of Rockjoint, so I take the pup to my home in Markarth where he'll be safe and then continue on to Morthal. I find a crowd gathered around the Jarl's home, complaining about a wizard that just moved into town. There are also rumors swirling about a house that mysteriously caught fire, killing the woman and child inside. The husband/father of the family survived, marrying a woman named Alva the very next day. Alva doesn't seem too bothered by the gossip, saying she is "lucky to have a man so devoted" to her.

I fight Brenor at the tavern, then spend a while listing to the establishments merry orc bard.

Checklist:

• 
  Mikael (Whiterun)  
• Uthgerd the Unbroken (Whiterun) 
• Rolff Stone-Fist (Windhelm)
• Cosnach (Markarth)
• Chief Burguk (Dushnikh Yal Stronghold)
• Chief Larak (Mor Khazgur Stronghold)
• Chief Mauhulakh (Narzulbur Stronghold)
• Chief Yamarz (Largashbur Stronghold)
• Benor (Morthal)
• Borkul the Beast (Markarth)
• Dryston (Markarth)
• Hofgrir Horse-Crusher (Riften) 
  

The innkeep says she would throw the bard out for fear of loosing patrons, if she had any. I don't know, I kinda like this guy and so does Alva. She even creepily watches over him as he sleeps.
 

I don't know about the wizard but there is definitely something more to this house fire. Sifting through the charred remains I discover a ghost child that leads me to Laelette, the vampire that set the fire. Laelette's husband (not a vampire) tells me she was close to Alva (a vampire). Fortunately for me, Alva (like everyone in Tamriel) is great about taking notes. She lays out the full details of her master plan to turn the entire town into human cattle in her journal, along with the location of Movarth, her master. Alva's journal is all the proof I need to convince the town to rally a ragtag group of fighters for an assault on the vampire lair. A small army of ill-equipped alchemists, bards, and mill workers race to the lair's entrance, only to chicken out and return home. I clear the vampire cave alone and with ease. The human thralls, probably because they were melee fighters, actually took more hits to bring down than the vampires. And once again Raan has contracted Sanguinare Vampiris.

Previous Entry - Part 6: Goats and Deadric Shrines

Next Entry - Part 8: Moving House

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Skyrim Unarmed Build - Part 6: Goats and Deadric Shrines

JOURNAL ENTRY 6

 
The man obsessed with the abandoned house continues to harass Markarth's citizenry and its gotten so bad that Raan agrees to inspect the lodgings with him in the hope that it'll get him off the street. For a place that was supposedly vacant, it turns out to be well lived in, complete with food and furnishings. There is also a shrine dedicated to the Deadric lord Molag Bal hidden within. Fitting, as the man we're assisting turns out to be a Vigilant of Stendarr, an order dedicated to combating vampires, werewolves, and Daedric influence. He isn't very good at his job though, succumbing to the daedra's demands with a little persuasion. Our kitty gets on Bal's good side, however, by gifting him the home's former occupant - a priest of Boethiah that had desecrated the shrine. In return, Bal lets us go.
 

As terrifying as the run-in with the "Lord of Domination" was, it gets Raan thinking about how nice it would be to have a place to call his own. All the trophies collected over the journey so for have started to weigh heavy. However, no one can buy property in Markarth without being friends with the Jarl. Luckily, hes in need of a sellsword. In preparation I fight Cosnach at the tavern, then see the blacksmith for an armor upgrade, trading in the steel set for an enchanted Orcish one. Raan's gauntlets and ring now do 8 points of unarmed damage each instead of 1.

Checklist:

• Mikael (Whiterun)  
• Uthgerd the Unbroken (Whiterun) 
• Rolff Stone-Fist (Windhelm)
• Cosnach (Markarth)
• Chief Burguk (Dushnikh Yal Stronghold)
• Chief Larak (Mor Khazgur Stronghold)
• Chief Mauhulakh (Narzulbur Stronghold)
• Chief Yamarz (Largashbur Stronghold)
• Benor (Morthal)
• Borkul the Beast (Markarth)
• Dryston (Markarth)
• Hofgrir Horse-Crusher (Riften) 
  

While running errands for the Jarl, Raan passes by a non-hostile Forsworn camp in the wilds, run by our old pal Madanach. I stop in to say hi before moving on to a different Forsworn camp - one that stole the Jarl's family shield. Every scantily clad Nord and Breton inhabiting the fort goes down in one or two hits. It's a blood bath.

As easy as the human enemies are, there are two frost trolls near the top that practically one-shot me. I have to admit defeat here; I'm just not ready to take on trolls yet. I grab the shield and run back to the Jarl, who not only grants the right to purchase property, but also bestows the title of Thane upon Do'raan for assisting the hold's people. Is that what bar brawls and prison breaks are considered?

It's about time we moved on, heading in the direction of Rorikstead - the place the priestess mentioned. Along the way Raan makes a slight detour to the orcish strongholds of Mor Khazgur and Dushnikh Yal, where he gets some training in One-Handed weaponry and battles the chiefs, Burguk and Larak.

• Mikael (Whiterun)  
• Uthgerd the Unbroken (Whiterun) 
• Rolff Stone-Fist (Windhelm)
• Cosnach (Markarth)
• Chief Burguk (Dushnikh Yal Stronghold)
• Chief Larak (Mor Khazgur Stronghold)
• Chief Mauhulakh (Narzulbur Stronghold)
• Chief Yamarz (Largashbur Stronghold)
• Benor (Morthal)
• Borkul the Beast (Markarth)
• Dryston (Markarth)
• Hofgrir Horse-Crusher (Riften)  

The trip to Rorikstead is a relatively quiet one. I run into M'aiq again, encounter an Argonian Skoom dealer, kill a hunter that admits to poaching, and as Rorikstead comes into view, get assaulted by a cave bear, a wolf pack, and 2 saber-cats. Rorikstead is a small settlement consisting of an inn, the Jarl's cottage and two farm houses. The Jarl says he acquired the land at a good price because it wasn't suitable for anything, but with the god's blessing their farmers have managed to grow crops. Sounds suspicious. He must be hiding something.

At one of the two farms, Raan is confronted by Ennis, the guy he stole a goat from... apparently. I agree to get his goat back but have to fight a giant to do it. Strangely, the giant is easier than the trolls. I get a few hits in, then back away to heal. Eventually the giant falls and Ennis, reunited with his beloved goat, says I left a mead covered note behind. What little is legible mentions a Ysolda in Whiterun.

Previous Entry - Part 5: Trouble in the City of Stone

Next Entry - Part 7: Sinister Places, Sinister People

Start at the Beginning

Skyrim Unarmed Build - Part 5: Trouble in the City of Stone

JOURNAL ENTRY 5

 
The College of Winterhold is Skyrim's only school for mages. It sits precariously atop a cliff; the bridge connecting the school to the town having crumbled away with half of the buildings in a recent catastrophe. D'raan stops in for a peek, not that he has any talent in the arcane arts. Luckily you do not need to possess any to walk in the front door, and while poking around the premises, several students remark on how pallor Raan is looking. Apparently all those fights with vampires has left its mark, because Raan has been infected with Sanguinare Vampiris. If not cured within 3 days our kitty will become a full fledged blood-sucking creature of the night. Becoming a vampire would be problematic for this build because vampires need regular blood feedings and are weakened during the day. It is not the easiest affliction to rid oneself of either, requiring black soul gems, human sacrifice, and dark rituals.

Rifling through the potion bottles in the guild hall yields no options for curing disease. The guild doesn't seem to have a shop and most of the staff are unwilling to offer their services to non-members. So out of desperation I steal whatever ingredients are lying around and try to have Raan concoct his own cure. That goes about as well as you would expect from a cat with no alchemy skills. While I'm here, I filch whatever soul gems are left lying around to enchant random gear. Raan's "Enchanter" perk is now at 3/5. He turns in for the night at the Frozen Hearth inn, but not before joining a mage named Sam in a drinking contest.

The Skooma-loving cat wins the contest but blacks out before collecting his prize - a staff (not that he could use it), and awakens sometime later in a temple of Dibella. The temple priestess is none too happy about Raan drunkenly trashing the temple, or his ranting about goats and marriage. After cleaning up the mess, she mentions something vague about the settlement of Rorikstead, suggesting I look there for answers. Fortunately, the goddess Dibella doesn't hold any grudges and cures Do'raan of his Sanguinare Vampiris. Stepping outside of the temple reveals the mountainous city of Markarth; a remarkably beautiful place known for its silver mines and waterfalls.
 

Wandering the streets proves bothersome because of a single man obsessed with an abandoned house.  He won't stop hassling people, bombarding them with questions about the vacant property and things only get worse in the marketplace where a woman is knifed by some guyshouting about Forsworn (a rebel group). The guards assure everyone that this isn't the work of the Forsworn and then return to their patrols, leaving the woman's lifeless corpse in the crowded street. A bystander slips Raan a note, asking him to come to the defunct temple of Talos. Intrigued, the curious kitty does as the note asks and meets with Eltrys - the Breton stranger that handed him the note.

Eltrys is convinced there is a conspiracy in Markarth, claiming events like the one at the marketplace occur often but go unpunished. His father was also murdered under peculiar circumstances and he has been searching for someone (like a certain burly cat) to find out why; offering paid work to anyone willing to investigate the Silver-Bloods (mine owners) and Forsworn rebels. Never one to turn away dangerous work, Raan accepts the job, and while looking into the marketplace incident it becomes apparent the Markarth guards are corrupt, paid off by Thonar Silver-Blood to ignore or cover up murders committed by his agents - among them Forsworn rebels. At one point Raan has to go hand-to-hand with Dryston, a mercenary sent by Nepos, an agent of the Forsworn leader Madanach.

Checklist:

• Mikael (Whiterun)  
• Uthgerd the Unbroken (Whiterun) 
• Rolff Stone-Fist (Windhelm)
• Cosnach (Markarth)
• Chief Burguk (Dushnikh Yal Stronghold)
• Chief Larak (Mor Khazgur Stronghold)
• Chief Mauhulakh (Narzulbur Stronghold)
• Chief Yamarz (Largashbur Stronghold)
• Benor (Morthal)
• Borkul the Beast (Markarth)
• Dryston (Markarth)
• Hofgrir Horse-Crusher (Riften)  

Upon returning to the temple to report in, I find Eltrys dead - slain by the Markarth guards. They frame Raan for the recent murders and sentence him to a life of hard labor in the Cidhna Mine. Raan is more than capable of fighting off the gaggle of guards confronting him, but Cidhna Mine is where the Forsworn leader is imprisoned. He will have answers, so I go quietly. I brawl Madanach's bodyguard Borkul the Beast for an audience with the "King in Rags", and learn Madanach got his orders from Thonar. He then passed Thonar's orders on to Nepos. However, Madanach is done being a pawn and initiates a jail break.

• Mikael (Whiterun)  
• Uthgerd the Unbroken (Whiterun) 
• Rolff Stone-Fist (Windhelm)
• Cosnach (Markarth)
• Chief Burguk (Dushnikh Yal Stronghold)
• Chief Larak (Mor Khazgur Stronghold)
• Chief Mauhulakh (Narzulbur Stronghold)
• Chief Yamarz (Largashbur Stronghold)
• Benor (Morthal)
• Borkul the Beast (Markarth)
• Dryston (Markarth)
• Hofgrir Horse-Crusher (Riften)

The group escapes through a dwemer tunnel they must have burrowed into at some point. Thonar had apparently anticipated the breakout and confronts the group as they exit their tunnel. The Forsworn mercilessly cut Thonar and his guards down, then battle their way through the city streets, leaving a trail of bodies behind them.
 

Somehow this clears Do'raan of all his crimes and the Jarl apologizes for the wrongful imprisonment.

Previous Entry - Part 4: The Curiosities of Windhelm

Next Entry - Part 6: Goats and Deadric Shrines 

Start at the Beginning

Skyrim Unarmed Build - Part 4: The Curiosities of Windhelm

JOURNAL ENTRY 4

 
Inside Windhelm's walls, I pass by two racist Nords hassling a Dunmer woman on my to the Candlehearth Hall. Inside the tavern I hear about some orphan kid trying to summon assassins and a string of murders committed recently by someone they're calling "The Butcher". What a cheery place!

 

The tavern's server, Susanna recommends I ditch Candlehearth Hall for the New Gnisis Cornerclub in the slums. I decide to take her advice and on my way out the door I bump into the racist Nord from earlier. He picks a fight with Do'raan, but unlike the Dunmer lady, this kitty doesn't shy away from a brawl.

Checklist:

• Mikael (Whiterun)  
• Uthgerd the Unbroken (Whiterun) 
• Rolff Stone-Fist (Windhelm)
• Cosnach (Markarth)
• Chief Burguk (Dushnikh Yal Stronghold)
• Chief Larak (Mor Khazgur Stronghold)
• Chief Mauhulakh (Narzulbur Stronghold)
• Chief Yamarz (Largashbur Stronghold)
• Benor (Morthal)
• Borkul the Beast (Markarth)
• Dryston (Markarth)
• Hofgrir Horse-Crusher (Riften) 

Windhelm turns out to be a very unsettling place. The Dunmer are stuck living in the slums and the Argonians aren't allowed within the city. I'm honestly surprised they let me in! A merchant called Niranye assures me that they do eventually warm up to anyone who proves themselves useful. Good to know. As I'm doing a few menial tasks I stumble upon a dead body. Oh no, "The Butcher" has struck again!

The murdered girl turns out to be Susanna from the Candlehearth Hall. Raan, being the curious kitty that he is, does some investigating and it turns out Calixto Corrium, a guy running a curiosities museum was the killer. He was trying to resurrect his dead sister using pieces of the murdered women and Ayleid necromancy.
 

Time to hit the road again. Orcs and vampires are the only trouble I encounter this time. Just off the main road I discover Nightgate Inn. This place is really isolated and the only patron inside complains bitterly about the bed and drink. I make small talk with the inn keeper, who informs me the place is sustained by the rent from a single tenant. Depressing, but at least he's managing to keep the place afloat.

From here it is a mostly uneventful jaunt to Winterhold. Winterhold was destroyed by a fairly recent cataclysmic event that drove most of the town's people away. The few that remain here are the jarl, the inn and a single shop. The main draw (and ire) of this hold is the Mages Collage.


Previous Entry - Part 3: A Cat in the Ratway

Next Entry - Part 5: Trouble in the City of Stone

Start at the Beginning

Skyrim Unarmed Build - Part 3: A Cat in the Ratway

JOURNAL ENTRY 3

Two guys attack me at the Ratway entrance and they're tougher than the bandits I fought earlier. I deal with them before making my way further into the sewers. As I approach a door it suddenly swings open and a man named Gian lunges out. Our scuffle is short lived as Do'raan slams the poor homeless man to the ground.

I take the only item of value from his corpse - "Gloves of the Pugilist" and have them disenchanted at the Riften court wizard's enchanting table. I then apply the unique "Fortify Unarmed" enchantment to my gauntlets and a ring. My enchanting skill is still very low so I only get a +1 to unarmed on each item. From here, I just need to improve my skills. Perhaps I'll travel from hold to hold and see where that takes me.

I do a little snooping around the docks where an Argonian skooma addict asks for a healing potion to clear her addiction. I give her one but she won't tell me where the sellers are. This is something I'll have to come back to when Do'raan is either more persuasive or intimidating.

Shor's Stone is a short walk from Riften, so I plan to go there next and then to Windhelm from there. As I pass through Fort Greenwall, I'm hassled by several bandits and a few khajiit caravanners. Do'raan kills the bandits but flees to Shor's Stone to avoid fighting the khajiit. I help the blacksmith at Shor's Stone clear his mine of spiders then continue on my way.

I loose my way as night falls. Fortunately I bump into the same khajiit caravanners that attacked me earlier. However, they're friendly now and let me follow alongside them for bit. Together we battle roadside nuisances - wolves, spiders and vampires.

I decide to leave the group when they pass by the Braidwood Inn. The inn is very lonesome compared to the others I have visited. It's only patrons seeming to be the workers from the nearby malachite mine. Do'raan does a little mining there himself before setting off for Windhelm.