Preparation For Fellglow

Vargas makes his way back to the College of Winterhold. In the quarters of the Archmage, Vargas informs Savos Aren of the giant magical orb Tolfdir is guarding inside Saarthal. Savos is immediately impressed with Vargas and asks him to do some research about the orb while he helps Tolfdir get it to the college.

Vargas heads to the Arcaneum to look for books referencing the orb. Urag gro-Shub tells Vargas that an ex-student of the college ran off with some books recently. He remembers one of those books containing information about giant magical orbs. Orthorn, the ex-student, ran off to Fellglow Keep to join up with some rogue wizards.

Vargas gets a little rest in is dorm room before departing for Whiterun.

After the long wagon ride to Whiterun, Vargas meets with Farengar to discuss the events at the college. (There is no wagon to hire from Winterhold to Whiterun, but that sounds better than saying, "Vargas Fast Traveled to Whiterun." You can probably expect more of that. Also, I disenchanted some items near Farengar in Dragonsreach. This caused me to gain level 8; hence the mention of Farengar. For my level 8 perk I chose Animage from the Illusion skill tree.)

The next day, Vargas departs for the mountains to the west of Whiterun to find Fellglow Keep.

The Orb and the Gauldurson

Vargas begins to recognize that this excursion into an ancient Nordic tomb is going to turn out like his first. Warning Tolfdir of the dangers ahead, Vargas slips into the shadows and begins trekking deeper into Saarthal.

Kamehame.....

Vargas encounters several draugr the further he goes down into the tomb. However this time he is much more well prepared to deal with them. Using his stealth he lays down lightning traps and draws the draugr to them. For those draugr that he cannot trap, he unleashes his lightning directly.

Ha!
Dead Draugr Wight = Level 7

(This is the first opportunity I have had to use the Rune spells. I must say that while they are very magic intensive, it is fun to place them and pull enemies into them. I can see this as being a great tactic once I can get the Quiet Casting perk from the Illusion skill tree. For my level 7 perk I chose Illusion Dual Casting. This is so I can dual cat my Illusion spells on higher level enemies later. I also felt like my Destruction skill tree was getting too much attention lately.)

Vargas awaits Tolfdir when he enters the antechamber of Saarthal. There is a powerful magical orb floating in the center of the room guarded by Jyrik Gauldurson, an undead mage. This draugr is much more difficult to defeat; he is drawing power from the orb. Toldir concentrates on breaking the link between them, while Vargas releases is full magical might.

Jyrik Gauldurson and the Orb

After the battle, Tolfdir asks Vargas to immediately inform the Archmage about the events here. On his way out Vargas finds a second wall covered in ancient runes. Just like the first, he absorbs some understanding of the dragon tongue from it.

Saarthal

Vargas leaves immediately toward the excavation site at Saarthal. Bundled up against the harsh blizzard-like conditions, he is able to make is way there without any incident. Vargas is the first student to arrive, having taken a shortcut through the mountain pass. He uses this time to work on his muffling spell.

(I aquired the Muffle spell back in Whiterun, but haven't had a chance to use it yet. Everytime I cast it, my Illusion skill raises by 1 even with no one else around. I don't want Vargas to level too quickly, so I have decided to limit my use of the spell for the times when I am in need of silence. So no casting just to level up.)

Tolfdir opens the door to Saarthal and leads the students inside once everyone arrives. The architecture is very similar to that of Bleak Falls Barrow. Tolfdir leads the students down to where the excavation is taking place. Vargas is asked to look for magical artifacts by Arniel Gane, the mage leading the excavation of Saarthal for the college.

Vargas discovers a secret passage while at the excavation site. Tolfdir and Vargas are attacked by draugr as they make their way further into Saarthal.  After the attack, Vargas is given a dire warning of disaster in the future by a ghostly apparition claiming to be part of the Psijic Order.

College Admission

Vargas decides to seek out the College of Winterhold that Farengar spoke of. Vargas leaves Whiterun aboard a hired wagon and says goodbye to all the Dragonborn nonsense he his hearing. The journey to Winterhold is long but uneventful.

Winterhold

Vargas is unimpressed with the town of Winterhold. He thought that such a place to house a college of magic would be more grand. He quickly learns from the residents of Winterhold that they tolerate but do not condone magic. Vargas makes his way toward the college.

He is stopped at the college bridge by Faralda, an Altmer mage. She informs him that only those displaying a certain prowess in magic is allowed admittance to the college. Vargas easily passes her test and she leads him across the bridge.

Tolfdir's Lecture

Inside the college, Vargas is taken to a lecture where other new arrivals have gathered. An elderly wizard named Tolfdir is speaking about being safe when experimenting with magic. Tolfdir teaches Vargas the importance of defensive wards, especially when confronted with hostile magic.

After the lesson, Tolfdir asks everyone to meet him at an excavation site. The college is currently looking for magical artifacts in the ancient Nordic ruin of Saarthal located near Winterhold.

What To Do Next?

So far I have followed the main quest in order to unlock the appearance of dragons. Normally with my other character, I stick around Whiterun and build up cash to buy Breezehome. I am trying to play Vargas differently that my other characters, so I won't be doing that. I will also leave Lydia here in Whiterun, because Vargas tends to enjoy being alone when adventuring.

Now, I have a choice to make. What does Vargas do next?

Here are my choices:

• I can continue the main quest and head to High Hrothgar and visit the Greybeards. (I dread this long walk.)
• I can go to Windhelm and start the Dark Brotherhood or Stormcloak Civil War questlines. (I have never done either of these before, so they are both promising.)
• I can go to Riften and start the Thieve's Guild questline. (This questline is one that I have completed before, but it was long ago with a thief character.)
• I can go to Winterhold and start the College questline. (This is probably the best option, since Vargas needs to work more on his magic skills. So far Illusion is lagging behind Sneak and Destruction. I've started this one before, but never went very far into it.)
• I can go to any of the other holds and do various quests there.

I think the College of Winterhold would be the best fit for Vargas at this time in his career. Nightblade's need to be able to harness powerful magic. I can better train my Illusion magic since there is a trainer here. I will need to join to College at some point to get the Invisibility spell.

For now, I will start the College questline, but I intend to run through the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieve's Guild questlines later on.

The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages has been invaluable to me so far. I use it to make sure I spell names correctly since I don't keep accurate notes when I play. I also go to that site for hints and tips on playing.

Dragonborn

Back in Whiterun, Vargas reports to Jarl Balgruuf about the demise of the dragon. The Jarl and his brother believe Vargas to be Dragonborn after hearing about how he absorbed power from the fallen dragon.

The Jarl also explains to Vargas that the shout he heard on the way back to Whiterun was from the Greybeards. They are summoning the Dragonborn to High Hrothgar. Jarl Balgruuf bestows upon Vargas the title of Thane of Whiterun for his efforts saving the city.

Excerpt from The Nightblade Chronicles 

Dragonborn or not, I had drawn too much attention to myself in Whiterun. I needed to get away from there before people started asking questions about where I had come from.

Level 6

(After the meeting with the Jarl, I did some disenchanting and gained level 6. For this level, I chose Apprentice Destruction perk since that is the skill that I have been using the most. I need to work more on my Illusion skill, but so far the opportunity hasn't presented itself that much with the undead and dragons I have been fighting. In my next post, I am going to decide what Vargas will do next.)

Dragon Falling

Irileth and the guards arrive as the dragon swoops down on the watchtower. Smoke obscures Vargas's sight as the dragon breathes fire all around. Making his way down the tower, Vargas hears the dying screams of on of the guardsmen. He sees the dragon throw a limp body across the battlefield before it takes flight again.

Dragon Falling

Vargas gets on top of some rubble and lets loose a lightning bolt into the dragon. This causes the dragon's attention to turn to Vargas. A spout of flame churns forth from the dragon's mouth as Vargas leaps off the rubble. Irileth distracts the dragon long enough for Vargas to get out of its sight. As the dragon closes on Irileth, Vargas moves in from the side and lets loose his full reserve of magic into the beast's heart.

Absorbing A Dragon Soul

The dragon topples over and the guards all shout in victory. The dragon's body combusts into flame and Vargas can feel a surge of power storm through his body. After the a few moments the flames die down and Vargas roars into the sky uncontrollably. Irileth and the guards are shaken. Vargas quickly heads back to Whiterun as the guards look at him nervously.

Excerpt from The Nightblade Chronicles 

The more I shouted in the dragon tongue, the more I began to control this internal power. I did not embrace this power in the beginning because it felt unnatural.

Dragon Rising

Vargas, Irileth, and Farengar make their way upstairs to meet the Jarl in the war room. One of the guards from the Western Watchtower, reports that a dragon is attacking. The Jarl wants Whiterun to meet this threat head on with the full force of the Whiterun guardsmen. After ordering Irileth to gather the guards, Jarl Balgruuf ask Vargas to help with this threat. Vargas is the only one around that has seen a dragon and lived to tell about it.

Pep Talk

Vargas agrees to help and meets Irileth near Whiterun's city gate. Irileth gives the guards a speech about honor and valor to boost their morale. Vargas explains to the men what they are up against and the best strategy for bringing down the dragon. (Shoot it full of arrows and stay away from the fire and teeth!)

Dragon

As the guards make their way toward the Western Watchtower, Vargas moves on ahead to scout out the area. The watchtower is in flames and only one of the guards stationed there is still alive. The dragon is nowhere to be seen, so Vargas make his way to the top of the tower. Looking down on the destruction, Vargas hears the roar of the dragon as it swoops in from the sky.

 Excerpt from The Nightblade Chronicles 

During the dragon attack at the Western Watchtower of Whiterun, we were better prepared to face the threat. My previous experience and the courage the men showed gave us all the confidence in the world.

Words of Power

Glowing Runes - I Should Check This Out

After defeating the draugr overlord and finding the Dragonstone, Vargas is drawn to a wall with ancient inscriptions covering it.  As he approaches the wall, runes begin to glow. Vargas is strangely drawn to the runes and reaches out with his hand.

He feels a jolt of power course through him when he touches the runes. The runes stop glowing after this power transfer. Vargas is unsure what just happened, but he seems to be fine.

Important Meeting

Vargas makes his way back out of Bleak Falls Barrow. He needs to get the Dragonstone back to Farengar in Whiterun.

Back in Whiterun, Vargas interrupts Farengar and a stranger talking about his dragon research. After handing over the Dragonstone, Irileth bursts into the room with news that a dragon has been spotted near Whiterun.

The Jarl needs to see Vargas and Farengar immediately.

Excerpt from The Nightblade Chronicles 

Word walls are scattered about Skyrim. The inscriptions are written in the dragon tongue. You can call it destiny, fate, or perhaps coincidence, but with each wall found, I was able to increase my knowledge and power. 

The Shocking Dead

Dead Draugr = Level 4

As Vargas descends deeper into Bleak Falls Barrow, he gets and uneasy feeling. The bodies of the ancient Nords begin to awaken and target the only living soul around. Vargas brings down several draugr with his lightning spell.

At one point, he is surrounded by draugr and quaffing magic replenishing potions to keep his spells going.

Dead Draugr = Level 5

(Since Illusion spells don't work against undead, I was running around shocking everything at this point. My destruction skill went up considerably while fighting the draugr. For my level 4 perk I chose Novice Destruction. For level 5 I went with Destruction Dual Casting.)

Continuing through the crypt, Vargas comes across an interesting door. Flipping through Arvel's journal, Vargas figures that the golden claw must be used to open the inner sanctum of Bleak Falls Barrow. Turning the dials to match the inscriptions on the golden claw, Vargas is able to open the door.

Electrocution, Vargas-Style

Vargas is sure the Dragonstone is located at the heart of Bleak Falls Barrow.  He continues into the inner sanctum and is greeted by a draugr overlord.

Much like his minions, the overlord is breathes it last breath...again. Vargas finds the Dragonstone nearby.

Excerpt from The Nightblade Chronicles 

Some may like fire spells, others like ice spells. Lightning spells, add a greater element of fear in my opinion.

To Roleplay Or Not

I have been toying with the idea of roleplaying Vargas during my play through.  I have done so somewhat. I made sure to buy him a meal for lunch and dinner on his first day in Skyrim. But how far do I take the roleplaying?

I have read several posts from forums and blogs about the subject of roleplaying in Skyrim. Some suggest that you limit the amount of gear you can carry to something more realistic.

• Don't use armor pulled off of dead enemies.  (Vargas doesn't wear armor anyways.)
• Limit the number of items you can carry.  IE 5 potions, 5 scrolls.  (That seems like a headache to keep track of)
• Eat and sleep with your character.  (I can do that, but there is nothing in the game forcing me to do it.)
• Use the wait function when you create potions, smith weapons, or enchant items.  (Easy to do, but who wants to spend the game waiting?)
• Don't use the fast travel option.  (I have tried this before.  It gets boring running around everywhere.  Eventually, I end up using the fast travel.)

I have tried roleplaying characters before in Skyrim.  It seemed to me that the more rules I put on roleplaying the less time I spent actually playing the game and doing quests.  I also lost interest after a few levels.  It's not that I think roleplaying is bad.  (I'm an old school D&D roleplayer.)  I just have a hard time incorporating it into a video game.

I have decided that some roleplay is easy to do.  Vargas will eat and sleep.  And Vargas will never wear any armor from dead people. Vargas will never wear any armor at all.  I think that and keeping up with this blog is probably roleplay enough for me.

Why Did It Have To Be Spiders?

Vargas Approaches His Next Victim

Vargas continues up the mountain toward Bleak Falls Barrow outwitting several bandits in the process.  At the top of the snow capped summit, the Nordic tomb menacingly beckons to Vargas.

Inside the tomb, Vargas finds more bandits camped.  Using his magic, he is able to get the bandits fighting each other. Vargas creeps up on the survivor of the battle and drives his daggers deep into his back.

Dead Bandit = Level 3

(With this level, I chose to pick the Novice Illusion perk. This should help with my magic consumption. I had run out of magic outside Bleak Falls Barrow fighting the three bandits there. Sorry there are no screenshots, but one of them shot the other in the face with an arrow. Frenzy spells are fun.)

Now That's A Big Spider

Vargas works his way through the ancient crypt looking for the Dragonstone. Ahead of him he hears the cries of someone that needs help.

Rounding the corner, Vargas sees a bandit stuck in some webs. A giant spider descends from the ceiling staring menacingly at Vargas. Vargas quickly dispatches the spider with lightning.

After the battle with the giant spider, Vargas cuts Arvel the Swift out of the webs. Arvel proceeds to flee through the crypt. Vargas brings him down quickly with lightning as well. Vargas finds a golden dragon claw in Arvel's bag.

Excerpt from The Nightblade Chronicles 

Treachery and deceit are rampant among the people I have met. As soon as you turn around, someone tries to stab you in the back.

Riverwood & Whiterun

Vargas leaves Riverwood and heads to Whiterun, the largest city in Whiterun hold.

Important Meeting

During the short trip to Whiterun, Vargas gathers some of the local flora to test for alchemical properties.  After persuading the guards at the gate that he saw a dragon attack Helgen, they take him to see Jarl Balgruuf.

Leaving out the fact that he was a prisoner of the Imperial Legion, Vargas tells of the destruction of Helgen and his narrow escape through the dungeons. The Jarl is impressed and gives Vargas a mission to enter Bleak Falls Barrow to acquire a Dragonstone for his court mage.  Bleak Falls Barrow is and ancient Nord crypt in the mountains above Riverwood.

Vargas makes his way back to Riverwood and begins his ascent up the mountain.

Excerpt from The Nightblade Chronicles 

I was right to go to Skyrim.  The civil war and the appearance of the dragons had everyone confused.The Jarl of Whiterun actually thought I was some kind of hero.  I did his tasks just to get on his good side.

Dead Wolf = Level Up

(So during the trip to Bleak Falls Barrow, I gained enough skill to get a level up.  When I level I will raise my magic every even level and my health every odd level.  Stamina will be raised every 5th level.  I don't know what kind of ratio that is, but it will be easy to remember. I chose the first perk in the Sneak skill tree for this level.  I will probably following this tree far enough to get Assassin's Blade.)

Redguard & Dragon

Vargas, Redguard from Cyrodiil

So I decided to go with a Redguard for my nightblade.  The reasoning for this was I have never played as a Redguard before.  Redguard's don't really have any bonuses to the skills that I will be using.  I will have to work harder to raise my nightblade skills.

Vargas awoke as a prisoner of the Imperial Legion.  The Legion captured the leader of the Stormcloak rebellion and they were on the way to the executioner block.  During the execution, a dragon swoops in and starts attacking the town of Helgen.

Dragon Attack

While the Imperial Legion were fighting off the dragon, Vargas escapes through the keep with the help of Ralof.  Ralof is one of the Stormcloak rebels.  During the escape, Vargas lets Ralof do most of the dirty work.

Finally, escaping Helgen through the dungeons below, Vargas makes his way to Riverwood.  He parts company with Ralof there and begins his journey through Skyrim.

Excerpt from The Nightblade Chronicles 

As I think back to the beginning, I find myself amazed at the fortunate events surrounding my escape.  Not only did the Imperials not know who I was or what I had done in Cyrodiil.  A dragon, of all things, saves my head on the executioners block.

The Nightblade

What is a nightblade?  

It has been a character class since The Elder Scrolls: Arena was released.  One of my favorite classes, the nightblade melds stealth, magic, and precision together to overcome obstacles and defeat foes.  So what does a nightblade look like in Skyrim, since they did away with character classes altogether?  If you do a search on nightblade builds, you will see that everyone has a different idea.  My nightblade build will consist of others ideas as well as my own.

Instead of writing out a complete build, I will just give you the general concept.  The nightblade will use the shadows to avoid detection from his enemies.  While undetected, the nightblade will strike out with his magic or dagger with precise intelligent attacks.  If anybody remains standing, the nightblade will slip back into the shadows and prepare to strike again.

So, I'm looking at a few skills to work on.  Illusion, sneak, and destruction will be the major skills that I will use.  The nightblade's minor skills will be one handed, alteration, restoration, and enchanting.  There will probably be some minor dips into lockpicking and pickpocket as well.

I debated with myself for quite a while about using light armor or not.  I am going to play the nightblade without armor for the sole fact that I haven't played a character without armor before.  Also, if I my play style is to try not to be detected or get hit, what good is armor anyway.  If the nightblade gets into trouble, alteration and restoration can both be used.

In my next post, I will actually begin playing the nightblade in vanilla Skyrim.  As for the race of my character, that will be decided shortly.  I am on the fence between Redguard and Imperial.

Introduction

The purpose of this blog is purely personal.  Every time I play Skyrim (or any game really), I eventually get bored with my current character or playstyle.  I will then proceed to start the game over again.  A friend recently described this to me as "Alt-itis."

Nightblade Chronicles will be my attempt at a remedy.