Nord Refugee Character Diary - Hrisskar III

[BIGwooly]

- Hearfire, 4E 202 -

I've just laid my eyes on a place that is not of this world. My breath is taken by it's strange beauty. My nose is opened to scents lost in time. My heart is quickened with thoughts of what dangers may lie in wait in this place.



I'm in a very old dwemer ruin, and at this point I'm so far beneath the surface of Skyrim I don't know if I'll ever make it back. The ground beneath my boots seems older than time itself, and the world of Skyrim is like a fleeting dream in my mind right now.

I've been down here for days. I can't even be certain how many at this point. I know I took just over two days of food rations with me, and they've run out. I have no concept of day and night anymore. I haven't slept or eaten in many hours, and yet I push deeper into this place. I'm beginning to think the deeper I go, the deeper it will be. As if somehow the world ahead of me grows with every step I take.

Just finding this ruin took me on a journey. First to Winterhold, where I was told to look for a man lost on the ice fields years ago. I spent a day looking for him, only to realize I would need a boat to go further into the sea. So I spent another day fighting a group of lowly thugs to gain access to their boat. Another day on the water searching in vain lead to another day where I found an unmarked cave and nearly lost my life to several frost atronachs. I survived the encounter just barely, but then nearly froze to death in the middle of the night as I tried to find my way back to safety in a snowy squall on the sea.



One more day of searching led me to find the man I sought, but he didn't have what I needed. So another day back to Winterhold and another day across the dangerous passes to reach this dwemer ruin.

And now days upon days, hours upon hours, dangers upon dangers ... my life feels lost already. I feel like I'm on a path and no longer in control. I just move forward. Is there an end to this place? Is there an end to my journey? Or will my end be death? Starvation? A falmer sword? A dwemer machination's blade? A spider's poison or a chaurus's spit? Or will I just take a fatal fall in my drunken sleep state?

 

[Max Rasmuth]

This whole tale is nothing short of epic, I applaud you!

 

[DarkEastwood]

I'd like to ask you; what's your take on owned beds? Like if a hunter dies by accident and you can't sleep in their bed, can you just wait next to it to pretend that you're sleeping there?

Also, do you rule out eating raw meat?

 

[Neriad13]

Well...if worse comes to worse, you could subsist on crimson nirnroot and Falmer ear stew. A dash of Dwemer oil makes for excellent seasoning.

 

[BIGwooly]

I'd like to ask you; what's your take on owned beds? Like if a hunter dies by accident and you can't sleep in their bed, can you just wait next to it to pretend that you're sleeping there?

Also, do you rule out eating raw meat?

Good question. I've never slept in a bed I wasn't allowed to sleep in. BUT .. you bring up an interesting point. I suppose I might do something like that if the situation was right. I suppose I could also sleep in other places where there aren't any beds as well, but I'm not sure I want to start doing that yet.

 

[Mr1cammando]

You know, when I don't have any food and I'm in a pinch, I eat ingrediants with beneficial effects. Like Mudcrab chiten or wheat. Down there, you might use some of the stuff in that one shack.

 

[bulbaquil]

Oh yes. How did I not realize this was going to be... amusing?

Blackreach.

With your restrictions.

Good luck ever finding your destination, Hrisskar

 

[BIGwooly]

- 4th of Heartfire, 4E 202 -

I emerged from the dwemer ruins to the blackness of night, with weary eyes and an empty stomach. In my searching deep below I found a room with a lever, and when I pulled the lever I was brought all the way back up to the surface. The dwemer were truly remarkable in their designs. Although the strange machine brought me to the surface in the middle of nowhere.

Once I had my bearings I made my way back over the pass and found Dawn and the entrance to the ruins again. I went back inside to collect a few more valuables I had stored away. I'm leaving a fortune inside simply because I can't carry it all. It would take days .. no .. weeks to get it all out. Perhaps I'll come back someday when all of these dragons are gone.

In addition to my lack of sleep and lack of food, I'm not feeling well at all and my ability to fight has been significantly affected. Certainly I've contracted some sort of disease from the filthy falmer that are crawling inside the ruins. My symptoms seem to be in line with something called rockjoint. Nasty stuff.

After arriving in Windhelm yesterday around noon, and after stuffing my face with all the food I could buy, I fell into bed until this morning. I'm feeling a bit better today, but definitely still feeling ill. I will have to stop by the temple after I sell my valuables. Then it's back to the ruins after I purchase several days worth of food.

 

[BIGwooly]

You know, when I don't have any food and I'm in a pinch, I eat ingrediants with beneficial effects. Like Mudcrab chiten or wheat. Down there, you might use some of the stuff in that one shack.

For me, unless the food item says it restores health I don't consider it to be actual food. I'll be taking much more on the next trip. d;-) Great suggestion, though. I'm thinking of considering health potions as replacement meals in a pinch. It makes sense that they could replace meals, and often it's easier to find those than actual food.

 

[BIGwooly]

Oh yes. How did I not realize this was going to be... amusing?

Blackreach.

With your restrictions.

Good luck ever finding your destination, Hrisskar

Plus I contracted a freaking disease! I was wondering why suddenly every fight was leaving me near death, lol. Blackreach is huge. I managed to find something just before I found the 'elevator' out, so we'll see if that leads in the right direction or not. God help me, haha.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 5th of Heartfire, 4E 202 -

I think I may not have brought enough food .. again.

Yesterday I rode from Windhelm back to the ruins and took the odd contraption back down into their depths. I spent the rest of the day and all of last night making my way through hall after hall, room after room. Judging from my stomach and the number of meals I've had, it should be around noon now. But I can't tell. There is no natural light in this place. How could the dwemer live underground like this?

I've been proceeding at snail's pace. The falmer are everywhere, and the dwemer have left behind their own machined combatants and traps. My painstakingly slow pace save my life from one of these traps. My attention was on a falmer that I was sneaking up to, when my foot came down on a stone that sank. I paused as it caught my attention, and a second later a dozen blades came out from the walls .. narrowly missing me, but killing the falmer I was stalking in an instant.

In my exploration I found a large structure on a hill of some kind. But I also found a drainage pipe down below it, and chose to enter that way instead of the front gate. I thought it best to continue to use caution in this strange place.

The falmer aren't alone down here. There are men as well. But they all appear to be under some sort of trance, as if the falmer were controlling them to some extent. This wasn't an issue as I was managing to avoid most of these poor souls. But once I was out in the courtyard and the falmer spotted me, the place came alive with danger.

From all directions came running falmer and men, weapons drawn. I stood my ground and struck them down as they came, but the tide didn't subside, and soon I was out of breath and my mace was no longer holding its magic.

So I fled, using my shout of force to help create some separation. I ran until I found a safe spot, and then recharged my weapon with a soul gem. And just in time too, as several men and a falmer found my location.

I proceeded to beat them down, and then fled again. I was hurting badly, and needed some time to recover. But the falmer pursued me, and soon I found myself in a face off with three of them. They encircled my position and moved in to finish me off. But I was able to force shout two of them to the ground, and while they were still down I beat one of them nearly to death. Because my mace was recharged, this brought my health back to normal, and suddenly the fight was closer to even.

With two quick blows I finished the first falmer, even as his associate was attacking me. As the first fell dead, I turned to the second, using my shield to disrupt his attacks while launching my own. He eventually fell also, and I spun around just in time to block the attack of the third falmer. And then, with an impressive and brutal attack, I struck the falmer and took his head from his neck.

I'm catching my breath now, and all seems clear at the moment. My concern is not just the remaining falmer and their followers, or what dark magical bond is between them. No. My concern is that this cavernous place may take me days, or even weeks to thoroughly search. It's very likely I will have to leave again if I can't find a place to at least rest for a bit. I have another 2 days worth of food stashed in a dwemer chest nearby, so that's not an issue just yet.

Just the size of this place is the issue. That and I have no idea what I'm looking for. That crazy old man better have known what he was talking about. As smart as he seemed, he didn't seem to have his whole mind with him.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 5th of Heartfire, 4E 202 -

I'm thoroughly exhausted. It has to be late evening, and I didn't rest at all last night. I just found a bed and the area seems safe enough now. I've killed everything in sight. At this point it doesn't matter. I have to sleep. I have no choice. To continue without sleep would be foolish.

When I wake I have some bodies to check on. I took another of this platform elevators and it took me to a place far above the floor of this underground cavern. A falmer with magic and two men ran to attack me and I used my shout of force to send them flying off into the air, where they fell an unfathomable distance to the ground below.

The area they were in had a single seat that had a view of the cavern. It almost appeared to be a throne of some kind. It's possible that dirty falmer or one of those men have a clue on them as to what the stone seat is for. Tomorrow I'll check their bodies. Now .. sleep.

 

[Honeyderp]

This is a great journal. Just noted that the last two entries are both fifth of heartfire

 

[BIGwooly]

- 6th of Heartfire, 4E 202 -

What a horrible way to wake up! I was having a dream .. not really sure what about ... and I could hear voices. The voices were distinctly those of orcs, but they were impossible to understand. It was like the voices were close, but at the same time very far away.

Suddenly the voices were very clear and I heard several shouts. This jarred me from my dream and back into reality, which was three very large orcs standing at the foot of the bed I was sleeping in.

Still somewhat disoriented from waking, my initial defense against the incoming strikes of mace and sword were pathetic. I considered shouting, but for some reason I just didn't do it. It would have been helpful, but nevertheless .. I made short work of my unarmored opponents. I was lucky three falmer hadn't stumbled across me. Or worse.

I hope this wasn't an omen for how today is going to go ...

 

[BIGwooly]

This is a great journal. Just noted that the last two entries are both fifth of heartfire

They were both written the same day. d;-)

Usually I write once per day. Sometimes I write more than once per day. Sometimes I go a few days or more without writing. It all depends on what happens. Thanks for the heads-up, though!

 

[Honeyderp]

Sorry, I skipped quite a few journals so I was not aware of you doing this. You are a brilliant writer and I would not be suprised if all journals were inspired by you.

 

[BIGwooly]

Sorry, I skipped quite a few journals so I was not aware of you doing this. You are a brilliant writer and I would not be suprised if all journals were inspired by you.

Haha, I certainly can't take credit for that .. but thanks for the compliment!

 

[Halkin]

gutted. nice to see wooly back but my reading stops here as you pass my main quest progression.

 

[DdraigGwyn]

This has a really authentic ring to it, so much better than people crowing about reaching level 100 iin every skill . Playing as a person, rather than a 'build', is so much more interesting.

 

[DarkEastwood]

I have question: I started one of these characters, and when I died I did what you do and pay the people 300 gold and wait a week. My question is, can you do this without reloading? I'd like for the people I killed to remain dead, but when you have to load, they come back to life.