Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I can't cope with Blackreach because there's no map. :-(

(But what I do love about it is that I first heard about it irl weeks ago, when this guy told me a friend of a friend had found this huge underground city that covered a third of the map or something. And it sounded like a totally made up internet rumour or whatever. So then actually finding it much later was "OMG THE LEGENDS ARE TRUE" and that was really fun).

I kept O_O-ing when I'd find another elevator and pop up many miles away from where I started

Even though it's a dungeon, in-game it's considered to be outdoors. This can be troublesome for some vampire players.

there was a moment (when i came out of a building maybe?) when it was snowing and everything was much brighter. lol bethesda

I can't cope with Blackreach because there's no map. :-(

!¡!Spoilers!¡!

A map of Blackreach:

http://www.arxfiles.com/skyrim/guide/backreach-exterior.jpg

A) Exit to Mzinchaleft Gatehouse
B) Elevator to Alftand Cathedral
C) Exit to Blackreach Elevator (Raldbthar)
D) Exit to Blackreach Elevator (Alftand)
E) Elevator to Raldbthar Deep Market
F) Exit to Mzinchaleft Exterior

why wouldn't sinderion just have a nice garden with two rows of fifteen

Several hours of this, followed by a meticulous cleaning of the area.

Granted, they're shambling zombies, but I found the Dragon Priest abodes to be pretty filthy.

I'm trying to clear out all the miscellaneous quests I can and, in some crypt looking for some fine salt, I decided to let Lydia, the demon dog and a frost atronach fight the big bad dude as I just wandered around opening urns and chests. It was nice and relaxing.

Key to that blackreach map, including a spoiler right at the end for something i know i'd never have figured out for myself:
http://www.arxfiles.com/skyrim/guide/4874.htm

So it turns out that you can craft spell tomes? Huh!

Played this for an hour last night, and p. much failed to get into it, but I think it was my fault for trying to watch Brian Cox at the same time.

so, kill paarthurnax y/n?

Spoilers: I've heard (but have halted 2 characters at this exact point of main quest) that Paathurnax will give the remaining dragon word locations if you let him live. Plus, I like the guy.

yeah i let him live. f the douche blades.

yeah that's what i'm leaning towards. he seems like a bro. christopher plummer and diane lane aren't really doing it for me.

http://www.charlesmartinet.com/color2.jpg > http://www.nndb.com/people/316/000023247/plummer-port.jpg + http://www.nndb.com/people/049/000025971/diane-lane.jpg?

Except for the fact that Arngeir/Plummer would prefer that you leave Paarthurnax/Charles Martinet to contemplate the voice in peace. The real turnabout is for the Blades scholar Esbern/Max Von Sydow.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_exAVWrUdZVc/TVCUf2O8AEI/AAAAAAAAACw/jtcs8bTtMt8/s1600/theseventhseal011.jpg

I may have to kill Paarthunax after a save just to see if Sydow has any more dialogue.

oh shit i got plummer and von sydow confused!

i meant the characters and not nec. the performers in my assessment. all the mystical royalism in these games seriously skeeves me out so i select against it if i have the choice.

lol i have used that phrase itt already

what is mystical royalism?

a snootier form of magic realism?

the ruling clique really is a god-descended & ordained bloodline destined to rule, only they can restore and defend the land, and their absence from the throne is the source of all the bad things happening.

this is what all the old royalists claimed about themselves but in games like this it's just basically true.

blades = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobitism

AFAIK, Tiber Septim/Talos is unique amongst the Nordic Nine in not divinely intervening in some sidequest. The only indication of his divine favor is that his shrine still works to cure disease and offer a blessing. Moreover, its his decision to use the Elder Scroll to cast Alduin forward in time that is ultimately responsible for the current dragon predicament.

So there's a case to be made that the Elves version of Talos as a false god is correct.

idk as fantasy bs goes i still much preferred dragon age, which had some metaphysical business going on (to explain the existence of magic basically) but left all the religious questions attached to that unprovable and therefore political.

in skyrim even the thieves guild questline (SPOILER) ends up revolving around some dumb god. you're thieves! you work for money! no gods no masters live for today! come on.

but then most of the gods are also super vicious... this game has a bizarre mix of total cynicism and wide-eyed wonder, i don't really get it tbh

Probably confusing 8/9 Aedra (temples & shrines, but removed from creation) with the Daedra, all of whom associated with quests.

yeah i get that there is supposed to be a distinction. my point is the world isn't religious so much as mythical. you can't really doubt these deities are real.

Manifestly real deities are surely the norm in fantasy?

probably. it creeps me out tho!

There's something strangely bathetic about the ones who manifest as regular dudes.

As what if? hypotheticals, it pleases me that most fantasy worlds are pretty miserable/perilous places. One simply doesn't want gods/demigods taking up residence nearby.

http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/mapstalgia/16293829297/1/tumblr_lxobzbW6hf1rn1cvh

From Video Game Maps Drawn from Memory

http://christwire.org/wp-content/uploads/Untitled-130.jpg
From Is Skyrim Teaching Your Children How to Perform “Rim Jobs” and Other Homo Erotic Sex Maneuvers?

goole succeeding in making this game sound even worse

heh

"linen wrap x28" lol

not sure how long they've been available, but looks like quite recent. the first two Elder Scrolls games now available free for download

http://www.xtcabandonware.com/index.php?id=1611

I downloaded Arena, but it says it's not compatible with 64-bit Windows. How do I get around that?

haven't tried it yet myself, but sounds like you need to run it through good old confusing Dosbox!

yeah just got it working through dosbox.

every used that before?
download here:
http://www.dosbox.com/download.php?main=1

Manual is included

I downloaded Arena, but it says it's not compatible with 64-bit Windows. How do I get around that?

what's arena? (I'm on iPhone and can't be bothered to google)

The first elder scrolls game

jesus, just going through the character generation screen and hard to believe someone has managed to create text fonts within a 4x4 pixel square!

I spent many a happy hour playing Arena back in the day, but I don't think it would bear repeating.

Listen out for the original, archetypal door sound!

yeah, its very slooow to move around and explore.

welp, i beat this finally. alduin was kind of nbd, but my character's final state was a little bit insane-o

after that, i whipped thru the civil war for the imperial side. i believe i had 'extra' stuff to do, since i negotiated the truce during the main questline. or maybe that just changes how the general talks about it? idk.

the civil war quests have quite a few massed-enemy-in-a-fort missions which are a lot of fun. lack of quest variety is one of the faults of this game.

god help me i've started a second character, to try things out differently.

what level did you max out with?

low 60 something

I completed the Sovngarde quest, while overburdened with dragon bones and scales and ebony greatswords and battleaxes and warhammers looted from Skuldafn that i was loath to part with. Didn't realise that for all that time I could have had the 'armour weighs nothing' perk which probably would have meant I could carry everything :/ . When I finished and was deposited back at the throat of the world, and realised I couldn't fast travel, I nearly ate my own foot in frustration. Climbed down the side of the mountain, and when I entered High Hrothgar Lydia came running in through the other door. I've nearly been so happy to see anyone in my life. *cough* videogaming life that is.

Got the 100k gold achievement after I'd sold everything. Now I've finally thrown my lot in with the stormcloaks.

I've nearly never been so happy to see anyone in my life

Unusual details in skyrim wiki articles:

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Breezehome
Also of interest is an over-sized loaf of bread that can be found in a basket on the kitchen shelves. Being several times bigger than an average loaf, it may be of interest to collectors.

hoarders