The Serpent Stone

The Serpent Stone is the only Birthstone which location is not marked by a red 'x' on the map that comes with a game.

Current Events

One of the things I enjoy the most about Skyrim may seem very trivial. The rivers have current. Sometimes it can be very strong, especially just above a waterfall. If you enter into water too deep to stand, then you'll begin to move downstream, in some cases very quickly. If you aren't careful, you'll get pushed over a waterfall and die! This adds some realism that's also loads of fun.

In Skyrim, bears are huge and very dangerous. I carelessly announced my presence to this angry ursine while wandering through The Reach. He chased me into the river. That's right. I ran away like a little girl. But the current in this particular spot is very strong. The bear couldn't swim upstream. Only the rocks prevent him from going over the waterfall to the left. He got trapped in this spot, though I was able, as a result of superior humanoid agility, to swim to the opposite shore from where I picked him off with a few arrows. So unfair, I know.


Click on the image to see it up close. Notice the raindrops on the water. Very nice detail.

After the bear's untimely demise, his lifeless body quickly floated away from the rocks into the rushing current. It even caught air as it zipped over the edge of the fall. I missed catching a screenshot, but it was awesome.

No Lolly-gaggin'!

I've been playing Skyrim for a couple of months now. I've had a few different characters, primarily in order to experience all the quests available while not abandoning role-playing. Finally, I've settled into a Breton archer/mage named Houston Abernathy.

With this character, I decided on a course of action that could be, but should not be, considered an exploit. I refrained from visiting the Jarl of Whiterun. As a result, the quest Dragon Rising has not yet begun. Therefore, I am able to visit various outdoor word walls without having to encounter dragons. This was very helpful at lower levels. However, for the same reason, I am unable to obtain dragon souls for powering the dragon shouts that I learn. I think that's a fair trade-off. Possessing dragon shouts with no way to use them doesn't sound like much of an exploit. But I have enjoyed playing without the pressure of the main quest looming over everything I do.

I have a lot of snapshots forthcoming. I can't think of a better way to begin than with one of the most strikingly beautiful sights in Skyrim.

On the Level

Classes will not be present in Skyrim. You will not choose a Spellsword or Bard or some custom class of your own making. As a result, there will be no major or minor skills. Attributes have also been given their pink slips. I'm not yet sold on the removal of attributes, but the more I think about it, the more I like a classless system.

Even back in the old, old days of playing the classic and duly revered Dungeons & Dragons with pencil and paper (and dice!), I was frustrated by classes. They did not leave room for the kind of character I wanted to play. For example, the character in whom I was most invested was a Half-Elf called Fallon Chiaro. He was a Magic-user/Thief. This was all well and good except that I wanted to play him as an archer. But, neither as a magic-user nor as a thief was I allowed to use a bow. Such an artificial limitation seems silly now, and I've always enjoyed the lack of such restrictions in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (TESIV).

In fact, I must not have been the only one frustrated with the restrictions of classes in Dungeons & Dragons because later on, in order to help alleviate this problem, additional classes were added to accommodate a broader range of styles of play, which had not been allowed with the previously available classes.

In Oblivion, classes were defined by your choice of 1 of the 3 schools (combat, magic, stealth) and by your choice of 7 of the 21 skills. All skills not chosen as your 7 major skills were instead minor skills for your character. Each school included 7 skills, and the skills associated with the school you chose were increased by 5 points for your character. The major skills you chose for your character were increased by 20 points.

In Oblivion, as well as in Skyrim, leveling is accomplished by increasing skills. In Oblivion, when your major skills in any combination increased 10 times, your character would advance to the next level. In Skyrim, since there are no major or minor skills, increasing any skill will contribute toward leveling up. I've come to realize and appreciate the significance of this change.

I had resisted the prompting of several forum posts to consider what kind of character I will play first. I initially had no interest making such a decision before even putting my hands on the game, particularly without knowing the racial abilities and skill bonuses.

However, after seeing the 20 minutes of Skyrim game play video, I was so impressed and enchanted by the beauty of the world that I am now intent on creating a character that will live in the wilderness and explore this new realm. When I considered what choice I would make in order to build this character, I immediately fell back into the normal thought process for developing characters for Oblivion. That is, I thought about what skills I would have to choose as majors.

Of course, this is completely unnecessary in Skyrim. Rather I will merely play using those skills. This is much simpler, but even better, we now have the freedom to alter our style of play without having to start a new character. I can be a sort of ranger for a while, but later, if I want, I can join the fighter's guild, or become a vampire, or whatever. I can do all that without ever regretting decisions made way back when I created the character.

Skyrim is beautiful. I am eager to dive in.

Return of the King

On 11/11/11, The Elder Scrolls series will return with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The graphics are amazing, even though it is made for the same XBOX that TES IV: Oblivion was made for. The user interface is much improved. Some gameplay elements have been removed that will be missed. So much more has been added.

After seeing the graphics in bits of the gameplay demo, I thought I would find it impossible to return to playing Oblivion while waiting for Skyrim to be released. But the full gameplay demo so thoroughly pulled me into the world that I was actually inspired to play Oblivion once again.

The 20 minutes of gameplay demo was released in 3 parts, which are below.

Malvolio: the idea

For the past couple of months I've been playing a character I developed with an extensive long-term purpose in mind. I tried to think of a way to role-play a character that might legitimately pursue multiple quest lines.

I came up with a Dunmer I named Malvolio. I chose Dunmer because of what seems to me to be a racial tendency toward evil. I also wanted to demonstrate, for my own edification if for no one else, that even the most wicked can receive grace.

The name is from a shakespeare play. It means "evil wishing". I chose it because the meaning fits what I intend to do with the character, the name is consistent with Dunmer names because it is built around L, M, and V, and it sounds like a real name rather than something made up.

My plan is for Malvolio to undergo deep character transformation that motivates him in directions entirely different from his original goals. He began as a wicked, angry, malicious person.

I started him out as just a brawler who joined the Arena for the thrill of bloodshed. He joined the Theives' Guild primarily as a method for paying off bounties without losing stolen goods, but also because I wanted to obtain and keep the Boots of Springheel Jak.

Because many of the daedric shrine quests are clearly evil in nature, I have been unwilling to complete some of them with other characters. Malvolio provides an opportunity to complete them all without deviating from character.

I intended for him to complete the Dark Brotherhood quest line, but later, for an as-yet-undetermined reason, repent of all his wicked ways to ultimately become a Knight of the Nine and complete that quest as well as the Main Quest.

At this point, Malvolio is the Arena Grand Champion, the Gray Fox, the Listener, and the Madgod. I thought Shivering Isles could very likely provide the impetus for repentence or some trauma(s) that might turn him completely around. I'm convinced that it will. But having completed the main quest, I believe I did it too soon. He is only level 14 and has many Daedric quests yet to complete. I will revert to a save before going far into the SI main quest in order to complete daedric shrine quests (and anything else I'd like him to complete while thoroughly evil) before pursuing the SI main quest. Some of the daedric shrine quests in addition to experiences in SI could easily explain trauma that could lead to Malvolio's repentence.

The Ring of Destruction addendum

Finding the Ring of Destruction at Fanacasecul is trickier than I originally thought. I have actually approached the location from the east and found the ring rolling downhill from the NW (just below the encampment on the platform) toward the spot shown in the previous post. I could just barely hear it 'clinking' as it rolled. It seems that the ring is poised, possibly under or behind a bottle of beer, and begins to roll the first time you enter the area. This calls for saving before entering the 'zone' or cell.

Fanacasecul: The Ring of Destruction

Be careful. If you kick the ring by accident before seeing it, you may never find it.